Metal Sludge The Power and the Glory
Todd Chase, Stevie Rachelle, Phil Soussan & Staffan Osterlind backstage pre-show
TUFF & Lizzy DeVine rock the “Whisky-A-Go-Go” Live on the Sunset Strip
By Gerry Gittelson
Metal Sludge Editor at Large
HOLLYWOOD — Tuff celebrated their homecoming Friday, Sept. 27 with a return to the Sunset Strip, coming through with a well-received set featuring a bunch of old favorites at the Whisky.
Yes, we are biased here at Sludge, but Stevie Rachelle made a strong bid to prove he still has some rock-star in him, and he had the near-capacity crowd in the palm of his hand during a rousing version of “I Hate Kissing You Goodbye,” the former MTV hit that saw a lot of peeps singing along, especially the girls up front.
Original bassist Todd Chase is still in place, though you would never recognize him because he looks more like a biker now than the image he portrayed back in the day of a skinny rocker boy.
Stevie Rachelle, Staffan Osterlind & Todd “Chase” Chaisson
Rachelle was having fun pin-pointing old memories of the first time he ever played the Sunset Strip. Back then, he and Tuff were slugging it out in heavy completion, trying to be the next big thing post-Warrant. No, Tuff did not sell millions of records, but there is a core group of loyal fans, and there was definitely a fun buzz going on.
Who knows, if Glam ever comes back, the great American hair band can make another go of things. During “Good Guys Wear Black,” the guitar was wailing, the drums were crashing, the bass was vibrating the walls and Rachelle was singing away for all he was worth.
With his broad shoulders and football-player physique, Rachelle is not your typical lipstick-and-spandex type Glam purveyor, but the guy does get his point across.
The best moment of all came after the show when a young Asian fan walked straight up to Rachelle, looked deep into his eyes, and said, “I love you.”
She meant it, too. How Rachelle did not take advantage of the situation showed remarkable restraint, but he just smiled and kept on moving.
The original Vains of Jenna voice Lizzy DeVine is back in action
Opener Lizzy Devine came through with an impressive set himself, the ex-Vains of Jenna singer stringing together a bunch of catchy songs one after the other. A sure crowd pleaser is 17 year old drummer Justin Knight. Bruce “Roxy” Matis on guitars and Masa on bass make up DeVine’s current line up.
Before this was Trash Cowboys, a band on the rise. You may remember the name from back in the day, and there are two original members, guitarist Bradley Rude and drummer Joey Durant. The band did a nice job.
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