Warner Drive At The Viper Room
A Homecoming of Earth-Shattering Proportions
By Jay Maruki
When
Warner Drive announced that they would be playing a big show at their
old stomping grounds, one knew it had to be an unbelievable night. True
to form, the "four-man wrecking crew" demolished the very foundation of
the Viper Room, shattered car windows six blocks away, and shredded
what little clothing the stunning sea of women were wearing! As for the
male species in the audience, well let's just say that the sound waves
were enough to sterilize them, and in some cases, they did the gene
pool a VERY big favor!
Launching
this fire hazard, overpacked house party with the de facto anthem "The
Viper Room", all six-foot ten of Jonny (he's six-four, with a six-inch
high Aqua Net Mohawk piercing the sky) whipped the bevy of WD fans into
a frothy frenzy and leaving newcomers in stunned, gaping silence. I'll
bet any newcomer to the show was not prepared for the WD onslaught and
the accompanying roar of the crowd following each and every song. Party
they do, and they do it well, and not just at The Viper Room; Less than
four weeks ago, Warner Drive blew the roof off a Rubio's down in
Mission Viejo using another band's equipment, doing nothing more than
what they've gotten good at. Anytime, anywhere, it seems readily
apparent that WD can lay waste to any venue of any size. The energy
level that all of them exude is beyond anything that I have ever seen,
and the audience responds in kind, but tenfold! It's so infectious,
that I wouldn't be surprised if employees and customers two blocks away
at The Hustler Store were stomping their feet and bangin' their heads
in time to WD's signature brand of rock!
Normally
at this point in the review, I would be running through all of the
songs in the set one by one, giving my little commentary here and
there, but in this case, I just plain forgot to ask the guys for a copy
of the set list. No matter though: Warner Drive NEVER missed a single
note or verse, keeping a frenetic pace throughout the night. The one
"slow-down" (and I use the term loosely) point was when they played
"Broken", a power ballad that's a 12 out of 10, and definitely a
candidate for radio-friendly airplay. Although I believe that the song
was originally borne out of a lost soul who found a way out of the
bottom of the well, it really can be applied to any relationship,
romantic or otherwise (such as the relationship between a parent and
child), and can even be interpreted a an uplifting song for those who
are mourning the loss of a loved one. I personally rank this song up
with the classic power ballads of the 80's, not because it's a cheesy
deal, but rather because most of those past ballads were written in
relation to something that was very personal to them at that time in
their lives. Jonny's swelling vocal performance, rife with emotional
strain and soulful stirrings, is a much-needed departure from all of
the imitators who use scream therapy as a way to sell a good time.
Warner Drive needs no such anger to get butts in front of the stage;
Their one and only selling point is to make music for themselves, not
the masses. Thankfully, the masses came, and they're growing more and
more with each passing show.
Frontman
and second guitarist Jonny Law is the very definition of what it means
to be a rock star. Charismatic to a fault with a slick sense of humor,
he's the main reason why Warner Drive's shows are always at least a
5-to-1 ratio of girls to guys. Using every inch of the stage area,
Jonny makes sure that everyone can see him, and that he can see
everyone in passing. Mere words are not enough to fully summarize the
hurricane force that is Warner Drive: From humble beginnings to
headlining the Vans Warped Tour, it seems as if Warner Drive is
cruising on the pinnacle of success. But they're just getting started:
I'm sure that Warner Drive will not only be around for years to come,
but they'll also be the ones who are imitated the most.
Peet
may be the jokester personality of the group, but when he wraps that
battleship gray EB Stingray bass across his torso, something magically
animalistic transforms Peet of The Village Idiot into Jackhammer Peet,
the intense madman of the stage. For Peet, it's not about thumping one
note on one string; Peet's role in Warner Drive, like the many bassists
of classic rock bands, is to tie together all of the musical elements
of a four-piece band and help solidify the backbeat foundation that
Matt provides on the drums. In my last review of the Charity Rockfest,
I compared Peet to Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame. I realize that I
was mistaken, as Flea should be compared to Peet! Flea, Michael
Anthony, Stu Hamm, or Mike Dirnt need to take lessons from Peet, as his
musical ear is finely tuned to the frenzied pace of most of WD's songs.
In this band, the bass is not overpowering, nor is it buried in the
Matt's kick drum, but if you listen closely, it is an absolute integral
part of their signature sound.
Armed
with a humbucker-equipped guitar, a wah pedal, and a hundred-watt
half-stack, Chris can pretty much kick the shit out of any guitarist
just on pure tone alone. Factor in some dazzling triplet hammer-on runs
across four strings, and you'd better just leave quickly and quietly,
for once he's in the zone, no one's safe. Unusually clean-shaven for
this outing (thanks to his boss), one would never think that this
somewhat quiet, non-descript man just happens to be a whirlwind of
six-string wizardry on stage! No matter what Chris plays, he ALWAYS
looks like he's having the time of his life on stage, which is probably
100% true. With his tongue wagging à la Michael Jordan, Chris burns the
frets off the guitar, sets the amp on fire, and scorches a six-block
radius around himself, while grinning from ear to ear at the same time.
Chris and Peet are the perfect foils to each other, and it's obvious
that they enjoy performing on stage together, taking jabs at one
another while simultaneously creating seismic waves of paint-peeling
tone that's as "brown" as the day Eddie Van Halen coined the term.
"Machine
Gun" Matt can double-time a beat better and faster than anyone I know,
and it's simply amazing to me that no one gets off track or loses count
mid-song. Blazing fast drum rolls and meaty, skins-busting beats twist
and bend the laws of 4/4 time to the maximum, and the staccato-like
atmosphere of Warner Drive's music must be seen as well as heard. This
is one of the few bands whose live show is way better than the studio
performance, and the payoff is the high energy pouring forth from both
the band as well as the audience.
Ah,
to be young again and have all that energy bottled up, waiting like a
powder keg to explode. Warner Drive makes every show seem as if it were
their last, putting everything they've got into it, and then some. See
you at the Aqua Lounge in Beverly Hills May 29th!