Mann's World

The Small Faces 


Here are a few thoughts that went throught my head during The Cover-up at Kings:

My digital camera sucks.

Cheetie is an AWESOME guitar player.

I never knew the Little River Band had so many hits.

Who the hell are these guys? (re: The Small Faces)

I think Alice Cooper's wearing my pants.



Having missed the first night of the Cover-up (Jessica says Pentagram rocked), I wanted to get there early and see as much of night two as possible. The Little River Band (Torch Marauder plus the guys from Razzle) were already on stage, surprising the hell out of a bunch of hipsters who didn't realize they knew so many of the band's songs. I never thought I'd see a sing-along to "Lonesome Loser" at Kings, but then, I never thought I'd see that same crowd belting out "Anyway You Want It" when that Journey tribute band came through town a couple of years back.


I've seen more than my fair share of tribute bands. The best ones are either dead-on both musically and visually (like some of the better KISS tributes), or they give it a serious twist (Renelvis, the midget KISS band, any of the all-girl metal tributes like the Iron Maidens), or they cover some band that no one would ever think to do (Roxotica, the aforementioned "Little River Band"). Finally there's the entertainingly bad. I doubt The Monkees are actively trying to become a working tribute band, so I don't feel bad about putting them in that last category.



Who is this man? 


The Small Faces, on the other hand, could go on the road today with their act (that is, if there was actually a demand for a Small Faces tribute band). But the most frustrating thing about them is that I can't find out who they are! I know John Howie, most recently heard as the foghorn-voiced singer in Two Dollar Pistols, was playing drums. Someone told me that the keyboard player was Mike Walters from Jett Rink. I've seen "Ronnie Lane" and "Steve Marriott" around, but no one seemed to know who they are in real life. I've enclosed a photo, so if you know who they are, send me an e-mail. It's really starting to bug me.



 Alice Cooper

It was about this time that my digital camera decided to be temperamental, so I didn't get any photos of Blondie, which featured Matt Gentling of Archers of Loaf on bass and a super-sexy Deborah Harry (I think she was from The Comas). When I would try to snap a picture, either nothing would happen, or it would take so long to focus that whatever I was trying to take a picture of was no longer happening. That's how I ended up with lots of blurry photos of people looking away.


I did manage to get a few shots of Alice Cooper, who was the highlight of my evening. I left afterward, missing The Talking Heads and Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers. At that point the club was so crowded that I could hardly breathe, which always puts me in a bit of a panic situation. Husband-and-wife team Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar, who have been in several bands -- including The Cherry Valence, played guitar. I've always known Cheetie was a good guitarist and bass player, but watching her playing "Billion Dollar Babies" and "School's Out" solidified my opinion. Not that Paul's any slouch, mind you. It's just that Cheetie totally rocked.



Are these my pants? 


Anyway, I kept thinking that Alice's (Craig Tilley from El Boa and The Weather) vinyl "snakeskin" pants looked a lot like a pair I took to the Salvation Army not too long ago. I sent a note to the El Boa band page on myspace asking where he got those pants, but so far haven't heard anything. My first thought was, "damn, those pants are cool. Why did I give them away?" Then I thought, "because you haven't been able to pull them up over your butt in five years."


As I said, I left after Alice, but got the word today that The Talking Heads were phenomenal and The Heartbreakers were pretty good too.


Cool photo of Paul