After Hours
Acetate Records
L.A. Rock is back! Hollywood's Prima Donna bring on some of the sweetest glam punk done up in all the glitter of LA, but with an attitude that's rooted in more groundbreaking (and less cheesy, I must add) bands like NY Dolls and The Heartbreakers. Glam rock had its moments in history, but the '80s LA version of bad metal plus loads of fun and overindulgence stretched it to its final end. Nevertheless, everyone involved in that era look back on it fondly, albeit in a haze. Like their local predecessors, Prima Donna give rock a good kick in the leopard print spandex pants, but the music is loud and full of swaggering attitude found in better rock 'n' roll dring its heyday instead of "The Metal Years."
The opening "Soul Stripper" packs a whallop good ol' Stonesy blues with the fun and tongue and cheek of NY Dolls. Aside from the sax that sounds cool just because they have the guts to use it, there's an absolutely trashy guitar solo that's both really good but nasty enough to annoy someone who holds the guitar solo as sacred. "Demoted" has an almost early Cheap Trick nod with its beats, still louder and nastier, and a handclap that will get the most jaded hipster clapping along. By the way, Prima Donna's live shows are legendary. "I Don't Want You To Love Me" - takes on a more serious tone with "I don't want you to love me, I don't want you to care, I just want you to like it when I lick you there." Pretty deep, ain't it? The song changes tone midway through and ends with the raunchiest "Ow" out there. In perfect homage to NY Dolls, "Stray Doll" makes trash into art and is more than enough to upset and scare your parents. Finally, music to scare your parents! They'll end up beside themselves when their teenage boy puts on some makeup, borrows his sisters spandex pants, poofs his hair, and lip syncs to "Why have a home, when I would rather be a stray doll!" Or worse if their daughter goes out with one! Welcome back to the jungle, baby!
It's great to hear attitude, sweat, booze, and other unnamed substances cocktailed into something fun again. Prima Donna has great hair and great rock 'n' roll to back it up. "Lady Strange" is the sleaziest thing one's heard since "Suffragette City" and just as catchy.
If anything, Prima Donna and their 'full' length (28 minutes) After Hours brings dirty sex back into rock 'n' roll. Most of us won't go that route anymore since times have changed, but many of us remember that it's more fun when it's dirty. Prima Donna is something that we've been missing for too long. After Hours has is pure fun without the guilt or consequences. The attitude is glam, the feeling is sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, the music is raw, or maybe it's those adjectives mixed up. If anything, it's proof that the old farts need to get out of the way. It's time to let up (or down) your hair, get a girl, and and have some fun! We all could use more of that these days.
After Hours is due for release next week. One can preorder from their website, profile, or acetate.com. Prima Donna is doing a free show for the Wild Weekend Power Pop Festival! They're known for being a great live act, so how could one miss them? Other dates listed below:
Aug 28 2008 10:00P The Mix San Antonio, Texas
Aug 29 2008 3:00P Beerland =FREE SHOW= Wild Weekend Power Pop Festival Austin, Texas
Aug 31 2008 8:00P Last Concert Cafe (All Ages) Houston, Texas
Sep 1 2008 8:00P Reno's Grill (17+) Dallas, Texas
Sep 2 2008 8:00P The Brighthouse (ALL AGES) Lubbock, Texas
Sep 4 2008 10:00P Yucca Tap Room (21+) Tempe, Arizona
Sep 7 2008 8:00P Fire Escape Bar & Grill (all ages) Citrus Heights, California
Sep 9 2008 8:00P The Stork Club Oakland, California
Sep 10 2008 8:00P East End Portland, Oregon
Sep 11 2008 9:00P The Central Tavern Seattle, Washington
Sep 12 2008 8:00P Jefferson County Library (All Ages) Port Hadlock, Washington
Sep 13 2008 8:00P The Boiler Room (all ages) Port Townsend, Washington
Sep 15 2008 8:00P The Stork Club Oakland, California
Sep 18 2008 9:30P CD RELEASE & HOMECOMING SHOW ALL AGES W/ THE JONESES @ Knitting Factory Hollywood, California
Sep 28 2008 9:00P Alex's Bar Long Beach, California
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