Cardboard Vampyres Sold-Out Gi

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A band with a "buzz" is nothing new to the music scene. Usually it lasts for all of one recording or sold out show in the right venue before either a bad review or a lack of substance kills the interest surrounding the band in the first place. We in the business have seen it hundreds of times…. especially lately.

So, when I had the chance to see Cardboard Vampires play at the Roxy in Hollywood on Friday night, I jumped at the chance to see the latest "buzz band" do their thing and maybe jump start the music scene a little. What I saw was what I love about the power of rock music. Energy, passion and most of all, a love of performing to a sold out, sweaty audience that couldn't get enough of what was being blasted at them. It had been a long time since I've seen that. One performance that comes to mind was the performance of "Buck ‘N Roses" at Randy Castillo’s memorial concert a few years back. This was the combination of former Guns ‘N Roses members and Buckcherry members that eventually evolved into the biggest "buzz band" this year, Velvet Revolver. True rock and rollers putting on a true rock show -- and actually ENJOYING THEMSELVES!

Cardboard Vampires, for those of you who do not know, consists of former Alice In Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, former Cult guitarist Billy Duffy and singer John Corabi, who has sung or played in the likes of Motley Crue, Brides of Destruction, Union, Ratt and The Scream. They, along with bassist Chris Wyse and drummer Josh Houser, have played a few shows since forming a few months back to have some fun in between gigs, or, as Billy Duffy says, "We're the snack between meals."

Now I must tell you, this is all about a few friends getting together and having fun, playing songs they love. But they do it so well and with such energy, that I'm sure with the success of the afore mentioned Velvet Revolver, that any record company executive who witnessed Friday’s show will be having a sales pitch with the boss by the time this article goes to press. Yes they are THAT hot!

Hitting the stage on a hot steamy Friday the band opened with AC/DC’s "Overdose" and just flat out rocked from then on. Singer Corabi was clearly having a blast and by the time they played Aerosmith’s "Draw The Line," the band was on full power. Guitarist Cantrell handled the vocals for a few tunes, including The Who's "Squeezebox," and during Iggy Pop’s "I Wanna be your Dog," he actually stage dived into the crowd --TWICE! And of course they played Alice in Chains and Cult songs, as well as others that the band members (and audience) clearly enjoyed.

After an encore that included AIC's classic "Would," the band finished the set with the Cult's "Love Removal Machine." The crowd was by then a big sweaty pile of happy satisfied rock fans, still not knowing if the band had any more songs to play. But right before the curtain closed, Billy Duffy shouted, "Thank you for not buying our records --because we don’t HAVE ANY!" And with that, they were done. The worlds heaviest cover band. What will happen next with these guys? Who knows? They are playing a gig in Oklahoma soon with ZZ Top, but after that we'll have to wait and see.

When I talked to John Corabi after the show, I couldn’t help but notice the Velvet Revolver T-shirt he was wearing. Hmmmm. The future in the rock scene just got a whole lot more interesting.

SET LIST:

Overdose - AC/DC
Hole in the Sky - Black Sabbath
Draw the Line - Aerosmith
Given the Dog a Bone - AC/DC
Squeeze Box - the Who (Cantrell vocals)
Seek And Destroy - Metallica
Ace of Spades - Motorhead (Wyse vocals)
I Wanna Be Your Dog - Iggy and the Stooges (Cantrell vocals, Morrison on guitar)
Sun King - The Cult
Sea of Sorrow - Alice in Chains
Wild Flower - The Cult
It Ain’t Like that - Alice in Chains (Cantrell vocals)

Encore:

Would - Alice in Chains
Love Removal Machine - The Cult

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