SXSW Performance: Damone

Attention "Happy Days" fans: Leather Tuscadero is alive and well, and is currently kicking ass as the frontwoman for Boston-based rock quartet Damone .

OK, that's not entirely true; her name isn't Leather Tuscadero, it's Noelle. The rest of it, though--you know, the kicking ass and fronting a band part--that's all true.

"We are Damone, and we are the greatest show you will see at this festival," bassist Vasquez said near the beginning of his group's Saturday night (3/18) performance at Friends. That's a bit of a stretch, but he and Noelle--along with drummer Dustin Hengst and guitarist Mike Woods--certainly did their best to live up to the bassist's hyperbolic prediction.

If you've ever had a soft spot for anthemic, '80s-era glam metal, then Damone is for you. In fact, the group--which takes its name from a character in the 1982 comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"--is one of the few bands still channeling those bygone days that does so well enough to be taken seriously.

Sporting some of the nicest gear ever to grace a small barroom stage--including wireless guitar rigs for Noelle, Vasquez and Woods--Damone assaulted the packed audience with a 40-minute set that was filled with fist-pumping rock, choreographed head-banging, huge riffs and Van Halen-esque guitar solos.

Holding it all together was Noelle and her killer vocals. Think The Donnas, Kittie and The Runaways blended together and poured into a short brunette sporting a leather motorcycle jacket and a guitar, and you'll get the idea.

Damone--which split from RCA after recording only one album for the label (2003's "From the Attic"), and has since signed with Island/Def Jam--issues its sophomore full-length, "Out Here All Night," exclusively via iTunes this Tuesday (3/21), and at retail outlets on May 23. Should the album take off, the group will feel right at home when it comes time to play arenas.

blog comments powered by Disqus

LiveDaily Song of the Day: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, "The Sound"

Today's LiveDaily Song of the Day is Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's "The Sound," which is featured on the Oregon-based singer/songwriter's... continued
Listen now:
 

The Raveonettes: Exclusive LiveDaily Sessions Performance

Danish duo The Raveonettes--a.k.a. singer/songwriter/guitarist Sune Rose Wagner and singer/bassist Sharin Foo--are known for a combination of fuzzy guitar, vintage... continued
Listen now: