Brett Callwood
The Chocolate Watchband Kick Off Whisky Celebrations: The world famous Whisky is hosting a series of shows to celebrate its 60th (!) anniversary, and Los Altos outfit the Chocolate Watch Band was the first last week.
The Whisky deserves its party. While it, and the Sunset Strip, might not be the center of the Los Angeles music scene that it once was, it’s still here, still hosting shows. Sixty years is really nothing to be sniffed at — there aren’t many venues of this size, or indeed of any size, that have survived for that long. Hats off.
Meanwhile, Los Altos outfit the Chocolate Watchband formed in 1965 though their were done by 1970. They reformed in 1999 and have been together ever since, but frontman Dave Aguilar is the sole remaining member from the classic lineup. No matter — at the Whisky on Thursday evening, it was clear that the veteran singer has assembled a group of stellar musicians, more than capable of doing these old songs justice.
Fans of the Nuggets album and, later, the box set will be aware of a handful of Chocolate Watchband songs, even if you don’t own any of their albums. What you can get from those songs is just how gritty and hard this band was and is. There’s a proto-punk edge that recalls the likes of the Kinks and even the MC5.
They played all of those songs and more at the Whisky, opening with the anthemic singalong that is “Let’s Talk About Girls.” “We Were Wrong” is a particularly aggressive punky tune with a sledgehammer of a chorus, and “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)” (one of the Nuggets songs) is magnificent.
We get some great covers too, including Zappa’s “Trouble Every Day,” the Kinks’ “I’m Not Like Everybody Else,” and their classic version of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”
Through it all, Aguilar was a warm and gracious host, offering one anecdote after another. The stories from the “good old days” were very welcome, and they served to pump up the nostalgia factor on this special occasion for both the band and the venue. It was a special night.
A quick thumbs up for the Fantastic Fellinis, who performed immediately before the headliners. The Vitta Quinn-fronted band blends garage rock with ’60s go-go, and that’s an intoxicating combination. We’ll be back for more.
The Chocolate Watchband Kick Off Whisky Celebrations: For more info, visit whiskyagogo.com.
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