antiMUSIC Reviews - The Music site with an attitude

Toilet Boys with the Bleeders

by Goth Brooks

When and Where? The Galaxy Theatre -- Santa Ana, CA. 11/30/00

Special Props from Goth: Before I get into writing the review of this show, I'd like to throw down some mad props to the Galaxy Theatre for all the extended professional courtesy they've shown me lately with all the access and photo passes. I don't know if I can legally put your names out over the Internet without a release of authorization, but I'm sure you know who you are.

The Bleeders were first to take the stage, and from the moment these "greezy" sons-a-b*tches stepped up there for the Galaxy crowd to take a gander at, it was a high octane, foot to the floor, straight to hell race with the devil. The Bleeders play the kind of revved-up rock n' roll that inspires the ladies in the crowd to get up and get their go-go on, and the guys to keep buying the ladies rounds of drinks. The Bleeders consists of Ruben Rivera on vocals, Mike Rouse on bass, Clint Gonzalez on guitar, and Paul Fox on drums. It seems The Bleeders obsession for all things Elvis and all things having to do with roots rock has never gone away and they use their love of this music to their full advantage when they throw in their own ingredients to the mix. So, what exactly do The Bleeders sound like you ask? The Bleeders sound exactly like nobody else but The Bleeders, and those Electra-fine dancers are pretty cool too daddy-o!

Whoah! Or in the words of my fearless editor upon seeing the pictures of TOILET BOYS vocalist Guy, "OH - MY - GAWD!!!" TOILET BOYS are definitely not for the faint of heart. I was already aware of the brazen drag queen persona of frontman Guy, and the ambiguous sexuality of some of the other members of this band, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing them up close and in person for the first time. As I stood mesmerized by the glitz and the glamour up there on the Galaxy stage, the one question that kept crossing my mind was, "Where was this guy (Guy) when I was in the SHU program at Pelican Bay five years ago? If Dr. Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Vince Neil had a baby, TOILET BOYS vocalist Guy would definitely be that baby. When I finally got to putting the question of the TOILET BOYS blatant or questionable sexual preferences aside, I was well into banging my head to their kick ass brand of Young, Loud, and Snotty Rock and Roll. The TOILET BOYS are at the top of the heap of all the New York bands right now, having made themselves known with appearances on The Howard Stern Show in New York, and in the L.A. area over the past few months with a live show that spares no expense on the kind of stage theatrics and killer pyrotechnics not seen since Alice Cooper in his "Welcome to my Nightmare" heyday, or KISS on their Destroyer tour. There's a lot more spectacular going on here than what any little rock �em--shock �em androgynous New York rock band could do. What the TOILET BOYS are doing is far beyond comparison to all the second rate theatric and pyro filled rock shows of up-n-coming bands. TOILET BOYS played an hour-long set of songs that everybody in the crowd seemed to know the words to. A TOILET BOYS show isn't just a show, it's a party not seen since the Grandmaster of ceremonies Diamond Dave ruled the roost on Van Halen's Fair Warning Tour. Guy sings the songs, Sean and Rocket play guitars, Adam plays bass, and Electric Eddie plays the drums. Sean is made up to be the killer guitarist in the band but Rocket gives the songs solid support with his lightning fast pick hand and muted strumming while Sean handles more of the pyro in the show. Eddie plays rock steady beats with such ease that he oughtta get himself a T.V. back there so he don't get bored.