Imagine an unholy blend of George Thorogood, Chuck Berry,
Jimmy Buffett, any of your goofballs from "Animal House"
along with several cases of your favorite brew and that
about sums up what outrageous Los Angeles quartet King Con
is all about.
Never one to shirk from an issue that is
un-politacally correct, these crazed maniacs -
lead singer/guitarist King Con, lead guitarist
Lealund, bassist Billy Patten and drummer T.M. Burr -
tore it up before a packed house in the normally staid Marina.
Their hour-long set features song titles like
"Dirty Whore", "Crack A Brew", "Beauty's Just a Lightswitch Away",
and the immortal "Too Drunk to Fuck." Frat Rock at it's highest...or
lowest... level. Either way, the crowd loved it.
It's obvious the boys don't take their topics
too seriously - how could they? - and all they care
about is playing music and having a good time.
Everybody in the house drank, danced and sang along
so the boys certainly accomplished what they set out to do.
Far from a novelty act however,
King con rocks like mad and the quality of
musicianship is high. Lealund provided some heat
with massive, chunky Chuck berry-inspired riffs, the rhythm
section was not only tight but drove this clown car along at high
speed and King Con proved to be an engaging frontman.
His alcohol-fueled repartee with the audience was a hit
and he even called up two lovely young ladies from
the audience to sing on the chours to "Too Drunk to Fuck."
Most of the set's tunes were taken from
the band's debut CD on Dental Records, "Double Secret Probation,"
yet another nod to their Animal House roots.
In fact, if John Belushi were still around he'd probably swap a few harmonica
licks with King Con who blows a pretty mean harp all by his lonesome.
But they also chipped in with a few new originals including "Ode to Cider,"
which is perhaps the only song ever written in praise of alcoholic cider.
Of added hilarity was the mid-show wrestling match between the band's gorilla mascot,
Cornelius, and a masked challenger; the monkey kicked ass. Oh behave!
— John Lappen
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