Contact: Band Hot Line: 323/960-5290

The Players:

Torie Tyson, vocals; Gael MacGregor, backing vocals; Alex Kane, guitar; Stu Simone, keyboards; Yell McGuyer, bass; Garner Knutson, drums.

Material:

Singer Torie Tyson and her band kick, belt and punch out upbeat rock & roll full of clamorous boom and bravado. It's part Elvis in Las Vegas, part Tina Turner and part Nancy Sinatra. Tyson's material is definitely an alternative to alternative; a far cry from the typical stock of the Los Angeles music scene. It's easy to see that Tyson's musical atmosphere is unpolluted by the cable music television and flannel-clad sitcom mentality that plagues too many of L.A.'s club bands. Tunes like "Rock N' Roll Of The Dice" and "User" are musical boomerangs; snappy, spirited radio-friendly ditties that will stick to your ear like taffy.

Musicianship:

The musical forte here is Tyson's set of blockbuster pipes. She combines the soulful sock of Tina Turner, the gusto of Wanda Jackson, the purr of Nancy Sinatra, and the accuracy of Robin Hood. Tyson's backup band was a well-oiled funky machine, with the gold star going to blazing guitarist Alex Kane, the former axeslinger of Life, Sex & Death. Gael MacGregor's backing vocals were commendable as well. At times, with Tyson and MacGregor on the stage, it was like a vocal chord version of the lightsaber duel from Star Wars. Tyson's rhythm section was endlessly efficient, locked tighter than a Mercedes car door at the corner of Florence and Normandie.

Performance:

Tyson has the onstage charisma of the Pied Piper and the energy of Richard Simmons after a handful of diet pills and three café lattes. She could probably bring the lemmings back up the cliff. Her between-song patter, excessive as it might have been, combined the attributes of your best friend, a Sixties-styled Vegas comedienne and a slight bawdy lounge act.

Summary:

A Torie Tyson show won't be your typical night out at the clubs. If you're looking for some introspective lamentations delivered by Generation X shoe gazers, head elsewhere. Tyson grabs your gaze and swings it like a whip. Her show brings back the "live" in live performance.