Junkyard with opener American Bombshell live in Green Bay, WI, USA Concert Review

THIS IS A ROCK CONCERT!

Date: October 29, 2016
Venue: Phat Headz
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Reviewer: Tim Vogel
Photos: Tim Vogel (second and third photos)

I first “discovered” American Bombshell back in March when I came across their video for No Regrets. I was a fan from the first view! There was a raw energy, which seems to be lacking from a lot of the new rock music these days. Anyway, when I saw they were going to be performing at a club in Green Bay (a four hour drive across Wisconsin for me), I bought a ticket right away (back in June). The fact Junkyard was headlining was an added bonus. I was a fan of Junkyard back in the late ’80s/early ’90s but never really followed them after their first two albums.

We arrived at Phat Headz at 6:00 pm. The tickets said the show had a 7:00 pm start time, but apparently that was when the doors opened. The guys from American Bombshell were hanging around out front, and we walked over to meet them. I must say, they were a great bunch of guys. They took pictures with us and chatted with us while Junkyard sound checked inside. Bassist, Dusty Green, mentioned they hope to have their follow-up to No Regrets out sometime next spring.

After grabbing dinner, we returned once the doors opened. We had a chance to me Junkyard‘s singer David Roach before the show started. He seemed almost shy in person but was talking and taking pictures with lots of fans. Both bands were in Green Bay on a day off between performances in Joliet, Illinois for the Rock N Skull Festival. There were a couple of guys at the show who had flown to Joliet for the festival from Arkansas, rented a car to drive up to Green Bay for the Saturday show, and were driving back to Joliet for Sunday’s Rock N Skull Festival. Dedication!

We spent a few hours enjoying Phat Headz‘s atmosphere — the paintings of music artists on the walls alone are worth a visit. Eventually, a little before 10pm, American Bombshell took the stage…and owned it. From the opening licks of “Tattooz ‘N’ Booze,” this band was there to rock! The rhythm section of Green (bass) and Jason Carr (drums and cowbell) kept things rolling as Steve Boyles and Andrew Nixon traded licks on guitar. Through it all, singer Jay Cee growled and sang in his uniquely sleazy style and had a crowd that (unlike myself) had never heard of his band yet was singing along with many of the songs. Their set included two new songs — “Saving Me” and “My Drug” — which should be on their follow-up release. They rolled through six more songs off their debut and the crowd was really into them. This is one band that obviously loves what they do and was very appreciative of a great crowd.

American Bombshell’s setlist:
01. Tattooz ‘N’ Booze
02. Saving Me
03. My Drug
04. No Regrets
05. Hole In My Head
06. More
07. So Broken
08. Like The Rest
09. Another Dead Rockstar

American Bombshell playing “Tattozz ‘N’ Booze” live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA on October 29, 2016:

American Bombshell – Tattooz N Booze (Live at Phat Headz, Green Bay, WI, 10/29/2016)

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American Bombshell playing “Another Dead Rockstar” live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA on October 29, 2016:

American Bombshell – Another Dead Rockstar (Live at Phat Headz, Green Bay, WI, 10/29/2016)

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Following about a 45 minute set from the Bombshell guys, there was only about a 15 minute break before Junkyard took the stage. They kicked things off with long time set opener “Life Sentence.” Their set was heavy on songs from their self-titled debut with a few songs of their second disc, Sixes, Sevens & Nines. David Roach had the crowd singing along on favorites, “Blooze,” “Simple Man” and “Hollywood.” He nailed the “talking” part of “Hands Off” and the crowd ate it up. Junkyard played for a little over an hour, and when they left the stage, the crowd was wanting more.

From American Bombshell‘s opening notes through the final notes of the Rose Tattoo cover “Nice Boys” that Junkyard closed their set with, this was a ROCK concert. No frills. Great music. Great crowd. Unfortunately, I had a new camera, changed some settings, and my Junkyard pictures didn’t turn out good enough for publication [Editor’s note: I found one from American Bombshell‘s Facebook page].

I must also say that Phat Headz is an awesome place to see a show. It’s small and intimate (the front of bar is literally just a few feet from the front of the stage), and the bartenders were great. The crowd was too. I will definitely return.

Junkyard setlist:
01. Life Sentence
02. Hot Rod
03. Long Way Home
04. Back On The Streets
05. Faded
06. Misery Loves Company
07. Blooze
08. Simple Man
09. Wallet
10. Clean the Dirt
11. Texas
12. Hollywood
13. Hands Off
14. Nice Boys (Rose Tattoo cover)

Junkyard performing “Blooze” live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA on October 29, 2016:

Junkyard – Blooze (October 29, 2016 Phat Headz, Green Bay, WI)

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Junkyard performing “Hollywood” live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA on October 29, 2016:

Junkyard – Hollywood (October 29, 2016 Phat Headz, Green Bay, WI)

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Junkyard performing “Wallet” (new song) live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA on October 29, 2016:

Junkyard – Wallet (October 29, 2016 Phat Headz, Green Bay, WI)

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