Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Venue: Dirty Dogg Saloon (https://dirtydoggsaloon.com/ )
Date: Saturday April 1st, 2023
Are you an old school hard rock fan? Do you miss the days when bands just blow you away with their solid blasting music? No glits, no glam and no outrageous stage show, but just good solid hard driving rock music. Then I have two bands that you must see, the Atomic Kings and the Whiskey Dogz. Both are based out of the greater Phoenix Arizona area and they deliver the goods.
It was the end of Bike Week here in Scottsdale, Arizona. We had already had Billy Idol & Megadeth perform. So, a lot of people showed up at the Dirty Dogg Saloon in Scottsdale to see two amazing Rock n’ Roll bands. They had set up a large tent in the parking lot behind the bar and by the time I got there it was packed. I was there to see two of my friends, Ken Ronk & Michael Nitro perform in their bands. I had never seen either of these bands before but was really looking forward to it. Both bands remind me of the great hard rock music of the 70s and early 80s. If you like Van Halen, Ozzy Osborne, Ted Nugent or AC/DC then you will love seeing the Atomic Kings and the Whiskey Dogz. First up was Jane N’ The Jungle but I only got to see a very little bit of their performance. Hopefully I will be able to catch them in the future.
Atomic Kings
The first band up that I came to see was the Atomic Kings, a 4-piece band featuring Ryan Mckay on guitar, Ken Ronk on vocals, Jimi Taft on drums and Greg Chaisson on bass. These guys can really rock. They had the entire tent rocking out to their new music and people were even dancing. Atomic Kings played for a little over 1 hour. I had attempted to video the show for Ken, but the bass and drums were so powerful, that my camera had just enough shake that it made the video unusable. Hopefully at the CD release party in May I will be able to get the video corrected for the band.
Overall, I was extremely impressed by the Atomic Kings. I had seen Ken sing before with Paul Gurvitz & The New Army back in 2017 and was amazed by Ken’s great voice. The Atomic Kings are not a flashy band, just an old school hard rock band.
The Atomic Kings have just released their first CD (self-titled) and it will be available on May 3rd (pre-ordered have already been signed and shipped out). They have released their first single from the CD, “All I Want” on YouTube and you can listen to it here: https://youtu.be/VNgk49DijA4 . Tonight, they performed the album along with some other songs, but the CD Release party will be Saturday May 27th at the 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife bar in Glendale, Arizona. I hope to see all of you there for a night of amazing music. Tickets are going fast and are available at: https://the-44.ticketleap.com/atomic-kings-album-release-party/ .
Atomic Kings Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/atomickingsband/
Photos by Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Whiskey Dogz
The last band of the evening was the Whiskey Dogz. You might have heard their music on the hit A&E TV series “Sons of Anarchy” and season 4 of the “Mayans MC”. Whiskey Dogz are a bluesy hard rock 4-piece band out of Scottsdale, Arizona. Just recently my friend and truly outstanding guitarist, Michael Nitro has joined the band. This is the first time I have seen Michael perform with the Whiskey Dogz and he seems like a great natural fit for the band. Lately they have been performing around Arizona and Los Angeles area, including at The Whisky a Go Go and the Rainbow.
The new line-up for the Whiskey Dogz is lead singer Star Fields, lead guitarist Michael Nitro, bassist Dane Zimmerman and drummer Woody Cohen. A number of their songs were motorcycle themed and the crowd loved them, not surprising since this was a Bike Week event. They performed a few new songs at the show and they were very good. I just heard that they are currently in the studio recording new songs. Hopefully they will have a new CD available soon.
They divided their performance into 2 sets with a short break between sets. Over all they performed to a little 90 minutes. The second set got really wild when 3 young ladies started dancing, doing hand-stands and cartwheels in from of the stage. At one point they even climbed on stage and danced as Star Fields sang. At the end of the show, Michael jumped off the stage and wandered in the crowd playing guitar. If you love solid rock music then I highly recommend going and seeing the Whiskey Dogz. I believe you will also fall in love with this great band.
Whiskey Dogz Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskeyDogz/
Photos by Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Whiskey Dogz Setlist:
Motorcycle Song
Trial by Fire
Party Like a Rockstar
Sin City
See You Tonight
Hells Train
Bounty Hunter
Rockin is My Business
Ride It
Just Because
Dead of Night
Rock Hard
You Rock Fred!
Thanks
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