If you’ve ever seen reels from the early days of cinema — It’s a Wonderful Life or any number of Rat Pack films comes to mind — one thing you might remember are the montages of neon signs, flashing advertisements that enticed potential patrons to buy sex, cigarettes and cheap liquor. Truth is, ain’t many of these gems around anymore — many have been dismantled and trashed, but several others are now at the Museum of Neon Art.
Driving to the warehouse district of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night, I, along with half of the motorcyclists in Southern California, drove up a ramp and ended up on top of a parking garage. Walking past trashcan bonfires, taco trucks, and what appeared to at one time be someone’s living room furniture, I had arrived at Cretin’s Motorcycle Club, a sort of secret society biker’s club which happened to be the perfect setting for the Lords of Altamont CD Release/Anti-Valentine’s Day party.
Only the Lords would be capable of pulling off an evening full of stoning Valentine’s Day combined with celebrating the release of their newest album, “Midnight To 666.” The band has undergone several member changes but is confident to have its most solid line up yet, with Jake “The Preacher” Cavaliere on lead vocals and organ, John “Big Drag” Saletra on guitar, Shawn “Sonic” Medina on bass, and Harry Drumdini aka “Full Tilt” on drums. Any venue brave enough to host these rockers would have to have some serious balls.
After a photo shoot that required balancing on rooftop while grasping burning sparklers, The Lords of Altamont and their entourage of saucy go-go dancers divulged wacky tales from the road. From being electrocuted to running from the cops due to a certain ChinaShop photographer’s quest to snap the perfect photo, the Lords of Altamont know how to keep things interesting. They do, after all, have a reputation to uphold.
