Barrio Tiger Tour Preview

There are very few bands in LA who are brave enough to be straight up Rock N Roll. No "Indie" bells and whistles, prog rock back beats, or experimental screaming and screeching. This ball's to the wall approach of keeping it Rock N Roll has almost disappeared into obscurity. LA's own Barrio Tiger are part of the elite group of bands playing right now that have kept the time tested tradition of Rock and roll alive and well.

Barrio Tiger is Calixto Hernandez , Jimmy James, Greg Coddington, Shane Gibbons. They are Downtown LA fixtures, very much like Lemmy is a fixture at the Rainbow Room in Hollywood. You can find them any given Sunday at La Cita where they host a DIY Bloody Mary Bar or Tuesday nights at the same club where they host a free shows with local bands. Alongside of No future Entertainment they also present live bands Thursdays at The Down and Out located inside the infamous Alexandria Hotel. When they aren't feeding your head with bands you want to hear they are out playing a show. This nonstop Rock and Roll Machine is Barrio Tiger.

Live Barrio Tiger never ceases to deliver, whether it's a crowd of 2 or a crowd of 200 they bring the same intensity and all out for every performance. Calixtos booming voice has a fluid way about it that wraps itself around the melodies of the guitar and sets the pace for the night. Jimmy James stage antics keep an audience wildly entertained as he enthusiastically shows off his signature moves. They cover songs like Devo's "Gates of Steel" and Dead Boys "All This and More" which never fail to get the crowd amped up and singing along.

When I got their new album "Laugh Now, Cry Later" in my hands I was eager to take a listen. It features songs like "Boom Boom" and "Born Ready" and my favorite "Special Purpose". Vinyl is a great medium for music. Nothing is more kinetic than placing a record on a turntable, placing the needle on the first groove and letting the record play itself out before its time to flip it and repeat. I like bands that utilize vinyl to their advantage. You just don't get the same quality on CD or MP3 as you do on Vinyl.My only dislike about the album was that it was too short. I disliked that I had to flip the record again and again.

Barrio Tiger is hitting the west coast with a 8 stop tour from LA to Washington and Back. Along the way they will be hitting some legendary venues like The Funhouse and Slabtown. Be sure to catch them when they hit a venue near you and check out their new album.

You can also find them on Facebook and Reverbnation.
www.reverbnation.com/barriotiger
www.facebook.com/pages/Barrio-Tiger/140101814704

April 13th Riley's Tavern Bakersfield, CA
April14th Sheas Tavern Reno, NV
April 15th Johny V's San Jose, CA
April 16th The Alibi Arcata, CA
April 18th Slabtown Portland, OR
April 19th The Funhouse Seattle, WA
April 20th The New Frontier Tacoma, WA
April 23rd The Redwood Los Angeles, CA

-Desire G.
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

Photo By: Tracy Godin

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