Swimming ferociously into the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, the Feisty Piranhas showed off their substantial rock chops on Friday, May 9th, when they lit up the stage as opening act on a bill that included veteran rockers Blue Öyster Cult and Bluebeard. The Piranhas' progressive punk-pop sound provided a lively contrast to BÖC's vintage nuggets and Bluebeard's Hollywood-style vibe, giving patrons a tasty menu of musical morsels for their audio consumption.
Young yet seasoned guitarist Peter Alexander Lust III, generally known to his bandmates as "Alex," brought a peppy, punkish energy throughout the Piranhas' set, coming on strong from the gate when the band broke into "Blind," the first track from their latest studio release, "The End." To Alex's right was bassist Will MacGregor, who smiled constantly through the show, and on his other side was the newest Piranha, Michael Gossard, the teenaged guitarist enlisted by Alex's dad, Feisty Piranha drummer and co-producer Peter Lust Jr. When Michael was discovered at a summer concert series sponsored by All Access magazine in Northridge, the young musician was playing lead guitar for his own band, Acidic, but onstage at the Canyon Club with the Piranhas, Michael generally handled rhythm duties, along with backing vocals with Will. Holding forth at center-stage, Alex shredded with a vengeance, often heading high up on the neck on his beautiful, custom guitar, in between bringing to life the deep-feeling lyrics 
he has written.
The Piranhas' set was mainly a showcase of songs from "The End." The band cruised from "Alone," featuring sweet, poignant opening chords that led into a frisky ska rhythm, on to "Do You," which also began nice and easy, with Alex fretting melodies far up high -- and then things got energetic. The pace continued with "What Happened," a cut from the Piranhas' previous release, "Shocked." A surprise came for the song called "24," when a rapper named Lil' Cuddy joined the band onstage. Oddly, although Lil' Cuddy's fast-rappin' vocals came through clear and crisp enough, it seemed that Alex's microphone was a tad muffled -- but fortunately his audio feed came back full-force for "Godfather." A rousing cheer was heard when Alex asked the crowd if anybody liked the punk band Bad Religion -- so the band obligingly busted into "American Jesus," to vigorous applause. The Piranhas continued with fierce energy on through "Where's the World," with a momentum that suggested more music to come, but after that last song there seemed to be some uncertainty between performers and venue personnel. While the band prepped for an encore, for which the audience appeared eager, the house music came up with "Drops of Jupiter." The Piranhas shuffled about for a few moments, and then the curtains closed in, with a stagehand finally tugging the stubborn fabric into full closure. In a post-set chat, drummer Peter stated that the band indeed had more songs on tap, and he regretted that the Feisty Piranhas hadn't had time for more. Yet on a happy forward-looking note, Michael Gossard, when queried about whether the Piranhas were working on new music, replied, "Need you ask?" -- So fans should be sure to stay tuned, to be ready for the next biting performance by the Feisty Piranhas.
Next up was Bluebeard, an L.A.-based band that has been around for a lot of years, and has gone through a lot of changes, but has still retained the spirit of rock-'n'-roll. Originally formed in the 1970s, the band today is a six-man outfit that has enjoyed covering a lot of classic-rock favorites, but since Bluebeard released last year an album of mostly original material -- "Deluxe With Reverb" -- this night's show at Canyon Club consisted mainly of tracks from that effort. Recently-added singer Lee Gordon acknowledged his place as "new guy" in the posse's pecking order, but he nevertheless took good charge through at set that included "In the Streets of L.A.," "Life to Live," and "Take a Little Time Out." With guitarists Vincent Bitetti and Brian Barnum playing alongside keyboardist Barry Fasman, plus bassist Gayle Hart and drummer Danny Bogan, Bluebeard has the personnel to fully flesh out their full sound onstage. This effect was achieved in "I Don't Know About Me," an introspective followed by "Bad Dream," which came complete with a touch of arena-style fog. Audience participation was enlisted for "Paint It Black," with lots of good ol' "whoa-oh" chants. Drummer Danny Bogan seemed submerged behind his kit for most of the set, content to anchor the band's big delivery, but in closing, Danny came to life with a crescendo finish in conjunction with the band, and Bluebeard bade goodnight.
The Canyon Club was pretty well filled in time for Blue Öyster Cult, the veteran hard-rock band from New York with a history that stretches all the way back to the Sixties. Of the original five band members, only a couple remain touring at this time, leading some long-time fans to refer to the outfit as "TWO Oyster Cult." The key pair of founding members are Eric Bloom on lead vocals and rhythmic "stun" guitar, and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser on razor-sharp lead guitar. The band's vintage sound was capably supported by another well-known survivor of the metal scene, baseman Rudy Sarzo. Another able sideman named Richie Castellano took on keyboard and second-guitar duties, while expert drumming was provided by Jules Radino.
BÖC's set flew through a flurry of favorites, commencing with "This Ain't the Summer of Love" and proceeding to "A Redcap before the Kiss," complete with all the licks, courtesy of the diminutive yet dynamic Buck Dharma. A popular classic-rock staple, "Burning for You," was followed by the sci-fi themed "ETI (Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)" which boasts an early reference to the government's "men in black," later portrayed by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the movie of the same name. New drummer Jules Radino brought a youthful energy to the performance, bringing a talent that may have been a tad more creative that customarily experienced on earlier incarnations of BOC. Richie Castellano also proved to be a choice addition, competent on both keyboards and guitar, and when the time came for him to shine on lead, in songs 
such "Last Days of May," it was evident that he's been an able student of Buck's style. After that song, the ominous intro to "Godzilla" was heard, after which homage was paid to Rudy Sarzo's checkered career. The band broke into passages from various songs by the different bands Rudy has played in, as Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" gave way to Whitesnake's "Heat of the Night," along with Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," plus a lick or two from Dio. And then, after a sweet bluesy intro, the band broke into BOC's biggest hit, "Don't Fear the Reaper." This time, no skeletal scythe-bearer emerged from the wings, as has happened during previous tours, yet nevertheless the crowd was quite receptive to this electrified version. Then came a quick bow-out by the band, and a return to the stage which featured two favorite chestnuts: "The Red and the Black" and "Dominance and Submission." -- and BÖC thoroughly dominated. So -- from East Coast Oysters to West Coast Piranhas to Bluebearded Sunset-Strip survivors, the musical menu at the Canyon Club once again served up a supper of winners.
