Vintage Trouble came home to Hollywood to rock a sold-out crowd of adulate fans at the Troubadour nightclub. Lead singer Ty Taylor sang and danced like the ghost of James Brown, while guitarist Nalle Colt, bassist Rick Barrio Dill, and drummer Richard Danielson jammed blues rock like ZZ Top. Well, that might be a stretch, but not much of one and you get the idea. The band features a retro sound full of classic R&B, Soul and Blues rock riffs.
Fans packed the venue early on, mostly longtime fans that have been following the group's 7-year career. The band that has been mainly under the radar of radio play despite three solid albums and a brand-new EP. But the group has cemented their fan base with relentless global touring presenting a dynamic live show. Three generations of golden-haired English women sat at the bar chatting before the show. One of them offered her take on the band. “This is a fantastic group. I saw them in Hyde Park in a festival with the Rolling Stones. The singer is amazing he usually jumps all about into the crowd singing and dancing. I don’t know if he will do it here it is such a compact venue.” The band's personal photographer standing up in the second level balcony had more to share about the band. “Yes, the crowd seems older tonight. But in other places like Asia, they have a much younger audience. They seem to appeal to multiple generations of fans.”
The band hit the stage right on schedule opening with what appeared to be a spiritual bonding, gathering in a huddle with their hands clasped together. Then the group tore into their blues laden retro rock music, augmented by a pair of backup singers and a keyboard player. Taylor led the group like a cheerleader, bouncing off the musicians and prancing about the stage before breaking into classic dance moves reminiscent of James Brown himself. Each member of the power rock trio took their turns as solo performers, and the crowd responded with wild applause.
True to the English fan’s prediction, Taylor began diving into the crowd urging everyone to dance, at one point dragging a fan onstage to dance with him. During the next song, the animated singer crawled all about the club even climbing between to two upper story seating areas and hanging precariously from the balcony, much to the chagrin of the security guards.
Later the band was joined by singer Countre Black, who is also featured in a video for “The BattlesEnd.” The song is a call to activism and is featured on their new EP Chapter II EP 1. Black sang several duets with Taylor before the singers took a break and allowed the band to show off their jam rock skills. Taylor returned to the stage to close out the nearly two hour set with a searing finale that wowed the hometown crowd.
