Artist: Shiny Toy Guns
Venue: Webster Hall (New York, NY)
Opener: Semi Precious Weapons
Date: 4/23/2009
Label: Universal Music

I went into this one primarily for the opening act of Semi-Precious Weapons because after having seen them a few times already this year, I just could not find it to be enough of their infectious brand of Glam Rock & Roll. They are a band that seems to pull out all the stops during a set and just recently we had attended a special gathering that was done on behalf of the lead singer and his jewelry line. The guys were all present at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex where Justin presented his new line of bling and then they jammed a hot set for all attendees much to everyone’s delight. It was a nice taste of how they do things and we will offer up a link to that article later. Tonight the band was actually opening up for Shiny Toy Guns who are one of those Alternative Rock acts that is generating a lot of buzz but since its not a group I actively follow, I was not too up on what they did. The setting would be the spacious Webster Hall and the Rock was surely going to roll when Justin and company hit the stage.

Semi Precious Weapons: The image that singer Tranter puts forth is nothing less than flamboyant and totally electric when it comes down to it, and he lets these energies flow out of him into his musical presentation from the moment he hits the stage whether he be the headliner or the opening act. While I admitted some level of surprise about their actually opening, the truth was that they were not yet as big as Shiny Toy Guns was but I am sure as time goes on that this will change quite a bit. They opened up with their standard tune which bears their name and while I expected the flow of the set to come from their “We Love You” release, they would surprise a little as time went on and present some new stuff for us all to enjoy. The great thing about SPW is the amazing energy and drive that they execute the songs with. This is pure Hard Rock and Roll folks, and a one time view of SPW in concert clearly shows how some bands have not forgotten how to do things right. Tranter is engaging to the crowd and he regularly checks in with them during a show, either by telling them how gorgeous they look from his vantage point or to see if his own fashion style of the night meets their approval. Bassist Cole Whittle is a wild man himself and often does acrobatic tricks with his axe while drummer Dan Crean pounds away on his humble drum kit. Some of the new songs included “Blonde” and “I Could Die” which worked well along the lines of the bands established greatness of “Magnetic Baby” and “Rock & Roll Never Looked So Beautiful”. During one of the songs Justin and guitarist Stevie Pyne mock wrestled to the ground without missing a melody. The playful nature of the display a vivid reminder of how having fun is of paramount importance to the band.

Having seen SPW do their thing before I was counting the moments until we would see The Weaponettes jump onto the stage and this is essentially the name that I gave two lovelies who are friends with the band and often come out onstage and dance a little with the singer. It’s all part of the fun, but tonight they would be down in the front part of the stage and while they would not jump up and dance, the singer would make the time to reach down among them and steal a kiss. The set went by all too quickly for my liking but they did play songs I wanted to hear and also treated us to some new ones. There is a lot of great stuff on “We Love You” so if you want Rock and Roll done proper, get yourself a copy of this one. Now it was time for Shiny Toy Guns and I was going into this one blind. I have to say that this is fun every once in awhile.

Shiny Toy Guns: Even though they have been around since 2002, I have never really paid any mind to STG and all I knew before this evenings show that they had been nominated for a Grammy and that three versions of their debut album “We Are Pilots” had been released. This was done based on the band switching labels a number of times before landing on Universal Music where a finalized version of the release finally came to be. The band plays a very synthesized brand of Alternative Rock and at some points might be considered lightly Progressive. They are fronted by Chad Petree who handles most of the vocals and plays guitar while Jeremy Dawson does keyboards. Mikey Martin is on drums and the newest member of the lineup is the beautiful Sisely Treasure who delivers vocals, bass and keyboards. They sounded really good and seemed to have the audience in their hand for the full set. My guess was that everyone might have been like me and came primarily for SPW was also digging what was going on because the floor was packed and rocking to the bands melodies. The down side was not knowing too many of their songs because it would have made me appreciate them a little more, but not long after the show took place I heard them on a couple of Lincoln car commercials where they did renditions of “Burnin’ For You” by Blue Oyster Cult and “Major Tom” by Peter Schilling. I love those tunes in the first place and the Shiny Toy Guns team did them justice so they would have been interesting additions to the evening’s fun.

Treasure seems to be the most animated of the group’s members and that is most likely based on her stepping out from the keyboards to rock a little more with the bass or on lead vocals. The was dressed in a skin tight leotard which showed off her curves and her black vest let her tattoos be visible to all who were in the proximity to see such things. Clearly she was a good find for the band based on talent and presentation combined. The show used a lot of dramatic lighting and there was a ton of smoke being shot out to the stage which added to the effect quite a bit for the songs. I did like what I was hearing and will look into getting a copy of the album as soon as time allows me. They are a lot more interesting than some of the other stuff that we find on the radio today so be sure to check them out sometime soon. I had to say that I liked this enough to do the same on their next go round and am pretty sure that they have an even brighter future ahead of them based on some of their recent accomplishments.

As previously mentioned, PiercingMetal.com was invited to partake in Justin Tranter’s “Fetty” jewelry launch party. This showcase also featured a hot performance by the band and you can enjoy that full story via this LINK. http://piercingmetal.com/?p=1008

SPW Set List
1. Semi Precious Weapons
2. Her Hair Is On Fire
3. Put A Diamond In It And Bite Down
4. That’s Kunt
5. Blonde
6. I Could Die
7. Magnetic Baby
8. Rock & Roll Never Looked So Beautiful

STG Set List:
1. Starts
2. Ghost Town
3. Shaken
4. Storm
5. Le Disko
6. Rainy
7. Ricochet!
8. Poison
9. Stripped
10. Money 4 That
11. Rocket Ship
12. Cry Out
13. Yato

Many readers might already know how Justin Tranter (lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons) has his own jewelry line and they might be interested in one of our adventures related to that topic.  A couple of months ago we covered the launch party and band performance that he held at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Annex.  Check out that commentary by clicking HERE

After their set, the guys in Semi Precious Weapons were walking around and seeing who was in the venue.  We caught up with drummer Dan Crean and guitarist Stevy Pyne with a dude named Big Jon.  He mentioned being a drummer as well, but I am forgetting which band he had said that he was in.

Also present at the performance this evening, and what seems to be every gig that Semi Precious Weapons do, were two hot rock and roll girls that are called “The Daughters”.  The blond is Alex Magnetic and the lovely with the darker locks is The Jocelyn.

The girls have spoken to me at a couple of the bands shows prior to this and when they saw the camera in my hand they opted to ham it up as only they could.  Relax everyone, this is part of the fun for these gorgeous ladies.

While I know they are referred to as “The Daughters” by Justin Tranter himself, I opted to coin “The Weaponettes” when it came to speaking about them.  They did find this title cool, but were not looking to change the moniker yet.

It’s common for the girls to get onstage with SPW and dance a little bit during one or two of the songs, but based on the logistics and space that the band had this evening they would remain in the audience.  I felt it was a shame as it adds to the festive magic that the band possesses over its fans when they get up and do this.  Maybe next time.

I’ll end my little photo celebration of The Weaponettes, oops, I mean The Daughters with the shot above.  Don’t worry, nothing else went on so you are not missing anything.  Thanks ladies for showing just how sexy Rock and Roll can be.

Official Website: http://www.sempreciousweapons.com
Official Website: http://www.shinytoyguns.com