Tonight’s adventuring would serve a twofold purpose because not only was Justin Tranter (lead singer of the band Semi Precious Weapons) launching his new line of jewelry called “The Vamp Collection”; but he and the group were going to perform a quick set of material somewhere down the line as the party progressed into the night.  Sounds like a good time right?  Well, when you add to the mix that the location of said event would find this gathering at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Annex down in Soho, NYC then the good time gets raised to new and much higher levels.  Back in December, photographer Peter Parrella and I had actually already paid a visit to this Annex and did a lengthy report about it which you can find elsewhere on the site.  For me the coolness factor was upgraded just a little bit more by being able to return to the place since it was rather interesting even though the Hall has left out some of my own personal favorite acts cool, even though as a fan of certain groups I have a reservation about some inductees that the Hall has placed inside its walls.  All photos are by Peter Parrella (copyright 2009).

The mannequin you see here was sporting a number of different Fetty Jewelry designs and while I had not yet observed the actual “Vamp” Collection, one can only assume that these were the designs.  Pretty cool when it comes down to it, and I am sure that fans of the designers work will be pleased by his continued efforts to help them walk the regular world in style.

Here is the man himself, the one and only Mr. Justin Tranter – Jewelry Designer, Singer, Rock Star….he is the real deal folks, so get used to seeing him around because he has this whole powerful Rock and Roll creative energy about him and really seems to enjoy being around people.  He welcomed everyone who he was able to meet and showed some serious appreciation of their interest in his work and music.  Never a bad thing.

As I wandered around the entrance hallway for the Rock Annex there was a spot where the invited celebrities were able to stand for the full gamut of photographers who were reporting on this for their various outlets.  The event for Fetty seemed to have some powerful support from the likes of Peroni Italy, Monster Energy Drink, Barney’s New York, Oval Vodka and Obsello Absinthe (where are the Gothic Metallers when this stuff is around?)

One of the celebrity guests for the part was model Jessica Hart.  She is one beautiful lady if I may say so myself.

Fans of the reality program “Project Runway” were ecstatic when the winner of the competition walked in and here he is in the flesh – Christian Siriano.  He is pictured with BF Brad Walsh (right).

This is the Glam Rock band Wildstreet.  A friend of mine has been speaking up these guys recently and I was happy to be able to meet with them for the first time here tonight.    They handed out download cards that allowed their music to be obtained legally to a few lucky party goers.  Talk about a bonus.

There was a chance to snap a shot with both Justin Tranter and Cole Whittle of Semi Precious Weapons and as you can see, Mr. Whittle is always handling the moment with absolute seriousness.  I am also convinced that Justin mentally orders the camera to always take great photos of him.

Another band that was on the guest list for the festivities was the band Super Satellite.  They hail from NJ and play a more Indie style of Rock I am told.  Sadly, I had no background in them but perhaps in the future will find myself with some of their music or catching a gig which I can outline in some fashion.

A really major highlight for most of the attendees was the presence of DJ Lady Starlight who was spinning the most classic Hard Rock, Metal and Old School Rock & Roll that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing in a long time.  Very simply put, she rocked like nobody’s business and had the room moving.  I like when someone not only puts a lot of time into their craft but also truly knows the legendary as well as the newer bands and doesn’t just act like it.  I tried to catch her off guard a couple of times by saying “that was a great one but do you have any Sweet” only to find her pulling out one of the bands killer tunes and then offering me a choice of a few different options.  I tried to catch her a couple of more times, but lost the battle and definitely enjoyed the chance to meet with her and talk music for a little while when it was possible.  Starlight has worked with Lady Ga Ga and will be joining in on the singer’s tour soon.

These are two lovely ladies who I had the pleasure of meeting at the event and they are actually a mother and daughter who love to attend the Rock shows together.  That’s really cool to see happening, especially when it’s a fun event like this.  I was happy to be able to introduce the younger lass to the Wildstreet guys and in turn she returned the favor by pointing out the band Cinema Bizarre whom I had not yet heard of.  By the looks of them, they are surely something that the PiercingMetal.com readership will enjoy learning more about so let’s see if they get in touch with me about some coverage.  I was able to pass them along the relevant contact information while they did some wandering around the Rock Annex for the tour of the exhibits which all of the invited guests were permitted to do.  My hope is that many took advantage of this opportunity because it is worth seeing and free is always a pleasant treat in this economy.

Here is the full set of Celebrity Guests that were present: Wild Street, VICIO (NYC buzz band!), Jessica Hart (model), Cinema Bizarre, CariDee English (new show on Oxygen network show / winner of Americas Next Top Model), Constantine Maroulis (American Idol/Rock Of Ages play), Christian Siriano (Project Runway winner), Daphne Rubin Vega (Broadway star / film actress), Article A (band on 785 Records), Actress/model Krista Ayne, Jimmy Destri from Blondie, Super Satellite, Lauren “Chevonne” Ianotti, The Cast of Real World Brooklyn.

Sadly I didn’t get a chance to meet Jimmy from Blondie as I have always enjoyed them and I only quickly glanced Constantine Maroulis.  Since I don’t watch any of the Real World shows, the cast could have been standing right next to me and I wouldn’t have known who they were unless pointed out to the fact.  I wish them well on the show just the same as its nice to see Brooklyn have their own cast be represented.  A full gallery of the event gathering and some more of the people who were in attendance can be found on the link below, so please check it out.  Now it was time to hear a little live Rock and Roll courtesy of Semi Precious Weapons.

http://piercingmetal.com/gallery/gallery_vamplaunch_033109.htm

Semi-Precious Weapons – The Performance:

I had caught the band doing their thing back in January during what they were calling the “Hell On Heels” tour and particular show also found both Nico Vega and Von Iva on the bill as support over at the Highline Ballroom.  My exposure to the band prior to the show was only based on my listening to and reviewing their Razor & Tie Entertainment debut “We Love You” and it was a really sleazy dose of Glam Punk that had lots of attitude and made it super interesting.  The really rocked, so finding myself with the chance to not only enjoy the band again but to be a part of the singer’s special event was indeed an honor.  They mentioned that this would be an acoustic set and I had envisioned the band setting up the gig in simple fashion and keeping it mellow.  I should have known better when the amps got turned way up and a blast of feedback and power chords shook the walls of the Rock Annex.

They opened up with their self titled track and it got everything started.  The space where the guys were performing was rather small but that didn’t seem to make the band or the singer mind at all as they delivered on, quite literally, an in your face performance.  Justin was a Wildman right from the beginning and using his microphone to not only sing the songs on his own, but to also get the audience who were mere inches away from him into the mix as well.

After the first song Tranter jumped on top of the amp and asked how all of the kunts were doing tonight and thanked everyone for coming out to his party.  He smiled as he told us all how gorgeous we all were, and how lucky for the crowd that no one was more so than he was, as they would quickly be removed from the premises if this were the case.  He really knows how to work a crowd up into a frenzy and the band that features Cole Whittle on bass, Dan Crean on drums and new guitarist Stevy Pyne were not sitting idly by either and really gave their instruments a run for their money.

Justin was all over the stage for the all too brief set, but it was one of those gigs that really left the crowd screaming for more and if it was your first time seeing them you just knew that you would leave with enough curiosity about catching a full gig in the future.  When it came down to it, this part of the night was a pleasant bonus to an already cool gathering.  It was loaded with Rock & Roll Punk attitude that had a touch of glitz from the fashion end to make it all the more interesting.  During the band’s final number of “Magnetic Baby” I caught glimpse of the girls that I referred to as “The Weaponettes” in a recent concert review of the group and these girls are stunning and true rockers that prove positive that a band cannot go wrong when they have this kind of ardent support going for them.  They knew the words to the songs and were singing along as well which shows there is no posing outside of that stuff for the photographers going on here.  Justin’s performance became all the more intense from the positive energy coming back at him from the crowd but sadly this was just a musical sample tray that was over before you knew it.  The four song set also included “Her Hair Is On Fire” and the new song “Put A Diamond In It (and Bite Down)”.

We couldn’t leave the readers with only two or three choice shots of the performance and instead have provided a full gallery with a few dozen shots that we know you will enjoy.  Just click the link below so you can feel as though you were part of the fun time as well.

http://piercingmetal.com/gallery/gallery_semiprecious_033109.htm

The guys are going to be supporting Lady Ga Ga which should be a great gig for them based on that performers growing popularity.  Let’s hope it finds a lot of musical love being delivered for Semi Precious Weapons as well because they sure to work hard at entertaining people and that makes me proudly support them since they deserve the accolades.  Here is the link to purchase their debut album on Razor & Tie – “We Love You”

Some important web-links to be aware of, so click on friends…

Semi Precious Weapons Official Site: www.semipreciousweapons.com

Fetty Jewelry: www.thefetty.com

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Annex: www.rockannex.com

Oh, before we forget.  As mentioned in the beginning of this narrative, we had already visited the Rock Annex and documented our thoughts about it with some provided pictures from their publicist.  Should you want to see that article just click the link below.  Thank you for your attention.

PiercingMetal Goes To The Rock Annex:

http://piercingmetal.com/?p=615

Special thanks to Susan Blond for inviting us to the soiree and to Justin Tranter and Semi Precious Weapons for delivering a rocking good time once again. Be sure to catch these guys in concert, its worth the time.