Forming in the late ’80 in Los Angeles, HOOLIGAN STEW came together at the magical time when something big was happening on the Strip with colorful bands such as W.A.S.P., Motley Crue, Snow (featuring a young Carlos Cavazo), Ratt, Quiet Riot, Poison and Warrant, all with equally colorful personalities and saying things with their music that reflected the larger than life times that were happening there.
If there was one thing that came from that Hollywood scene (and there were many!), it was that writing a good song wasn’t enough and bands needed to be multi-faceted, so HOOLIGAN STEW learned quickly that they needed an equally good image and stage show. They worked on those aspects as much as their songs, and they became a part of the very theatrical environment on the Sunset Strip quickly by playing monthly shows at The Roxy, the Whisky a Go Go, The Troubadour, and FM Station as they honed their craft. In fact, HOOLIGAN STEW regularly took part in the legendary “jam nights” at clubs like The Whisky and The Troubadour every month, where as many as 20 bands a night would play three songs each, and much mayhem.
HOOLIGAN STEW recorded several songs at Paramount Recording Studios and some labels were interested, however they never got signed. The band released these by themselves on cassette, yet very limited.
All these tracks are now finally being released on CD by specialized label Eonian Records under the title “There Goes The Neighborhood“, remastered to get the best quality possible.
HOOLIGAN STEW did what every other Strip band did at the time and passed out flyers, and ran full-page show ads in local rag Rock City News, even making the cover of the magazine once.
In their time together, the band made three separate demo recordings, and like most local bands, money was tight, so they would book 8-hour sessions in the middle of the night at any studio they could. With such limited time, they had to know their parts, as one or two takes were all the time they had.
Producing the music themselves, the resulting demos were mostly given to their fans, handing out hundreds and hundreds over the years, but alas, they never got so far as that elusive major label deal.
They once worked with Bernie Becker in one of their sessions at Paramount Recording Studios, and Becker was one of the country’s preeminent recording engineers working with everyone from New England to Neil Diamond to Tenacious D in his time.
Coming up through that Hollywood scene and hanging with the likes of Spiders & Snakes, featuring Lizzie Grey, founder of legendary L.A. rockers London who was, of course, a breeding ground for the likes of Nikki Sixx and Izzy Stradlin (Guns N’ Roses). Rubbing elbows with Chris Holmes & Blackie Lawless from W.A.S.P. and Bobby Dall & C.C. DeVille from Poison didn’t hurt either.
In fact, when most people think of Chris Holmes, they remember that scene in the movie “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” where a drunken Holmes floated around in a pool while telling his (sad) story. HOOLIGAN STEW’s singer Matt James shares a movie credit as he also briefly appeared in the legendary documentary. This was before HOOLIGAN STEW, but it certainly gave Matt some street cred at the time.
By the end of 1993, it was the usual falling out between band members that saw HOOLIGAN STEW call it a day, but the four members share a familial bond that can’t be broken, and Eonian Records is giving them the chance to finally have their music see the light of day on a worldwide stage just like it always deserved to be.
So, if you either lived the Strip days or were just always enamored with that magical time, then jump on board for a trip with HOOLIGAN STEW. Their music is pure glammy American melodic hard rock / hair metal, sleazy at times.
Highly Recommended
Take The Money And Run
School Girls
Coast To Coast
Old Red, White, And Blue
Holdin’ On
(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care
I Can Do Anything You Can Do Better
Someday Sadie
That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll
Pretty Poison
Angel With A Dirty Face
What You See Is What You Get
Hooligan Stew – There Goes The Neighborhood 2023 Eonian Records
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