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The Naked -
We met a few guys from this Venice Beach rock band earlier in the week. They had played a couple shows during SXSW, then were given the unenviable task of playing a 1 p.m. show on Saturday afternoon, in a dive bar far enough off the main drag that some sense of transportation beyond rolling out of bed and landing in a venue was required to get there. If I learned anything last year, it is to get your ass up early on day four when most of the inexperienced can’t even lift an eyelid until dusk. It’s the best time to be out there. Even though (like the rest of us) The Naked were surely suffering from five days straight of hard partying and they were playing to a small group of stragglers grappling with getting their day started, they still didn’t approach the gig with an apathetic attitude. The contagious energy of lead singer Keith Roenke would no doubt play right into any attentive crowd, and the rest of the crew, while obviously bringing various stylistic personalities to the party, produced a tight pure rock sound. The Naked fed us catchy hooks, vocals and an ever-present baseline meant to bring us into the fold, but didn’t abandon our desire for some grit and crunch with our hair of the dog. It’s a style that is noticeably missing in the poppy, whiny, needy collections littering the “rock” section of our virtual stores today. The Naked unapologetically caters to those of us that still appreciate a little sex with our rock ‘n’ roll and just want to have a good time without all the soul sapping drama.
Crowd or not, a bonus seeing these guys live is they obviously love to play. You could sense their anticipation in the days leading up to the set and there is no replacement for the practically impossible to fake critical element of enjoyment. Musicians having fun never goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Looks like The Naked play regularly in the LA area, and my guess is they have a pretty steadfast following at those shows. Watch for them. There are a lot of people out there searching for exactly what they missed in South Austin on March 15th.
Recommended: “Lay Back” (Sex + Rawk = Happiness)
Jen Cadmus Music Blog
"The Naked (we wish they were!) - high notes and low growls are enough to keep anyone listening.
Crammed full of grooves, hooks, and twitching hips their gigs are a ball of rock n’ roll energy unraveling before
your eyes."
Charley Webb (The Webb Sisters)
"The Naked - these guys are truly garage rock, and that is the highest compliment I could give any band."
Ben Tegal - The Vacation
"The Naked are Hunnypot naturals. They have the uncanny ability to party and rock out equally"
John Anderson - Hunnypot Radio
- The Naked
Discography
Our first EP "Lay Back" was released in February 2008
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Bio
Coming straight out of Venice Beach (via New England) is The Naked; Los Angeles' coolest new four piece proto-punk rock phenomenom. The Naked's music takes you on a journey back to a time when bands just wanted to have fun. Mixing The Stooges and The Doors with all of their individual modern music influences (everything from jam to White Stripes) - they've produced their own blend of rock n' roll.
Front-man Keith Roenke's soaring vocals and stage-hopping energy, bassist Mark Daviau's pulsing, popping rhythms, and drummer Mark Sparling's power-punching finesse are knit together by the sweet melodies and hard-crunch of lead guitarist Brendan Looney. The Naked's sound, style and energy earned them a five-month long residency at The Kibitz Room where members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N Roses, among other now-famous acts, cut their teeth. This led to shows at Safari Sam's and the world famous Troubadour, Viper Room and Whisky a Gogo. The Naked released their first EP "Lay Back" in February 2008 at a Viper Room show with the Vacation. They have just finished work in the recording studio with Bert Selen at Watts Up Studios in Hollywood working on their first full-length album which will released in 2009.
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