Faster Pussycat

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Sleaze: immoral, sordid, and corrupt behavior or material.
No band epitomizes Hollywood sleaze more than Faster Pussycat. Countless bands have adopted their look and demeanor in order to try and ride the Hollywood wave to success. Most fail. For those bands it’s a costume…an act. For Faster Pussycat it’s a way of life. They said it best in their own song “Sex, drugs & Rock-n-Roll” off their 2006 album “The Power and the Glory Hole”. However don’t be mistaken, they are much more than an image. First and foremost they are a rock n roll band that has put out consistently great records and given it all on stage, where it counts the most.
Singer Taime Downe formed the band in 1986, taking its name from the cult classic Russ Meyer film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! In 1987 they released their self-titled debut album which went gold. The album was loaded with sexual innuendo and bravado and struck a nerve in the glam rock community, though they were always a little more down and dirty than glam. During that time they were interviewed and played two songs (Cathouse and Bathroom Wall) in the documentary film “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. The documentary captured the general vibe of the Sunset Strip bands during that time period, with Faster Pussycat being featured front and center.
In 1989 they released the album “Wake me when it’s over”, which spawned the massive top 25 hit single “House of Pain” propelling them beyond the sunset strip to worldwide acclaim. They received substantial airtime on MTV for the video and toured with some of the biggest bands in history: Guns n Roses, David Lee Roth, Motley Crue, Kiss, Alice Cooper and many more. They were able to reach fans all across the world and the sunset strip seemed endless as fans clamored for a taste of the famed Faster Pussycat sleaze. The album went gold and to this day many hail “House of Pain” as one of the greatest power ballads of all time. The band’s line-up during this time was Taime Downe (vocals), Greg Steele (guitar), Brent Muscat (guitar), Kelly Nickels (bass) and Mark Michals (drums).
In 1992 the band released the album Whipped and toured in support of it. Following the tour the band broke up, with each member heading in separate musical directions.
Taime Downe decided to go in a more industrial rock direction working with the Chicago-based band Pigface, before relocating back to Los Angeles to form The Newlydeads, who would release three albums. Their self-titled debut, a remix album titled “Re-bound” and “Dead End”.
In 2001 Taime Downe decided it was time to get Faster Pussycat back together to give the world another dose of the Hollywood Sleaze that had all but disappeared during the grunge era. Muscat and Steele rejoined the band along with The Newlydeads core members; Xristian Simon, Danny Nordahl and Chad Stewart.
Faster Pussycat quickly put out a collection of industrial remixes of the band’s early songs produced by Downe and played to enthusiastic crowds around the world. During this time Muscat and Steele left again.
2006 saw the band’s first full-length release in 14 years, “The Power & The Glory Hole” and proved that under Taime’s leadership the band was in good hands. 2009 saw the release of a live album “Front Row for the Donkey Show”. Both were put out by Full Effect and the reviews were positive.
In 2010 guitarist Ace Von Johnson joined Faster Pussycat cementing the current line-up. The interjection of fresh blood into the band was immediately noticeable as his high energy performance rejuvenated the band and their live performances. It was like 1987 again.
Faster Pussycat is currently working on a new EP and doing what they’ve always done, touring heavily, rocking the fuck out of every venue they play and keeping the spirit of Hollywood Sleaze alive and well.

Paradise Kitty

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You can’t call yourself a rock & roll fan unless you have grabbed a cold one, kicked up your studded heels, closed your eyes & dove head first into Guns n’ Roses’ masterpiece Appetite for Destruction. If you are a REAL rock fan, I can guarantee you’ve probably done this more times than you can count and you quite possibly also lost your virginity to it too. Selling over 18 million copies, Appetite has become the soundtrack to some of the best times of our lives.

Paradise Kitty is a band of five girls who grew up loving Guns n’ Roses. Listening alone couldn’t satiate these kittens. They decided to pay tribute to these legendary sunset strip animals. When building this Gn’R tribute Rachael Rine (drummer) knew she needed girls who could really cop the unique swagger and feel of Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy, & Steven. She found what she was looking for in Nichole McCumsey (bass), Britt Lightning (lead guitar) and Hisako Ozawa (rhythm guitar). With Jenna Syde (vox) leading the helm, these girls are ready to kick in your door, blow your roof off, start a riot, and vandalize your hearts. They’ll definitely be hitting a stage near you soon and you never know who will be joining them. Welcome to the jungle of Paradise Kitty. This is your proper invitation; also consider this your official warning.

Don Jamieson

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Don is best known as co-host of VH1 Classic’s hit heavy metal talk show series, ‘That Metal Show’ where legends of rock hang out to discuss their past and current projects in front of a live studio audience. Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed the program one of the 50 Best Reasons To Watch TV! He also co-hosted ‘Beer Money,’ a fast-paced, non-traditional sports quiz show airing on SNY (SportsNet NY). He is currently co-hosting a new rock web-series with former Fox News correspondent and fellow rock fan, Juliet Huddy, on BlondeandCrossbones.com.

Amongst his many accomplishments, Jamieson’s 2 stand-up CD’s ‘Live & Hilarious’ and ‘Hell Bent For Laughter’ on Metal Blade Records hit the Top 20 on iTunes and Top 10 on the Billboard comedy charts and his third for the label, ‘Communication Breakdown’ drops April 21st. He is proudly sponsored by Monster Energy Drinks and Coldcock Whiskey.

Jamieson’s proudest moment is becoming an Emmy Award-Winner for his work on HBO’s ‘Inside The NFL’. Don and long-time comedy partner, Jim Florentine, lent their brand of humor to the popular sports show; writing, producing and performing sports-themed comedy sketches.

The two have also collaborated on the hidden-camera DVD and Comedy Central web series, ‘Meet The Creeps’ as well as a series of prank call CD’s, ‘Terrorizing Telemarketers’, heard regularly on the Howard Stern radio show. He is also a joke writer for the country’s best celebrity roaster, Lisa Lampanelli and spent many years as Andrew Dice Clay’s steady opener.

Don’s stand-up act brings his everyday take on life with an added dash of sarcasm for good measure. He’s able to make people laugh at things they wouldn’t normally laugh at and then laugh again at that realization. Besides performing in clubs and theaters all over the country he also performs stand-up at rock festivals such as Rock On The Range, Monsters Of Rock Cruise and Metallica’s Orion Music + More Festival where he was introduced by drummer Lars Ulrich.

Don started his career as one of the young and talented comedy minds at MTV helping to launch the careers of comics like Jon Stewart, Kevin James and Jay Mohr, But unbeknownst to many, Don was spending his nights on the local comedy scene developing his own comic style.