Words and Photos by Lucas P. Jones
Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson & Jim Florentine at the Mexicali Live
Heavy metal radio icon Eddie Trunk brought his show to the Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ last week and, in short, it was fantastic. Eddie Trunk is the host of That Metal Show on VH1 Classic, and features himself and his two friends, comedians Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine. The trio take viewers through interviews, roundtable discussion, debates, and special musical guests; all focused on hard rock and heavy metal. Each show ends with a “Stump the Trunk” segment where audience members ask trivia questions in the hopes of stumping Eddie Trunk. The show at Mexicali had everything that makes That Metal Show such an awesome program, and then some.
The show opened with Syka, a dark pop/metal band from Butler, NJ. Though their set was short, they still put on a great show. The music was tight, and they had an awesome stage presence thanks to lead singer Jesyka’s powerful voice and the seemingly boundless energy of bassist Gino Martine. Afterwards, all three hosts came out and did small standup routines separately, and all three were hilarious, especially Jamieson.
It was when all three hosts came out to start the show proper that the night really took off. You can feel the chemistry between these guys, and the conversation flows naturally from one to the other. Eddie then brought out special guests Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Guitar), Russell Allen (Adrenaline Mob, Vocals), and A.J. Pero (Adrenaline Mob, Drums) to talk past stories and current plans. All three guests were totally at east on stage with Eddie, and all three were hanging out after the show for pictures and to talk with the fans. The evening finished with speed metal band Lightning Lord. Crazy solos, great drum work from drummer Lou Lamore, and just an absurdly good vocal effort from Gregory Swanson.
All in all, I had a ton of fun. It was less of a passive show and more of “an evening of heavy metal”. Eddie and his co-hosts interacted with the crowd and really did a great job of making the show feel special. If you are a head banger, you owe it to yourself to check out Eddie’s live tour.
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