Last Friday, it was exceptionally hot in the City of Angels.  But the temperature outside was nothing compared to the heat that pulsated from inside of The Viper Room that night, where The Ringers (lead singer Joe Hursley, lead guitarist Joe Robinson, bassist Joe Stiteler, and drummer Patrick Hursley) pounded the crowd with dirty, sweaty rock ‘n’ roll again and again until they begged for more.

This was my first time seeing these mavericks perform live.  And they did not disappoint. When The Ringers hit the stage, they were cocked, loaded, and ready to explode.  The second they launched full musical assault, bodies bounced in unison and didn’t stop until the final song. 

Note:  Earlier that night, in the bathroom, a couple of girls who had driven down from Santa Barbara told me that the place to be at a Ringers show was front and center, right by the stage.  I took their cue and squeezed myself in with the other wanting fans.  And man, these girls weren’t kidding.  The energy was insane. Asses shook.  Slick bodies slid up against each other in a pool of reckless abandon. Hair, cheeks, arms, chests, and breasts were soaking wet in the glorious glow of rock ‘n’ roll.

Raspy-voiced lead singer Joe Hursley, clad only in leopard-print Speedos, striped thigh-high tights, and Western fringed sleeves, fluttered all over the tiny stage – at times, throwing his sweat-drenched body into the crowd. At one point, he pulled his Speedos out and hawked a throat rocket into them.  Hell, it was all the same–wet, sweat, phlegm.

The boys shook it up with “Holy Zipper,” “Apocalypto,” and other raucous tracks from their upcoming album, Headlocks & Highkicks, due out in Fall 2008. They also injected their set list with sexalicious selections from their debut album Tokyo Massage III on indie label Fort Mason Entertainment, including “High-Heeled Lady,” “Tokyo Massage,” and “Keepin’ Your Head Up.”  And, of course, they made sure we had the Fever – “Beaver Fever.”  The show was non-stop, rock-your-face-off action, even when the mic erupted from its cord and was hastily taped back on. 

If The Ringers’ name sounds familiar, you may have caught a glimpse of them tearing it up at the S.H.I.T. party on Accepted, currently showing on HBO.  But that’s just a taste of their penetrating sound.  Trust me, you want more. 

Clearly, these guys are all about doing it live.