Rooney @ The Roxy (Los Angeles)

Rooney
The Roxy Residency
(Los Angeles)

April 2007 — I love the music industry because everything comes back around at some point. Bands you thought you'd never hear from again [after their break-up] reunite 33 years later (The Stooges); bands that tragically lost members re-form with younger musicians that idolized the band growing up (New York Dolls); and even if a band is silent for a few years, new material is always around the corner.

What am I rambling about? Well, it's time to regain composure and celebrate as Rooney returns to the spotlight with their sophomore record, Calling The World, hitting stores on July 17th.

In conjunction with the release, Rooney performed a three-week residency at The Roxy in Los Angeles. Each week brought special surprises from Andy Dick's hosting to Alex Greenwald (of Phantom Planet) coming out onstage in a Pac-Man hat to join Rooney for a cover of Billy Joel's "Movin Out." The final week even contained a raffle in which customized Rooney shoes, a KISS DVD, and a framed autographed Rooney poster were given away.

Rooney got better every week. Robert Schwartzman's stage presence alone had the audience captivated while Taylor Locke's guitar riffs and solos won over any skeptics still lingering in the room. The only problem was deciding which moment was better; either the new tune "Are You Afraid" which could easily be mistaken as a Toto b-side (kudos to Louie Stevens on keys) or the cover of Queen & David Bowie's "Under Pressure" in which Rooney was joined onstage by The Feeling's frontman Dan Gillespie-Sells.

In the time between albums Rooney has matured their blend of Beach Boys-esque pop rock. And if the songs previewed during the residency are any sign of things to come – we're all in for a tasty treat come July 17th.

— Chelsea Schwartz.

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