THE DOGS, GILT LILY, GLITTERTRASH live, Benefit for Carrie Hamilton Foundation, Molly Malone's 12.5.17

 

 

THE DOGS, great legendary Detroit band that began in 1968 with singer/songwriter/guitarist Loren Molinare, bassist Mary Kay and continuing with drummer Tony Mattueucci (see LINK*) played a rare gig for a benefit for The Carrie Hamilton Foundation** 12.5.17.   

The significance of Loren's participation proved as poignant as his duties were multifold: he also played in two other bands that evening, GLITTERTRASH and GILT LILY. This was a special one-off reunion of GILT LILY minus its late, highly charismatic singer, Carole Burnett's daughter Carrie Hamilton (in pic herein with Leslie Knauer [center] who also performed at this gig, and Mary Kay [right] of THE DOGS)  who died of lung cancer in 2002. However, Carrie's sister Jody Hamilton helmed the band this time around, with a her own special insouciance, mood-wrangling and strip teasing. She even invited drag queens and GLITTERTRASH' singer Jenna Talia (blonde below in Gilt Lily shot, not the pink- bewigged one) onstage to join in Gilt Lily anthem "I Am A Boy." Also in Gilt Lily with Jody and Loren were original members Danny "de Muff" Isaacs and Paul Ill, with the addition of Ken Mundy.

Above, beautiful and spirited in both looks and manner, Leslie Knauer offered a great acoustic set with Al Teman on stand up bass showcasing her catchy songwriting as well as gymnastic vocals. Family-wise, Leslie once played in the band Kanary with Mary and Tony of THE DOGS for 12 years as well as her current reunion incarnation of 1990s and beyond favorites PRECIOUS METAL. Paul Ill's Disreputable Few fusion band also shared the bill.

Then we get to GLITTERTRASH... another Loren band with fellow Detroit to L.A. transplant, singer/provocateur Jenna Talia, seen below, plus Cuch Rauda on bass and a temporary Tony Dog. Motor City seasoned and tough belying the image one encounters, Jenna is a great frontperson who, as with many fun soirees one has attended, ended up on the floor wrestling a chair. And this a fun act but with some serious undertones, as with her songs like "Something To Believe In..." co-written with Loren Molinare.

*http://fastfilm1.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-dogs-their-history-from-1960s.html

** The Carrie Louise Hamilton Foundation, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., ste. 2300, Los Angeles CA 90036