Ragdoll Australia's Newest Rock Trio at the Whisky

The Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, California

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Review by Kimberly Annette

 

8:15pm on a Saturday night on the strip, it would normally be too early to head out into the evening to catch a decent show. This Saturday was different from the norm. We were at the Whisky A-Go-Go and this three-piece band fromLeon_Todd_H5A1106 Australia was about to walk on stage. The trio; Ryan Rafferty (lead vocals, bass), Leon Todd (guitar), and Cam Barrett (drums) are Ragdoll.

It was about a month ago I began hearing the name Ragdoll and was intrigued. After listening to a few tunes off their latest upcoming release, Ragdoll Rewound, I understood why I had heard their name. Hearing these tunes on my headphones did nothing compared to the live show. These guys have an amazing sound, full and heavy, and if you close your eyes you would swear there were more than three musicians onstage coming up with that full classic hard rock sound you’d expect to hear from a five-piece band.

In a recent interview Leon Todd explained the fullness is in part due to the complexities in their arrangements and the sound he gets from his slightly modified Paul Reed Smith Guitar. He said that due to the heavier weight of a Gibson’s Les Paul and his slight 170lbs that carrying the Les Paul on stage every night didn’t work for him, so he turned to a Paul Reed Smith, modified the pick-ups and was able Ryan_Rafferty_H5A1100to come up with a warm organic sound we are able to hear in their live performance. However, he stuck with his Les Paul for the recordings. Both are beautiful instruments, each giving the complexities with a warm organic guitar tone, which resonates a classic rock sound you can’t help but appreciate.

The set list included a new song, “Playing God,” that will be on their next release once the Rewind Your Mind Tour comes to a close next month in Vegas. They opened the set with “Tell Me,” a powerful blast of rock. Other songs included, “Here Today,“ “Break You,” “All I Want,” and closing the set with a new song off upcoming release Ragdoll Rewound, “Rewind Your Mind.” But my personal favorite of the evening, “Astray,” a hard yet melodic, lyrical beauty ending with a word resonating and drifting off into the night, “Lair………”

Got to love Australia. Down Under produces some of the best rock bands and Ragdoll is yet another to add to the list. They are a force with a true sound – pure and raw like classic hard rock with a twist of the new. Ragdoll is playing at Rocklahoma this weekend on Sunday, May 23rd at 9: 50pm on the Retrospect Records stage so check them out. You won’t be sorry!

Other tour dates can be found on their website.  Or pick up a copy of their new release Ragdoll Rewound on the same day Sunday May 23rd or pre-order on Amazon today.

 

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Ragdoll On The Sunset Strip - Whisky A-GO-GO
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