Live, from Peoria, Illinois, It’s Friday Night starring this week’s host, Peoria Pizza Works and featuring a slew of special guest stars and also starring musical guests: Divine Dirt, The Sadistic Cowboys, Super 88 and The River Bottom Scum! Now, please welcome this week’s host, Peoria Pizza Works!
Peoria Pizza Works
I wanted to start this new season of MBIP on an epic note and I think tonight we’ll hit that note! Peoria Pizza Works has been serving up pizza and great food here since 1974! And they’re not only known for their homemade pizza, they’re also a longtime home and supporter of live music here in Peoria.
Tonight is definitely going to be a fabulous night for both pizza and live music as there’s four bands on the bill tonight and the headliner is Divine Dirt, featuring lead vocalist, Bloody F. Mess! Bloody is a Peoria native who was one of this city’s premier punk rockers. You can read his history here and now let’s get inside and let this evening begin!
Here’s the main dining room and there’s comfortable booths lining the far wall. I decided to belly up to the bar and although it’s crowded, I managed to snag a seat. And when I sat down I had to laugh at the card on the bar! I was pissed I didn’t have a marker to put “F. Mess” on the blank line!
As you can see, there’s a lot of beer on tap to choose from and I love that there’s dueling snack baskets at the bar! As I was sampling the snacks, I saw some familiar faces at a table behind me and they invited me to sit with them, so I did, we ordered a couple of pizzas and before you know we were in the middle of...
A Pizza Party With Super 88!
Super 88 is one of my favorite local Peoria bands and they’ve been rocking houses, bars and clubs in the area for over 20 years now! They’re a fun group of guys and they are, clockwise from left: Jeff Hyde (lead vocals), Dave Moe (guitar), Chris Anderson (bass) and Sylvan Maloney (guitar). Drummer Peter Curse is not pictured, but you’ll see him later because Super 88 is one of the bands on the bill tonight!
You can see our pizzas and there’s is the top one and I think they got mushroom and maybe sausage, I opted for a Home Alone styled cheese pizza.
Talking topics included being nervous before a show, Harry Nilsson, The Monkees, the history of Super 88, the Kiss Koncert at Younger Than Yesterday Records and other stuff I can’t remember because, as I told the guys, I fried my memory banks in the ‘70’s with too much acid!
After the pizza party, Super 88 had to get ready for the show, so I wandered around with the trusty MBIP Camera and took photos of some of the special guests milling around before the show!
Special Guests Milling Around Before The Show!
1. Lisa Leathers and Guy. It was great to see Lisa and meet her friend Guy and fitting that Lisa is here because I met her through tonight’s star of the evening, Bloody Mess! Back in the ‘90’s when I was publishing POP magazine, Bloody wrote an article on Lisa and her band, Safe Sex and they came to a POP party at my apartment and that’s how we met. Here’s link to a photo of the article and Lisa and myself.
2. Tricia strikes a pose for the MBIP Camera!
3. Always woderful to see my friends Amber and Joe and I was happy that they were able to make the show and be part of the MBIP return post!
4. Here’s Andy and Brandi and they told me that they’re engaged now! Congratulations to them on this exciting news. I was pissed that the MBIP Camera fuzzed this shot out though. Sometimes I hate the MBIP Camera...HATE HATE HATE it!
5. There’s Dave Moe with his wife, Jenny! Dave and Jenny’s band is The Whiskey Trust and you can see them live this Friday night at the Rhythm Kitchen!
6. Here’s a rare shot of my friend Kevin outside of the Castle’s Patio Inn Kitchen!
7. Kristen called me over to her booth and said she’s a follower of the MBIP blog and facecrack page, so I sat down and we had a lovely and fun chat! Great to meet you, Kristen!
Bloody F. Mess!
And here’s the star of the show tonight and the reason for the huge crowd, Bloody F. Mess! I’ve known Bloody since the ‘80’s and it was great to see him! I can’t wait to see his new band, Divine Dirt live! And it won’t be long because...
It’s Showtime!
We’ll make our way through the middle room and go through the door into the live music room at Peoria Pizza Works. As you can see, it’s a packed house in here tonight! Time to squirm my way up to the front of the stage and enjoy the show!
The River Bottom Scum
This is a unique sounding duo consisting of Nova Jayce (Jesus Crust) on lead vocals, bass, guitar and banjo; J-Pin (Jade) guitar and washboard and Dalton Arnold on bass. They bill themselves as: “Just a bunch of hoodrats scouring the midwest, burning every cornfield and flag that stands in our way.” They played a fabulous set and it was a great start to this musical evening.
Super 88
Set list.
Super 88 have been featured on the MBIP blog many times and they’re veterans of the Peoria rock ‘n roll circuit. Their experience shows and they’re one of the tightest and hard rocking units in the area. I’ve seen them live many times and they never fail to rock the house and burn it to the ground and this night was no exception to that rule!
The Sadistic Cowboys
Set list.
This line-up of the Sadistic Cowboys is a little over a year old, but all the members have been involved in other bands and music for quite a while. They’ve opened up for acts such as: Black Oak Arkansas, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Jackyl. Their sound is hard rock with a dash of countrified heavy metal thrown in. This is my first time seeing them live and I’m hoping to see them again soon! They’re set was energetic and a lot of fun!
Okay, the houselights are down, the joint is packed to the rafters and now it’s time to bring out the headliners for this evening...
Divine Dirt
Set List.
I’ve got the Divine Dirt CD and it’s fantastic and I couldn’t wait to see them perform it and some of the other classic Bloody Mess songs live and they put on a rocking and riveting show!
Bloody F. Mess is one of the best front men in rock ‘n roll and he’s aged like a fine punk rock three dollar bottle of wine!
The band consists of Bloody F. Mess on lead vocals, David Vallee on bass, Skyler Squglio on guitar and Jesse Lee on drums. The crowd loved them and the band absolutely shredded that set! Bloody was in top form and it was one of the most fun and memorable evenings I’ve ever had at Peoria Pizza Works!
Thanks to Peoria PIzza Works and to all the bands for a stupendous evening of live music! Thanks also to everyone who attended and supports live music in Peoria!
If you’d like a copy of Divine Dirt’s new CD, just click here to purchase it, you won’t be disappointed!
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3921 N. Prospect
Peoria Heights
309-682-5446
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Related Posts: Friday Night Live @ Peoria Pizza Works Starring: Lark’s Tongue and Friday Night @Sky Harbor Featuring The Musical Stylings of Shannon Moore Shepherd.