Lillian Axe Brings Rock N’ Roll To The Grouse Room

by Colby D. Foreman

In the mid-80’s, the hard rock scene was awash with spandex, Aquanet, and sometimes, even a bit of makeup. And that was just the guys in the bands we all went to see, mostly in iconic Los Angeles, the land of hopes and schemes, La-La Land on a little piece of land called The Sunset Strip. Any night of the week, you could see bands like Motley Crue, L.A. Guns, Ratt and Dokken. It was definitely the place to be.

In our little corner of the world in South Louisiana, there were bands slugging it out in the rock clubs as well, albeit not as iconic and few and far between. Sure, we had great bands like LeRoux and Zebra, but nothing the likes of what was going on in L.A…..until there was Lillian Axe. A little back story on the band: The classic line-up came together when former Stiff members, Ron Taylor (lead vocals) and Jon Ster (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), teamed up with Lillian Axe members Steve Blaze (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Rob Stratton (bass guitar), and Danny King (drums) in 1987. The band caught the attention of Ratt’s management which led to a record deal with MCA and Ratt’s Robbin “King” Crosby producing the band’s first album, Lillian Axe.

Lillian, as they’d become casually to people “in the know”, had become Louisiana champs to me and my friends. Somebody from our state was doing something we loved. And it was evident when, in 1986-87, every teenage kid we saw was sporting the infamous “Who the F**k is Lillian?!” T-shirts! They were on MTV, they were opening and touring with our favorite bands, riding high on the crest of a wave of their debut self-titled album.

Lineups changed over the years, as lineups often seem to do. But Lillian continues to release albums and tour relentlessly to this day. Their subject matter has matured over the years, while bands of their former ilk remained steeped in the whole “sex, drugs & rock n’ roll” vibe, which is great if that’s your thing. But Lillian’s musical complexities, coupled with their New Orleans heritage, lends itself lyrically and overall ideology in mystery and darker themes.

With their latest release “XI: Days Before Tomorrow”, Brian C. Jones (formerly of Atomship) joins the fold, bringing with him an entirely different dynamic yet to be seen by any of Lillian‘s previous frontmen. Think Alice in Chains meets King’s X with dynamic music changes.

I got out to see them here at Lafayette’s Grouse Room, Lafayette Park‘s premier live showcase.  I’ve seen them many, many times before, but first time at this venue (their second time in almost exactly a year…thanks to The Grouse Room for bringing them back!). They did not disappoint. 2 solid hours of pure rock n’ roll, burning through a set list that ran the gamut of their entire catalogue, with sing-alongs like “Nobody Knows“, “Dream of a Lifetime” and  “Show a Little Love“, to the aforementioned darker-themed songs, like “Babylon” and their newest single, “Weeping Moon“, which will soon be released on their latest album being worked on at the moment, Womb to Tomb. You can download “Weeping Moon” on Itunes and Google Play now!

Thanks for making the journey to Lafayette, Lillian Axe, and thanks to everyone who are supporting live music in our area!