Ultimate Jam Night is an immersive rock ‘n’ roll show held weekly at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go. But it’s NAMM week, so for one week only, it was rebranded the Ultimate Namm Metal Jam. What a great opportunity for the MetalTalk NAMM team to get warmed up.
Ultimate NAMM Metal Jam
Whisky A Go Go, California – 23 January 2024
Words and Photography:Â Jody Wilk
“I got broken in right for my first time visiting California all the way from Connecticut,” MetalTalk’s Jody Wilk said. “What a whirlwind of a night it was.”
Whisky A Go Go doors opened at 8 pm, and the Thrash Metal fans quickly filed into one of the most iconic venues in Los Angeles, The Whisky-a-Gogo. After mingling with a bunch of West Coast friends and meeting some for the first time in person, the lights dimmed, and the first band took to the stage. 
BLVD of Eyes, a newer Metal band, wowed the crowd with a set of original music. It was not as heavy as the Thrash that would follow, but it was still as good. This band shows where the future of rock music is going. Chloe Trujillo fronts the band with her ’70s hippie vibe look, and Lullah Trujillo slays it on the drums.
Originally from New Zealand, Mark Dalbeth takes on the bass guitar duties for the band. Kevin Hicklin from Weapons Of Anew kills it on guitar for this up-and-coming band.
At 10 pm, Hal Sparks, the evening’s host, came out and introduced the event, joined by the musicians who would be performing the first song. 
Hal took on lead vocals for Mob Rules by Black Sabbath and then Run to The Hills by Iron Maiden. Rounding out these songs were Phil Demmel, Ira Black, Chuck Wright, Jack Gibson, and Joe Travers. This just gives you a tip of the iceberg taste of the level of artists to be expected throughout the night. 
Corrupt, Vio-Lence, Kings Of Thrash, Damage Inc., and Evil Dead performed mini-sets. The mosh pit really got going, expanding quickly and pushing the people who weren’t moshing towards the venue’s outside walls. 
Some other artists who performed were David Ellefson, Chris Poland, Chris Cannella, Chris Cain, Ira Black IV, and many more. Dean Guitars donated a guitar to the door raffle, which was given out mid-way through the night. 
The funny thing was that during Cremation of Care by Corrupt, Ira Black IV’s guitar broke, so he ran backstage and grabbed the raffle guitar to finish out the song. At the finish of the song, Hal made light of it, saying, “that now the Dean Guitar was stage played by Ira Black IV.” 
With the Whisky A Go Go house packed, hot and sweaty, these top-notch thrash musicians continued to amaze the crowd with their talents and keep everyone on their feet for the entire show. This is one show I’m glad I didn’t miss. A wonderful warm-up for NAMM 2024.
The National Association of Music Merchants, known as NAMM, hold the 2024 edition of their show from 25 January 2024 to 28 January 2024 in Anaheim, California.Â
This is a world-famous trade-only business show catering to domestic and international dealers and distributors restricted to owners, suppliers, journalists, employees, endorsed artists, and guests of NAMM member companies.
MetalTalk’s Jody Wilk, Shannon Wilk and Whitney Alyson Ribbins are reporting from Anaheim.
All Photography: Jody Wilk and Shannon Wilk unless otherwise stated.
All MetalTalk NAMM 2024 coverage can be found at www.metaltalk.net/tag/namm-2024.
