Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Big Hair, Big Party

Lipstick N Leather is a hard-working hair band that covers the oldies of the late ’70s/early ’80s, when glam rock was, you know, cool. Lipstick N Leather has gigs every weekend, from House of Blues to dive bars to private parties to outdoor events.

Why cover the glam-hair hits instead of playing original music? Singer D.D. Dre Deville says, “For me, it’s not ‘instead of,’ it’s ‘in addition to.’ I also sing for an original band based in Orange County called Sick Eddy. I enjoy the pride that comes from singing songs I wrote, but I love the enthusiasm and fun that comes with the cover band.”

What kind of songs do you play? “Only the best songs that make the young girls cry,” says bass player Tommy 2 Tuff, “and make the older ladies throw up their bras.”

“We are a party band,” says guitarist Guy Gunz. “We can go into any club or party, and people can sing along with the songs we play right from the first song. I have done original music before, and it’s great, but I am focusing now on giving people a great time.”

Stevie Wilde, on guitar and keys, explains how they choose their set list: “Each member develops her or his wish list. After compiling a master list, we narrow it down by imagining that we’re playing those songs in front of a packed tavern.”

Drummer Jonny Basher didn’t have anything to add, having had one too many shots of Jäger.

LIVE-SHOW ISSUES?

Sponsored
Sponsored

D.D. Dre Deville: “Our poor floor-fan keeps getting hammered! Drop a case on it, I fall off the stage and land on it, someone gets pushed onto it.… Stevie Wilde’s keyboard wires catching on fire during a show was a good one, too.”

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Having to change in a bathroom stall really sucks. Ever try putting a wig on without a mirror? Let me tell you, it isn’t easy.”

BEST GIG?

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Belly Up Tavern, by far. Great stage and sound system and always a crowd full of hot ladies. They treat you like rock stars. Oh, wait, I am a rock star.”

Guy Gunz: “A private party we played recently for a girl’s 23rd birthday. The crowd was super fun, and they all dressed up in ’80s hair-metal outfits.”

Stevie Wilde: “Ocean Beach, Gallagher’s. The house is packed shoulder-to-shoulder. At one point I’m on my knees on the floor soloing away, only to look up and realize that an esteemed and respected colleague from work is standing over me, laughing like hell. I’m in drag and leather pants wheedily-deedilying through a Scorpions solo, thinking, I’ve got an 8 a.m. with this person on Monday to discuss funding for my next project.

WORST GIG?

Guy Gunz: “We played an outdoor gig just over a lunch hour one weekday. The sound was bad, not many people were there, and we all got sunburnt.”

Stevie Wilde: “Dive bar in Point Loma. Tumbleweeds are rolling through the place, and the only two people in the bar get into a slap fight during our second set. Lame-ola. I think at the end of the night we were handed $12 to split amongst all members of the band. I’m surprised we weren’t handed a bill for the electricity used.”

SEXIEST SAN DIEGO PERFORMER?

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Have you ever seen me in spandex? Yes, ladies, it’s real.”

Jonny Basher: “Dre, of course. Have you seen our show and the fan blowing up her skirt all night? Who wouldn’t love that?”

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ANYONE…

Stevie Wilde: “Kurt Vonnegut. Between our discussions of the firebombing of Dresden, the poisoning of the planet, and the absolute failure of mankind to nurture anything other than its own myopic self-serving gain, we’d have more than enough comic material to have clam chowder coming out of our noses for hours. But, alas, he’s up in heaven now.”

Jonny Basher: “I’d love to have lunch with Tommy Lee! It would probably be more of a liquid lunch, and I’d hope he’d bring some of his ‘nasty habit’ — chick backup singers. Would love to hear more stories from back in the day, some of the crazy times he had on the Strip back then.”

LAST BOOK READ?

Guy Gunz: “I read a lot and have read many books of substance, but the last book I happen to have read was How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson. It was a gift — I swear — and I was pretty curious about it. Unfortunately, I thought it was only mildly interesting and not very entertaining.”

Stevie Wilde: “Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass, by Bruno Schulz. It’s a very good piece, in many ways more intimate and personal than his previous Street of Crocodiles. Yet there’s something missing that leaves the reader yearning. The surrealism that so permeated and ultimately defined Street of Crocodiles manifests itself in Sanatorium in the form of an extended and at times derivative stream of consciousness, more often disorienting the reader rather than enchanting her. But none of that prevents the work from being a lyrical masterpiece.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much

Lipstick N Leather is a hard-working hair band that covers the oldies of the late ’70s/early ’80s, when glam rock was, you know, cool. Lipstick N Leather has gigs every weekend, from House of Blues to dive bars to private parties to outdoor events.

Why cover the glam-hair hits instead of playing original music? Singer D.D. Dre Deville says, “For me, it’s not ‘instead of,’ it’s ‘in addition to.’ I also sing for an original band based in Orange County called Sick Eddy. I enjoy the pride that comes from singing songs I wrote, but I love the enthusiasm and fun that comes with the cover band.”

What kind of songs do you play? “Only the best songs that make the young girls cry,” says bass player Tommy 2 Tuff, “and make the older ladies throw up their bras.”

“We are a party band,” says guitarist Guy Gunz. “We can go into any club or party, and people can sing along with the songs we play right from the first song. I have done original music before, and it’s great, but I am focusing now on giving people a great time.”

Stevie Wilde, on guitar and keys, explains how they choose their set list: “Each member develops her or his wish list. After compiling a master list, we narrow it down by imagining that we’re playing those songs in front of a packed tavern.”

Drummer Jonny Basher didn’t have anything to add, having had one too many shots of Jäger.

LIVE-SHOW ISSUES?

Sponsored
Sponsored

D.D. Dre Deville: “Our poor floor-fan keeps getting hammered! Drop a case on it, I fall off the stage and land on it, someone gets pushed onto it.… Stevie Wilde’s keyboard wires catching on fire during a show was a good one, too.”

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Having to change in a bathroom stall really sucks. Ever try putting a wig on without a mirror? Let me tell you, it isn’t easy.”

BEST GIG?

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Belly Up Tavern, by far. Great stage and sound system and always a crowd full of hot ladies. They treat you like rock stars. Oh, wait, I am a rock star.”

Guy Gunz: “A private party we played recently for a girl’s 23rd birthday. The crowd was super fun, and they all dressed up in ’80s hair-metal outfits.”

Stevie Wilde: “Ocean Beach, Gallagher’s. The house is packed shoulder-to-shoulder. At one point I’m on my knees on the floor soloing away, only to look up and realize that an esteemed and respected colleague from work is standing over me, laughing like hell. I’m in drag and leather pants wheedily-deedilying through a Scorpions solo, thinking, I’ve got an 8 a.m. with this person on Monday to discuss funding for my next project.

WORST GIG?

Guy Gunz: “We played an outdoor gig just over a lunch hour one weekday. The sound was bad, not many people were there, and we all got sunburnt.”

Stevie Wilde: “Dive bar in Point Loma. Tumbleweeds are rolling through the place, and the only two people in the bar get into a slap fight during our second set. Lame-ola. I think at the end of the night we were handed $12 to split amongst all members of the band. I’m surprised we weren’t handed a bill for the electricity used.”

SEXIEST SAN DIEGO PERFORMER?

Tommy 2 Tuff: “Have you ever seen me in spandex? Yes, ladies, it’s real.”

Jonny Basher: “Dre, of course. Have you seen our show and the fan blowing up her skirt all night? Who wouldn’t love that?”

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ANYONE…

Stevie Wilde: “Kurt Vonnegut. Between our discussions of the firebombing of Dresden, the poisoning of the planet, and the absolute failure of mankind to nurture anything other than its own myopic self-serving gain, we’d have more than enough comic material to have clam chowder coming out of our noses for hours. But, alas, he’s up in heaven now.”

Jonny Basher: “I’d love to have lunch with Tommy Lee! It would probably be more of a liquid lunch, and I’d hope he’d bring some of his ‘nasty habit’ — chick backup singers. Would love to hear more stories from back in the day, some of the crazy times he had on the Strip back then.”

LAST BOOK READ?

Guy Gunz: “I read a lot and have read many books of substance, but the last book I happen to have read was How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson. It was a gift — I swear — and I was pretty curious about it. Unfortunately, I thought it was only mildly interesting and not very entertaining.”

Stevie Wilde: “Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass, by Bruno Schulz. It’s a very good piece, in many ways more intimate and personal than his previous Street of Crocodiles. Yet there’s something missing that leaves the reader yearning. The surrealism that so permeated and ultimately defined Street of Crocodiles manifests itself in Sanatorium in the form of an extended and at times derivative stream of consciousness, more often disorienting the reader rather than enchanting her. But none of that prevents the work from being a lyrical masterpiece.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Next Article

Seals hook up with Beaver

Salty’s Escape is a Mexican-Style cerveza brewed with corn and puffed Jasmine rice
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.