Rushonrock Record Of The Week: The L.A. Maybe

The L.A. Maybe — Dirty Damn Tricks Deluxe Edition (Self Released)

The L.A. Maybe?

There’s no maybe about it.

If raucous rock and roll is your thing then it’s a definite yes.

And don’t miss this golden opportunity for redemption.

You see, when The L.A. Maybe’s debut long player Dirty Damn Tricks dropped in the spring of 2021 it almost disappeared without trace.

That’s despite Rushonrock lauding Oh Sugar as a Red Hot Track Of The Week.

And notwithstanding the fact that a molten record served up a volley of Sunset Strip scorched, AC/DC powered riffs.

Like Spinal Tap’s ill-fated Stonehenge stage set, Dirty Damn Tricks should have been so much bigger.

But for a while it looked like The L.A. Maybe’s best efforts were destined to be nothing more than a footnote in the cluttered New Wave Of Classic Rock narrative.

Then the band laid waste to this summer’s Call Of The Wild Festival.

Dallas Dwight and co. reminded the masses of their party-starting prowess.

And The L.A. Maybe were back where they belong…as the hottest ticket in town.

A brand new UK headline tour takes in 10 dates starting in December.

But before then there’s a trip to the legendary Whisky A Go Go and a set on board the The Kiss Kruise XI alongside Gene Simmons and co.

So what better time to revisit Dirty Damn Tricks and throw in a few extra acoustic tracks as an added bonus?

The L.A. Maybe’s explosive debut might have inexplicably bombed first time around.

But the deluxe edition of a deliciously sleazy album is destined to right that wrong.

And Dirty Damn Tricks Mk II will surely represent salvation for the thousands of rock fans who somehow missed its myriad treats first time around.

How Dirty Damn Tricks Cleans Up

So, a quick reminder.

Dirty Damn Tricks sounds like the brazen result of Bon Scott and Axl Rose jamming until the sun comes up in the company of their good friend Jacky D.

It’s a record so raw you can smell the blood…sweat and tears.

There’s no hint of an apology as a band welded to the past regularly revisits a sound rooted in the Rainbow’s late 80s heyday.

And saying sorry would surely be the hardest word.

You see, Dirty Damn Tricks is a record to be proud of.

It’s an album that should be celebrated as a seriously bombastic body of work.

The plugged-in tracks best represent The L.A. Maybe’s infectious live energy.

In fact, Sucker Punch, Oh Sugar and Sweet demand to be turned up to 10.

It’s possible to imagine prime Faster Pussycat putting the finishing touches to all three and dominating MTV for a decade.

Dwight and fellow guitarist Drizzle know their hair metal history.

But there’s often a bluesy, Bad Company-esque groove driving Dirty Damn Tricks’ standout tracks.

So what about the bonus material?

Well, The L.A. Maybe would have been right at home on MTV Unplugged.

Pitching themselves somewhere between Every Rose… era Poison and solo Jon Bon Jovi, their canny takes on Peace Of Mind and The Long Road are lovingly curated.

And there are surely legs in a stripped-down run of acoustic shows sometime soon.

The fact that Dwight and Drizzle can seamlessly switch from full-on Eddie Van Halen to laid back Richie Kotzen bodes well for the future.

And the surprisingly different shades of The L.A. Maybe make this deluxe edition a definite keeper.