Events

[ROCK] Leave your negative assumptions about so-called supergroups behind: Winery Dogs have arrived to show us how it’s done. With Dream Theater co-founder Mike Portnoy  on drums, Buffalo’s own Billy Sheehan on bass  (Steve Vai, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen out in front (Mr. Big, Poison), the pedigreed power trio has ballsy swagger to spare. And yet there’s no coasting and zero filler on the band’s second release, aptly titled Hot Streak, which dropped last fall on the Loud & Proud label (Willie Nile, Blues Traveler). Instead, the Dogs deliver 13 tracks that alternate between instantly gratifying hooks and prog-tinted passages that are slower to reveal. From the mathy intro of opener “Oblivion” through the six-string crunch and headbanging glory of “Captain Love” on into the funky title track, the trio churns out a glorious racket that refuses to let up. The disc’s second half is just as satisfying, featuring “The Bridge,” and “Spiral,” both of which showcase Portnoy and Sheehan’s rhythm section from differing vantage points. Throughout, Kotzen dishes out the ear candy with soulful pipes that land somewhere between Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers and former AC/DC front man Brian Johnson. Of course, it wouldn’t be a metallic affair without some incidental showboating, but there’s nothing outright masturbatory about the musicianship on Hot Streak, which comes off as a refreshing return to rock basics with impressive chops to spare.  Hear for yourself at the Tralf Music Hall on Tuesday, July 5.