There are two ways to see hair-metal band L.A. Guns, not counting the fact that two versions of the band are touring.
"The Ballad of Jane" rockers, on their 25th anniversary tour, continue to open for major headliners around the world while also headlining at smaller clubs, including a gig next week at the new Coliseum Music Lounge.
"We have no problem playing anywhere," drummer Steve Riley says. "We just want to play live. We bounce from big shows back to 500-seat clubs and don't break our stride."
Riley, formerly of W.A.S.P., says L.A. Guns fans at the Coliseum will get a longer show — 75 to 90 minutes — than they would at an arena show.
"There's a certain amount of material we have to do on every show — stuff fans want to hear," he says. "There are 10 or 11 songs we have to play, and we sprinkle in the new stuff. When you see us in St. Louis, you'll hear all the hits and things on the new album, and no covers."
People are also reading…
The new stuff is from the band's latest album, "Hollywood Forever." It features former L.A. Guns member Kelly Nickels, who plays bass on "Venus Bomb." He also sings background on other tracks. Nickels checked out L.A. Guns at a New York performance and temporarily fell back into the fold.
"He'd given up music completely, but we stayed in touch as friends," Riley says. "We asked him to get up and jam with us, and it was fun."
"Hollywood Forever" is produced by Andy Johns, who has produced four L.A. Guns albums. Johns has worked with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Eric Clapton and Cinderella, but L.A. Guns is the only band he has produced four times.
"A lot of these other, older bands he has worked with, they do their own thing and they go in cycles, changing up the producers and engineers to go with different formulas," says Riley, who believes in going the way the Beatles did with producer George Martin. "They used the same producer with the same point of view and sounded great all the time. We wanted to keep that kind of continuity."
After 25 years in the music business, Riley says L.A. Guns is happy to still be able to release albums and tour.
"If you're smart in this business, you know nothing lasts forever," he says. "We're fortunate to have gotten that much exposure … and be able to work this late in the game."
As for that other version of L.A. Guns, the one fronted by Tracii Guns, Riley has a few words.
"Phil (Lewis) and I have been in L.A. Guns since 1987," Riley says. "Tracii quit the band 10 years ago. The fact that he even started another L.A. Guns is laughable to not only Phil and me, but pretty much the whole music community. Everyone knows if you want to see L.A. Guns, you want to see the one fronted by Phil Lewis. It's the real thing, baby!"
L.A. Guns
When 8 p.m. Thursday • Where Coliseum Music Lounge, 2619 Washington Boulevard • How much $10-$15 • More info coliseummusicloungestl.com or 314-531-2842