The Hot Rods? Who would name themselves the Hot Rods in this day and age? That’s how these guys are…a little off. The songs are all over the place: 50’s rock n’ roll, surf, pop, garage punk, country, lounge and even some spacey headphone stuff on “Baby Green Eyes”. Two brothers and one friend that grew up in the desert came together to form a band that got back to basics. Three chord songs. Four tops. The good stuff. Giovanni on vocals and rhythm guitar. Vincenzo on lead guitar. Mikael on bass. Plus, lots of special guests. Mikael, who would also serve as producer, had a studio in downtown Los Angeles - amongst the bums and thugs and hot fashion design school chicks. Back in the early 2000’s, before the boom and crash, downtown was still a little sleepy. Mikael called in Giovanni for some help on the soundtrack to a student film that took place at a 1950’s sock hop. Cenzo was visiting from San Francisco and The Hot Rods were born. After marathon sessions in the studio, the guys would take a break and walk over to Gill’s for the Indian Buffet, then maybe into Hank’s for some cold beers and a cocktail. It was a glorious time. The Hot Rods played Tin Horn Flats, Crazy Jacks, The Kibitz and Jumbo’s Clown Room, the Santa Monica Pier and even opened for Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats at The Dragon Fly. Eventually, Audio Grande Studios relocated to Toluca Woods, down the road from Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake, then to its current location in Rancho Mirage, where great music is still being produced. As with all great things big and small, The Hot Rods are no longer. But the fellas are still together and working on other projects. We’ll see you down the road a piece.