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Is it real, Roth or Ralph?
By John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinSix years ago Ralph Saenz was asked to sit in with a group that had just lost its vocalist. He didn't know their original material but they all were familiar with Van Halen. An improvised all-Van Halen set went over so well Saenz decided to stay, the originals were shelved, and the Atomic Punks had a new career.
The band has been recreating ever since, the sound of Van Halen and the attitude of the group's original singer and flamboyant front man, David Lee Roth, who quit the band in 1985.
"They were young and they were fresh off the streets and they were really hungry. They wrote real live heavy music. When Sammy (Hagar) joined the band they became more songwriters. I think they're both good (singers) but I personally like the David Lee Roth years," Saenz said.
ON STAGE
Who: Atomic Punks
"Van Halen with David Lee Roth is what we do and that's the music I like best. Sammy had it hard filling in for David Lee Roth and Sammy was a legend himself before he was in Van Halen. Gary Cherone took a job that I would have taken in a second."
The Atomic Punks makes its Hawaii debut with a two-nighter at Gussie L'Amour's this weekend.
Other questions are harder for Saenz to answer, such as why fans would want to see a copy when they can still see the original?
He explains his band is recreating an act that no longer exits, unless Roth works things out with the Van Halen brothers.
In the meantime, it's Saenz as David Lee Roth with bassist Joe Lester, drummer Scott Patterson and guitarist Brian Young as Michael Anthony and the Van Halen brothers Alex and Eddie.
The Atomic Punks approach the challenge of recreating the sound and showy presence of the young Van Halen with the dedication of true fans but leave the characters on stage when the set is over.
"When I get off stage I have people calling me 'Dave' and obviously we're doing a good job, but this is a tribute and you want to leave it on the stage where it belongs," Saenz said. "We don't think we're Van Halen."
The real Van Halen seems to approve. The Punks' press clips include positive quotes from all four original members of Van Halen and report that Anthony has sat in with them.
Saenz says playing the music he loves is a dream job. He sees no expiration date on the Atomic Punks current gig. After all, Van Halen is still performing more than 20 years after first charting with "You Really Got Me" in 1978.
"I always maintain that we'll do this Van Halen tribute until people stop coming to see it," he said. "I don't see an end coming soon."
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