Most people have probably not heard of the band Throttle Back Sparky but I was contacted last fall by Allen Lulu, one of the band members , who asked me to help him pay tribute to the band.
Throttle Back Sparky was an American rock band that played in and around Los Angeles in 2000. The band was formed by Allen Lulu and Jon Rosenberg after the two New York University college friends reunited at the Music Night, an occasional late night program where theater members and affiliate actors and musicians would come together to play original songs and covers in the relaxed atmosphere of the post-main-stage venue.
The original lineup of the band was mostly an ad-hoc assortment of Music Night performers and their acquaintances. They produced two albums Great Big Mardi Gras Head EP and Throttle Back Sparky. The band’s oeuvre ran the gamut from two minute punk homages (The Ramones influenced, “Joey Enough”) to epic stadium anthems (“Age of Consent” & “Trusted”). Known for their high energy shows, they would often describe their performances as “if someone paid $10 to see us, we should give them a $50 show”.
During the course of their six-year career they would frequent the Los Angeles club scene, most notably playing shows as The Gig, The Joint, Coconut Teaszer, The Whiskey-a-Go-Go, The Derby, The Hard Rock Cafe among many others.
