The Rainbow Bar and Grill is one of Hollywood’s most iconic rock & roll party spots — a Sunset Strip landmark famous for having hosted countless wild nights for Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses and more. Carla Harvey is raising a toast to those legendary wreckers in “Hell or Hollywood,” the second single from her new the Violent Hour project alongside Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, who co-wrote the songs and plays all the instruments.
The lore of the L.A. establishment fascinated Harvey as a kid growing up in Detroit, Michigan. Little did she know at the time that she’d eventually leave the Motor City to clink drinks with Rainbow regulars like Lemmy from Motörhead.
“I wanted to write a song that felt the way I did when I first moved to Los Angeles at 20 — like my motorcycle boots hitting the Sunset Strip for the very first time,” the former Butcher Babies co-vocalist and recent Lords of Acid collaborator recalls.
“I had driven across the country with nothing but a paper map, no friends, no plan—just a dream,” she continues, with respect to how this all inspired her new single. “I figured I’d survive somehow, and every day was exactly that: survival. There were moments that nearly broke me, followed by the kind of euphoric highs that made it all worth it. That’s what ‘Hell or Hollywood’ is — the chaos, illusion and grit in perfect juxtaposition.”
That rock & roll chaos is naturally vibing through the Violent Hour’s music video for “Hell or Hollyood,” which Revolver is premiering today (June 12th). The song will appear on Violent Hour’s self-titled, five-song EP due July 25th via Megaforce Records.
The Easter Egg-stuffed video finds Harvey strutting through the doors of the Hollywood bar for a hard-rockin’, headbangin’ party with a bunch of lager-liftin’ locals — including Janis Joplin and Lemmy lookalikes. The song itself merges Eighties-era Sunset riffs with Benante’s developing Southern-rock slide guitar work, while his current Pantera bandmate Zakk Wylde stops by to rip-snort through an epic solo.
Speaking with Revolver, Harvey and Benante further dished on their personal Rainbow highlights, the timing of the upcoming Violent Hour debut, and more.
What do either of you remember about your first experience at the Rainbow? What was the vibe like?
CARLA HARVEY Shooting the video for “Hell or Hollywood” at the Rainbow was a full circle moment for me. When I was young, I read about the Rainbow in rock mags, and of course I saw it in iconic GN’R videos. Guns N’ Roses was the first band I ever really loved — their imagery and vibe exuded this gritty rock & roll lifestyle that was intoxicating to a Midwestern kid like me. I wanted to dress like them and go to the places they went to.
Somewhere my mom has a great pic of me outside the Rainbow at 16, cheesing away on a family trip. And when I moved to Hollywood, the first thing I did was go to the Rainbow — which turned into going to the Rainbow every night. [Laughs] I might’ve missed its heyday, but man, it was still a party! You’d walk in and see people doing cocaine off tables. Hard rock and metal was just blasting. You never knew who you might meet there.
One night I sat with Slash at his table — I was just a kid and he was so kind to me. One night I was there and Anna Nicole Smith was at the table behind me — she was wasted, and somehow her shoe ended up flying on my table. I’ll never forget her laugh.
The Rainbow is an important part of rock & roll history, as well as my history. I made my first L.A. friends at the Rainbow, found my first bandmates at the Rainbow, and got into lots of trouble there. I was even kicked out once for throwing glass bottles, literally carried out of the Rainbow.
When they said yes to letting me film a video there, I cried. I was so grateful.
CHARLIE BENANTE The first time I ever went to the Rainbow was in the mid Eighties, and it was one of the first times Anthrax played out in L.A. I wanted to go there because it was like rock & roll mythology. “Did this really happen? Did Zeppelin really hang here all the time?” Of course, I’d seen that classic picture of them at the big table in the back — and that’s where I wanted to sit!
I went there before the whole Guns N’ Roses explosion. It was the Rainbow of a different time. Hair metal was going on, but I hated all of that. That was the furthest thing from what I was into. I wanted to go there because [of] Zeppelin and the Who.
How rowdy did it get during your “Hell or Hollywood” shoot?
HARVEY I had a bunch of friends show up early in the day to film, and the bar was open so many of them proceeded to get sloshed. It was great to loosen them up for the party scene!
I loved that we got to film bits in the lair of the Hollywood Vampires, the extra-special upstairs part of the Rainbow where Alice Cooper, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr would drink. The place is full of magic and myth. You feel it when you’re there.
I always say I write my music-video treatments simultaneously while writing a song, and this was no different. Director Vicente Cordero brought my vision to life: A girl from the Midwest walks into the Rainbow and has the night of her life… but is it too good to be true? Will she sell her soul for rock & roll? Is this “Hell” or “Hollywood”?
Where did you find the Lemmy lookalike?
HARVEY It was important for me to have a Lemmy in the video because of his iconic presence at the Rainbow. I put out a casting call in Hollywood and found nothing, but then the director forwarded me Luke Edwards, who is in a Motörhead tribute band called Killed by Death. Only problem was that he was in North Carolina! Something told me I had to have him in the video, so we flew him out.
When he showed up on set, it was incredible. He looks so much like Lemmy, and seeing him there in Lemmy’s lounge was so cool. He had briefly met Lemmy on the sidewalk in front of the Rainbow in 1990 and hadn’t been back since 1991. It was a great experience for us both.
My Janis Joplin in the video, actress Shannon Corbett, was spot-on, as well. I had to add in a little humor, too, so when we were casting rockers, I had a friend and “Kurt Cobain” lookalike named Gabe Maska [show up]. I knew it would be pure irony to include him, because if you actually saw Kurt Cobain in the Rainbow you’d surely be in Hell.
Did either of you have a chance to share a drink at the Rainbow with Lemmy back in the day?
HARVE: Lemmy was always super accessible and kind at the Rainbow, always at the end of the bar drinking a Jack and Coke and willing to chat or snap a pic. Charlie, of course, has great Lemmy stories.
BENANTE Its funny you say that… I’ve never shared a drink with Lemmy at the Rainbow, but I’ve shared drinks with him at different times. One of the first times Anthrax played London, we played a place called the Hammersmith Palais. This was, like, 1986.
Lemmy came to the dressing room, and you have to understand, I was the biggest Motörhead fan — I was part of the Motörheadbangers fan club! Seeing Lemmy there — in person, right there in front of me and talking to me — it was a trip. I will never forget that. And we had a drink! So, there you go.
Carla, your “Sick Ones” video had you taking on the roles of a bunch of reality-TV archetypes — like the “Pessimistic One” or the “Erratic One.” Sonically, that song hits a classic metal edge, while “Hell or Hollywood” brings Southern bottle-slide to the mix. How is the Violent Hour project generally showing off the different sides of your personality?
HARVEY I didn’t think of them as reality-TV archetypes, but Charlie and I do love watching the Real Housewives shows, so maybe I was inspired. [Laughs] While, lyrically, “Sick Ones” is about cutting toxic people out of your life, I wanted to flip the script for the video and play with the idea of cutting out the toxic parts of yourself — or at least learning how to live peacefully with them. Musically, it’s a nod to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. I love how punk rock and fun it is.
I grew up listening to everything. Of course I love metal, classic metal and punk rock, but I also grew up playing violin and listening to a ton of Southern rock, like Lynyrd Skynyrd. I loved Rush and Aerosmith. When I started to write for the Violent Hour with Charlie, what was coming out naturally was very different than anything I’d ever done musically. But I was loving it.
I realized that the kid in me wanted her earliest influences to come out, and Charlie really played into that with the music he was writing. It all felt organic.
What I initially struggled with was letting go of the idea of “What if people don’t like it, or only want to hear guttural vocals from me?” I just had to write from my heart and soul, and write what I wanted in the moment. Each song on the first EP is different from the next. We are releasing another EP later in the year that is heavier, but I love what we’ve done with these songs.
Charlie, can you tell us about the musical connection you’ve made with Zakk over the past few years while touring with Pantera? How does it feel to have transferred that energy and relationship onto a recording?
BENANTE My relationship with each member of Pantera now is so good — especially with Philip, that goes back a long way. Same with Rex. But Zakk and I share a bus together, so we talk all the time.
I wrote [“Hell or Hollywood”] because of Carla’s love for Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith… and the whole L.A. thing. So, when I was talking to Zakk about it, I said, “Dude, I’m hearing like a Guns N’ Roses or Joe Perry type of swag [for the] lead on this song.” Zakk was like, “Father Charlie, I got it.” He loved the song. He did exactly what the song needed.
I think Zakk is a very spontaneous type of guitar player. He hears [the song] and, boom!, “Let me throw this down — now.” And when he sent the solo back to me, it was like, “That’s it! You nailed it!” Just the feeling, the playing… He’s the best.
On this song, especially, I wanted to play slide. But… man, it’s not easy playing slide. I went back to some of my favorite guitar players — Duane Allman, David Lindley — to really study how they played, and where they played. This song is very special to me.
The new single has Zakk playing guitar on it, while “Sick Ones” features John 5. Are there any other guests you can tell us about that made it into the studio with the Violent Hour?
BENANTE There are no more guests on the five tracks of this EP, other than Zakk and John. But the next EP, the part two to this, Rex is playing on it. And we may have some more surprises on that one.
Carla and Charlie, you two have been working closely together on this project, as performers and co-songwriters. As a romantic couple outside of the studio, what was it like creating new music together? Was it mostly smooth in the studio, or did it ever get too personal?
HARVEY Creating music together just led to an even deeper form of intimacy between us. I love working with Charlie. He is an incredible songwriter and this band gives him a chance to showcase things that people have never seen him do — like the sexy slide guitar on “Hell or Hollywood.”
Working with him on these songs really brought me out of a funk and taught me how to love the process again. I am so grateful for that. We don’t agree on everything when writing, but that’s not a bad thing… how boring would that be? Studio-wise, I have more nervous energy than he does, so I think that took him some getting used to. Drummers have a way different studio vibe than vocalists. [Laughs]
BENANTE I’ve had some [of these] songs for years. As a matter of fact, the [EP’s] “Sex and Cigarettes”? That’s, like, 10-15 years old.
[During] those quarantine jams that I did back when the pandemic hit, I got a feel [for] the sound of Carla’s voice. I knew [right then] that she could handle whatever I would throw at her. I mean, she did a Massive Attack song. That was pretty tough to do, but she did such a great job with that. She can sing, that’s the thing.
So, the first song we wrote together was “Sex and Cigarettes.” That came out great. And then we did another one, and then another one. And it just started to grow. Once I got the sound of her voice in my head, writing became easy. The last song we wrote for the EP was “The Violent Hour.” It’s this epic tune, and it’s very emotional. Carla nails it.
We work really well together. I may push her a little hard [in the studio] sometimes, but it’s only because I’m confident that she can get it to that point that I’m hearing in my head. We also work with a friend of ours, Blair Daly, who helped out a lot on the lyrics and vocals. So, this is just a great team effort.
Carla, you likewise just started touring with Lords of Acid, a band you’d previously said were a tentpole to your music-listening experience when you were younger. How has it been for you to join one of your favorite bands? And how were your first few shows as part of the group?
HARVEY I’ve never made it a secret that I love Lords of Acid. At one point in the Nineties, if you would’ve asked young me who my favorite bands were, I would’ve said Guns N’ Roses, Pantera and Lords of Acid.
The first few shows have been packed and incredible. Lords of Acid songs are tongue-in-cheek and so much fun. They have this amazing juxtaposition of sexiness and goofiness — I’ve always seen the humor in it.
And I’m 16-year-old Carla onstage with them. I’m crowdsurfing and just letting myself go, literally dancing like no one is watching. It’s a different experience than I have ever felt. I feel very free to be me for the first time in a long time. I think this experience will carry on with me to the live Violent Hour shows.
Charlie, Anthrax have been working on an album for a few years now, too. Where are you with that project at the moment?
BENANTE I mean… the Anthrax album has been taking forever to make. I wrote all those songs. I did all my drum tracks and some guitar tracks. It’s just a scheduling thing… but we are making the best record that I think we’ve made in a long time.
I’ve also been working on the album cover and packaging, so I’m always busy doing something in the Anthrax world. We will have a song out by the end of the year, and then the album will come out at the beginning of next year. It sucks that it’s taking so long, but please wait — I think you’ll be pleasantly happy with the results.
This interview has been edited and condensed for flow and clarity.