By DONNA BALANCIA
Jesse Hughes is on the local circuit these days, making surprise visits to local bars and punk hangouts in his native Southern California.
The renowned frontman from EODM took to the stage solo at The Redwood Bar and Grill in downtown Los Angeles to hit the stage and try out some new beats on his handheld device.
Hughes played “Kiss The Devil,” saying it was the first time he has played the song since the Bataclan attacks his band survived.
“These are beats I recorded myself,” he said as he laid down some well known EODM tunes with a new beat.
He also played a solo version of “I Want You So Hard.”
A few weeks ago prior to the tour with Queens of the Stone Age, Hughes played a few local bars, surprising the fans.
Hughes’ friends and fans crammed into the Redwood, notably his childhood friend Shoemaker, who was beaming with pride over his friend’s success. He said he had not seen Hughes for many years, long before the fatal attacks on the Bataclan where Eagles of Death Metal had been playing when terrorists stormed the nightspot and the Paris streets.
“We come from the desert, where we’re survivors,” Shoemaker said. “You give a few drops of water to a plant it will last for years. But if you step on it, you have to really step on it many times to do damage.”