Imitation, some say, is the most sincere form of flattery. In the case of the Los Angeles-based tribute phenomenon The Atomic Punks, the flattery is absolutely sincere, the performance is sometimes uncanny and hey, the money's not too shabby either.
    Fans sometimes debate who among them is the biggest Van Halen fan of all. Maybe it's the Australian guy with the news desk? It might be those fans who actually say they liked the dismal "VHIII" and miss lead-singer-for-a-day Gary Cherone? Maybe it's you?

    It's hard to argue against the Atomic Punks however. Every weekend the band plays to packed clubs giving the people what they want (classic Van Halen) from, currently, the only place they can get it.
    Atomic Punks vocalist Ralph Saenz considers himself to be a huge VH fan and who can argue with him. I mean, how many people actually dress up and pretend to be David Lee Roth every weekend?

    Also featuring bass player Mike Andrews, drummer Scott Patterson and new guitarist Brian Young, the band aims to keep the magic of the original Van Halen alive with it's bombastic celebration of all things VH.
   Saenz recently offered the DLR Army his thoughts on Diamond Dave, what keeps Van Halen's classic music sounding so vital and on the much rumored DLR-Van Halen reunion.


DLR ARMY: First thing is first. There's as many rumors about you being the next singer for Ratt as there is about Dave rejoining Van Halen. We'd certainly be remiss if we didn't at least ask you, so here goes - Is it true that you might be the next singer for Ratt? Have you auditioned for them yet or do you plan to?

SAENZ: "Yes, I went down for an audition, more or less just to jam out on some classic Ratt tunes. That was so fuckin' cool playing with those guys. Blotzer and I have been friends for a long time and I knew Warren from being on tour a couple of summers ago with Ratt, when I was in L.A. Guns. Warren is absolutely, fucking amazing on guitar and I got to see that up close. Robbie and Keri, they all were so cool to me. But that's all there is to report for now".

DLR ARMY: Where are you from originally? When did you move to L.A.? What else do you do besides being DLR on the weekends?

SAENZ: "I'm from the south side of Chicago, I moved to Mission Viejo, Calif. in 1979. Moved to L.A. in 1989.  I also write music for TV shows and movies. I also sing and dance in a disco tribute band."

DLR ARMY: You've had quite a ride to get where you're at with The Punks. How did you get into the music biz? At what point did you and the rest of the fellas hook up and form the Atomic Punks?

SAENZ: "I don't really remember making a conscious decision to sing, it just kind of happened.  And I really enjoyed it. I was acting in plays that my mom was in, and was getting paid for it. I really enjoyed that! I sang in musicals in school and also in operas at the Chicago Lyric Opera House, until I got a little older and thought it was not cool anymore.
    "My brother had a band and they would rehearse in the basement, playing Deep Purple and  Black Sabbath. There were Marshall stacks, Fender Strats and lots of pot. I spent most of my time in the basement hanging with my brother's band after football practice.  My brother taught me how to play guitar and I really looked up to him.
    "When my mom and dad divorced, my mom and I moved to Mission Vijeo. I kept playing football, but I hated California. I quit football after my brother sent me a Strat and an amp. I spent all my time playing guitar to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Cheap Trick. Shortly after, I started my first band - we were called First Cause. We wrote all our music and played backyard parties at first, until my mom started dating this TV producer. He started managing our band and we got to record a demo and play the Troubadour and Gazzari's in Hollywood.
    "I ended up getting asked to join one of the rival bands in the town. So the new band was called Nightfall. We did it all. We took over Orange County, eventually recording a record. We also got on the KNAC Pure Rock Record.
    "My mom ended up marrying the TV Producer and since his work was in Hollywood, she moved to Hollywood. Nightfall played a little in Hollywood, but we couldn't get a following going because we were too light for L.A. - we had keyboards. Remember, this is when Guns N' Roses just came out. My mom said told me, 'You've GOT to come up here because this town rocks! This is where all the labels are.' So I did just that.
    "In 1989, metal was kicking ass in L.A. I joined a band called LongGone. We played all over L.A. and got a good following. We recorded demos for Warner Brother Records, but they didn't bite. We recorded some more music on our own and started hittin' the labels with the new demo. My mom booked bands for a club in Hollywood and she started booking us there.
    "One time we went to hang out at the club and we watched this band called Soundgarden. I thought to myself, 'This band is lame.' Little did I know that the record labels were leaning toward bands like Soundgarden. The band got discouraged and we disbanded.
    "I then joined a band called 7% Solution in 1993. This band had pro players. They all had been on tour and recorded records and I thought, 'This is it for me.' Mitch Perry on guitar (MSG/Heaven), Shawn McNabb on bass (Quiet Riot/House of Lords) Paul Monroe on Drums (XYZ). We recorded two  months after being together. And again and again.
    "No label wanted us. I was so bummed out. I was working at Capitol Records and I couldn't even get my own band a deal.
    "I got laid off from work and I got a call from Bart Walsh. He said his singer, in his original band Lancia, was flaking and not showing up to shows. They had this show at the Roxy and wanted to know if I would like to fill in. I told him I didn't know any of the songs. He suggested that we just play Van Halen music. Everything started from there."

DLR ARMY: When was the first time you heard classic Van Halen? What was it about the band that got you immediately interested?

SAENZ: "In 1978 or 1979 my brother ran into my room and said 'Dude come up to my room, you have go to hear this guitar solo!' 'Van Halen II' really got my interest early on. Dave's words and screams. Eddie's solos... It wasn't only David Lee. It was the band - Van Halen - that I loved so much. All together, as one unit, they are the coolest. Remember, I played guitar first. After moving out to California I spent a lot of time with Eddie and his solos."

DLR ARMY: What do you remember about your first Van Halen concert? What tour was it and what were the highlights for you?

SAENZ: "I saw Van Halen on the 'Fair Warning' tour at the L.A. Sports Arena.  All I remember is that every guy in the audience had long blonde hair. The one thing I remember the most is that it was over so fast..."

DLR ARMY: When you heard Dave left Van Halen I'm sure you were as bummed as the rest of us. How did you react?

SAENZ: "I couldn't believe that they ended up with Sammy Hagar. I think I saw it on MTV. My life was over."

DLR ARMY: Have you ever met Dave? What were the circumstances and how did things go? Did your impression of him change any?

SAENZ: "I first met David Lee at the Rainbow in Hollywood. Bart was meeting Dave there and my wife and I just happened to run into Bart, not knowing he was going to be there. So we sat at a table together and talked. All of a sudden here comes David Lee Roth!
    "Dave walks down the aisle and sits right down across the table from me. Bart told me my eyes were wide open in amazement. Dave was very nice and bought us drinks all night long. We hung out and talked about... well I didn't really say much. He talks a lot. I felt like I was in one of his videos. The guy is on-stage 24 hours a day."
    "David he did say something to me that was really cool. He said, 'Man, you got the fire on-stage. You must continue to carry the torch."

DLR ARMY: We heard that you guys have even gotten Howard Stern's blessing. How did you hook up with the "King of All Media"?

SAENZ: "We never appeared on Howard Stern's show. What happen was Howard played a tape we sent him from our show in Vegas and he played it on the radio. He talked about us coming on the show because he was amazed on how close we sounded to Van Halen. Then when he had Dave on as a guest he asked David Lee what he thought of us. Dave said, 'Man that singer has got me down - he sings flat in every chorus. Just like me" and then let loose with one of those laughs.
    "David Lee also mentioned us in his book saying he thought we where one of the best tributes to Van Halen he has ever seen."

DLR ARMY: When was the first time somebody said you looked or sounded like Diamond Dave? When did it occur to you that the world needed a classic VH tribute band?

SAENZ: "We never did that first show at The Roxy, but at a rehearsal we started playing Van Halen tunes and we ended up sounding a lot like VH. The rest is history."
    "I always say at every show, we don't think we are VH, what we do is a tribute because we love classic Van Halen. We don't want anyone walking out of one of our shows thinking that we think we're rock stars. We feel blessed to be able to entertain people with Van Halen's music, and we want people to know that! We imitate rock stars on-stage and on-stage only!"

DLR ARMY: You must have been pretty excited for Bart when he was asked to join Dave's touring band. How did they tell you and what was your reaction to the news?

SAENZ: "We knew for a few months before it actually happened, so we were very happy for Bart. And prepared."

DLR ARMY: So what if the situations were reversed - would you join VH if they asked you to? What was jamming with Mike Anthony like for the band?

SAENZ: "Yes, of course I would join Van Halen! Mike is the coolest,  down to earth rock star I have ever met. Playing with him was surreal."

DLR ARMY: What's the secret to the lasting popularity of classic Van Halen?

SAENZ: "Van Halen was a way of life. The music was fresh and different and it still stands apart from any other band."

DLR ARMY: For those of us who have never seen you guys play, describe a typical Atomic Punks show for us.

SAENZ: "Party, party, party. All five records. You can't go wrong playing Van Halen, it's the ultimate party music. Crowds seem to really enjoy when we bust out the Van Halen. How long will it go on? I couldn't tell you."

DLR ARMY: What's the highlight of the show for you? Is there one song in particular you can't wait to get to on the set list? Is there one you don't look forward to doing?

SAENZ: "I like all the songs. What we do is copy sets that they did. They knew what songs worked live. I personally love "Unchained."

DLR ARMY: Ever get any celebrities at your shows? Who showed up?

SAENZ: "Johnny Depp, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Bret Michaels, Rebecca Channey, Slash, Bobby Blotzer... the list goes on.  It's Hollywood, man!"

DLR ARMY: Since you are the definitive DLR tribute singer, please help us define this thing we keep hearing about... L.S.D. (Lead Singer Disease)? Ever been accused of it?

SAENZ: "L.S.D...  yes... we all have it at one time. I think it's something you outgrow. If you don't, you end up alone."

DLR ARMY: How often do you guys work on originals? When can we expect a c.d. from you guys featuring original stuff, or more traditional VH covers?

SAENZ: "We were going to record all the old Van Halen songs that never made it on VH records. We were in pre-production when Bart joined Dave's band."

DLR ARMY: For other, more dysfunctional bands, please illustrate how a singer and guitar player should handle disagreements. For instance, if your guitar player had a hip problem how would the two of you discuss it? Would you already be wearing a cup?

SAENZ: "My advice to tribute bands working together is to just play the shit like the record and everything will be fine. If you're doing it for fun, have fun. If you're doing for money - you're fucked. If you do it for both, you're on the right track."

DLR ARMY: What's your impression of DLR's solo stuff and Van Halen without him?

SAENZ: "Dave needs Van Halen and Van Halen needs Dave. They work at their best together."

DLR ARMY: If Dave does rejoin The Halen how will you celebrate? Would you guys start doing the new tunes as well?

SAENZ: "That would be great (if they got back together). But no, we will still only play old school Van Halen."

DLR ARMY: What's in the near future for the Punks?

SAENZ: "We are playing in Seattle and it's going so great. They love VH. We want to play all over the United States. People love VH, and every place we play, as long as the venue promotes the show properly, the shows are packed. And we hope to see you other David Lee Roth fans out there sometime soon."

DLR ARMY: I'm sure more than one women has tried to live out her DLR fantasy by trying to get into your spandex. What's the funniest or creepiest story you can tell us about your groupie past without your wife kicking your ass?

SAENZ: "Let's just say that there are a lot of couples that come and see us. So it's quite tame. However when we play at this strip club called Club Pleasures, the strippers dance all over each other and make out.    It's exactly something Dave would be proud of."

Links : Atomic Punks Website
Real Audio Samples  from the Atomic Punks Tribute Cd, Eruption, Van Halen-The Medley
Requires Real Audio G2(Free) Or Better.
1.Beat It.
2.Dance The Night Away
Purchase The Tribute Cd On Amazon.com

Atomic Punks upcoming shows:
2/26/00     Deminco's in Pasadena, Ca.
3/03/00     Canes Bar and Grill, San Diego, Ca.
3/04/00     Whiskey A Go Go , Hollywood, Ca.
3/09/00     Cajun House, Pheonix, Az.
3/11/00     Baxter's, Seattle, Wa.
3/17/00     "Shamrock" St. Patricks Day Outdoor Festival, San Diego, Ca.
3/18/00     Pink'es Las Vegas, Nv.
4/08/00     Whiskey A Go Go, Hollywood, Ca.
4/14/00     Canes Bar and Grill, San Diego, Ca.
4/15/00     The Shack, Aniheim, Ca.
    
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