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Live Shows· Angst· 8 min read

Jam Night at The Back Lounge: A Whole Lot of Love in the Air

For over a year, The Back Lounge in Dublin, California has been home to something special: Jam Night. Local musicians playing in combinations that would never happen otherwise. This is my perspective on why it matters.

Jam Night at The Back Lounge: A Whole Lot of Love in the Air
Pictured above, left to right, ladies and gentlemen: four-fifths of Titan Rage taking the field tonight, and this crew doesn''t jog out, they hit like a goal-line stand. Brad Temple, somewhere just off-camera to the left, proof that you don''t need to be in frame to be heard, his guitar cuts through the mix loud and clear even when the photo couldn''t keep up. John Honea anchoring the bass line like an offensive lineman who never misses an assignment, and Jeff Temple locking in deep pocket grooves and hard-hitting fills, structuring the backbone of the song right alongside him. Mystery solved on that "extra guitarist" up top, that''s actually Marta Demmel, holding down a badass synth line on the keytar the entire time. She didn''t even make the frame, but the song wouldn''t have been the same without her, fitting, since eight also happens to be the symbol for infinity, and her contribution to this one might as well be. · "Ray Ray Baby" Torres, whistling while he works, isn''t running the show on this one, he''s usually the guy pulling off Michael Jackson better than anybody, but tonight he''s on backing vocals, and special ones at that, the kind that take an eight-person delivery on Rammstein''s "Engel" from good to unforgettable. Over on second guitar, Derek Trujillo, full-time resident of Shark in the Water, points toward Brian Glenn like he just witnessed something worth an excessive celebration penalty, good thing nobody was throwing flags on us this evening, because Brian is currently delivering bass-baritone crossover vocals in fluent German. Becky Davis is also on the keys, melting everything together, the calmest person in a burning building, steady as ever while everything else lights up around her. And on the far right, Phil, taking it all in like a coach who already knows his team just won.

A quick note before we get into it: this was supposed to go up a couple days ago, but the website had other plans. Building a brand-new blog page apparently comes with its own jam night, full of glitches, mystery errors, and one very patient conversation with GoDaddy support. So heads up, everywhere below I say "yesterday" or "last night," I mean Wednesday. I could've gone back and fixed all that, but honestly, it felt more true to the spirit of the night to just leave it exactly how it poured out. Consider it a small, unintentional tribute to how Jam Night actually feels: a little chaotic, occasionally off schedule, and somehow it all works out anyway.

For over a year now, The Back Lounge in Dublin, California has been home to something special: Jam Night. It lands on the second or third Wednesday of most months, and it exists so local musicians can play in combinations that would never happen otherwise. The variety is wide, the playing is high level, and somehow they keep letting me on stage anyway.

The bar has been voted Best Bar in Dublin by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce two years running. Voting is open now, so if you know the vibe, here's your chance to help make it three: bestofdublinca.com.

The Back Lounge crew celebrating the Best Bar/Brew Pub award from the Dublin Chamber of Commerce
Pictured left to right, back to front: Sam, Marta, Ace, Kris, Dolores, Bill, Elaine, and Mr. Chamber of Commerce himself, showing up in a green hat like he'd just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and decided to share the luck with us instead. And down front, yours truly, doing what I do best, showing up on exactly the right night without knowing it. · We just happened to be there when Mr. Chamber of Commerce delivered the Best Bar/Brew Pub award in person, and honestly, the whole crew's reaction says it all. Two years running now, and from where I stand, there's no mystery why.

The Back Lounge is owned by a couple of local musicians who tour the world and are considered among the best at what they do: Phil and Marta Demmel. Phil's been in the scene since the early eighties, back when Testament, Exodus, and Metallica were still coming up. Marta's played keys for international metal band Bleeding Through since the early 2000s, and she can flat-out sing. Marta's a singer. I'm a vocalist, which is the polite version. Catch her on Jam Nights or on karaoke night, which Connor Dector runs the Wednesdays in between. Together, Wednesday at The Back Lounge belongs to singers.

Phil is one of the most unique animals in heavy metal. Sixteen years in Machine Head, a founding pioneer of Bay Area thrash with Vio-lence, and these days he's in Kerry King's band alongside Death Angel's Mark Osegueda, plus Category 7 with John Bush. Toured with Lamb of God, Overkill, Testament. My favorite story is the time he got the call to tour with Slayer and learned the entire set on the flight in. I once needed two weeks and a lyric sheet taped to a monitor to get through one song, so I find that story both inspiring and personally insulting.

True story from writing this: I dictated part of it by voice, and every time I said "Phil Demmel," my phone typed "fill them all." Honestly, the phone wasn't wrong.

So when I get to share a stage with either one of them, it's a genuine honor. When music isn't the main event, the place turns into a genuinely good sports bar, Sunday football, Warriors, A's, Giants. But Jam Night is the one I plan my month around.

I believe this whole thing started with the Merkins, an all-day cover song blowout Phil started rounding local musicians for more than ten years ago. I looked the name up exactly once and never again. I've been going for several years, and the simplest way to describe it is that there's a lot of love in the air. Yesterday, standing on stage with Phil, I was singing, "Love is still alive, you must be brave, or your children of today are the children of the grave." I was feeling every word. Whether the room felt it at the same intensity is between them and their maker, but I was locked in.

This piece wouldn't be complete without mentioning Sean on sound and how organized James Stark is coordinating all the players. Sean has made me sound better than I have any right to, which isn't a mix, that's a miracle. While I was wrapping cords after the show, over-under, the way they're supposed to be, I caught myself just enjoying the moment. Listening to the post-show music, watching players I respect like Chris Lujan and Sean break everything down. The less glamorous part, and somehow still great.

The Drummers

Special mention to the drummers, because they carry more of this than anybody. Four or five played last night, and a couple always end up with the longest hauls. Jonathan "JW" Wilson and Chris Lujan sit behind that kit song after song, style after style, while the rest of us wander on and off. Singers get the microphone, guitar players get the solos. Drummers get a shift. When a jam works, it's usually because somebody back there never let it wobble.

The Range

The range of covers last night was fascinating, swinging from James Stark singing "Devil Woman" to Hot Sauce Dan Sychr taking on Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me." And then there was this...

Press play for 10 seconds of dual vocals on Hatebreed's This Is Now at Jam Night The Back Lounge
I've been to every single Back Lounge jam night, and nothing heavier has been played yet. Honestly not sure how you'd even make it heavier than this. Press play for 10 seconds of dual vocals on Hatebreed's "This Is Now," two of the strongest metal voices I know went after this one full throttle: Sid Frankosky from Negative Sixx on lead, Brandon Hunt from Titan Rage on ultra-heavy backing vocals. If you want a gym comparison, those two were squatting 700 pounds. I was over in the corner doing curls in the squat rack, wondering if anyone would notice. · Titan Rage vocalist Brandon Hunt backing up Sid Frankosky · Jam Night, The Back Lounge · August 19, 2026
Signature style delivery of Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love at Jam Night, The Back Lounge
A+ delivery all around: Sean Cohen tearing it up on guitar, Mike Holsworth locking down the low end like it's under contract, and Randy Serrano bringing the swagger nobody can fake on Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love." Randy also took on The Cult's "Little Devil" later that night with the same style, no impressions, no borrowed swagger, just his own thing, which is the harder way to pull it off, with Jim McSheffery taking over guitar duties for that one. I caught Randy coming off stage and gave him the full verbal bouquet, forgot to get his name, and I'll blame that on it being thirty years since I last wrote about music. Consider this the correction. Jam Night, The Back Lounge · August 19, 2026
Wide stage view of Jam Night at The Back Lounge, Dublin CA, August 19, 2026
Pictured left to right: Jim McSheffery ripping through guitar, Mike Holsworth holding the low end down like it owes him money, Chris Lujan driving the whole thing forward on drums, and the back of soundman Sean's head, the man never sits still, mobile mixer in hand, making sure every corner of the room gets the same great mix. James Stark and BEETA trade vocals on a genuinely fun version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls." · Jam Night, The Back Lounge · August 19, 2026

Two Moments I'll Always Keep

My band DETHBED 925 got to play the first original song ever performed at a Jam Night, which says more about how open this room is than anything about us.

And one night, with Marta on keys and JW on drums, a few of us made up a song on the spot, never finished, probably never will be. The only line anyone remembers is "see you at The Back Lounge," which felt more honest than anything we might have planned.

I'm not the best musician in that room on any given night. I'm just the guy who won't miss one, and so far I haven't. I don't play every time, which I'd like to call humility but is mostly the sign-up sheet. Either way, I'm always entertained.

Thank you to Phil and Marta, to James, to Sean, and to every player who shows up ready to give a song everything they've got. And to the drummers, JW and Chris, who hold it all down so the rest of us can walk up there and look good.

Keep doing what you're doing. See you at The Back Lounge.

Bill Gurgol (Buffalo Bill, Solar Bill, whichever you know me as, just not Angst around here)

livebay area metaljam nightthe back loungephil demmeldublin ca
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