LIKEHELL

This is about LIKEHELL, a band that existed in Minneapolis, MN during the years 1994 – 2006. LIKEHELL were exemplary at bridging the driving core of hard rock with the psychedelic elements of stoner / desert rock, bringing a theatricality to their live shows which seemed to be sorely amiss during the growing pains of the indie scene.

Tony and Matt had already been working together in 1993, in the group called Dead Rock Star, and would continue into 1994 with the LIKEHELL debut CD EP Sacred Crown, reinforced by Frank Thorpe’s muscular bass, and the charismatic personae provided by Tony’s brother Nick, on vocals. It seems that I may have been stretched pretty thin with the number of shows I was attending that year, so by the time I caught up with the band later in ’95, only one track from the EP was in rotation, as they were focusing on newer material from their Spanish Fly / Twin/Tone albums Love American Style and Snowball’s Chance. Within the next decade they had five albums under their collective belt, a smattering of single and compilation tracks, and were the subject of their very own feature-length motion picture documentary.

What follows are a handful of live recordings which the band graciously allowed me to record back in the day, and which Tony Oliveri has generously allowed to be shared on Live Music Archive with other past, present and future fans.

Nick Eldorado : vocals
Tony Oliveri [Cows, God Bullies, Hood, Dead Rock Star, LIKEHELL] : drums
Matt Bockley [Roy G. Biv, Dead Rock Star, LIKEHELL] : guitar
Frank Thorpe [Roy G. Biv, Gear Jammer] : bass

LIKEHELL • 1995-12-23
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (37:49.29)

[01] start / introduction (02:45.21)
[02] Love Is The Medicine (01:58.71)
[03] Blank Slate (02:39.35)
[04] interim / tuning (00:21.05)
[05] Agape (02:25.08)
[06] Hydrophonic (03:46.08)
[07] Happy Seeds (02:52.30)
[08] 1,000,000 Miles (4:04)
[09] Daddy Head (2:38)
[10] interim / comments (00:33.45)
[11] Alone [aborted] (01:05.23)
[12] Feel Like Makin’ Love [Mick Ralphs, Paul Rodgers • Bad Company] (03:53.15)
[13] interim / comments (00:21.16)
[14] Crack (02:21.45)
[15] interim / comments (00:49.02)
[16] Implant (05:14.31)

Bill:
Guzzard
LIKEHELL
Rocket Fuel Is The Key
Hot Karl

Live mix: either Randy Hawkins or Andy “Al” Gustafson

‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas…

That same night, this triple header bill was taking place just on the other side of the wall, in First Avenue:
Babes In Toyland
Season To Risk
Mount Shasta

2: unidentified release [?]
3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 16: Love American Style [1995 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
5: Sacred Crown [1994 • Kingdom Records CD EP]
8, 14: Snowball’s Chance [1996 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
12: Bad Company: Straight Shooter [1975 • Swan Song / Island Records LP]

Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives

Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive

LIKEHELL • 1995-12-25
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
semi-plugged / acoustic set
stereo audience recording
duration (27:39.14)

[01] start (01:54.48)
[02] Happy Seeds (03:30.53)
[03] Love Is The Medicine (03:16.54)
[04] interim (00:38.48)
[05] Feel Like Makin’ Love [Mick Ralphs, Paul Rodgers • Bad Company] (03:53.15)
[06] interim (00:24 71)
[07] Implant (05:04.55)
[08] Fly Me Away (04:30.04)
[09] Daddy Head (03:28.39)
[10] end runout (00:36.37)

This was a short but sweet – semi-plugged / acoustic – set.
I’m not sure who else was on the bill!

2, 7, 9: Love American Style [1995 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
3: unidentified release [?]
5: Bad Company: Straight Shooter [1975 • Swan Song / Island Records LP]
8: Famous Orgies [2006 • Rekords Rekords]

That same night, on the other side of the wall, in First Avenue:
Milk

Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives

Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive

LIKEHELL • 1996-01-26
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (42:23)

[01] Blank Slate (03:36.58)
[02] Agape (02:48.55)
[03] interim (00:20.28)
[04] 1,000,000 Miles (04:29.58)
[05] Happy Seeds (02:59.52)
[06] Love Is The Medicine (02:38.58)
[07] Crack (02:26.13)
[08] On Top Of The World (04:30.74)
[09] Alone (04:24.04)
[10] Daddy Head (03:09.34)
encore:
[11] interim / crowd / tuning (00:34.00)
[12] Feel Like Makin’ Love [Mick Ralphs, Paul Rodgers • Bad Company] (03:48.34)
[13] Implant (06:03.40)
[14] end runout (00:32.53)

Bill:
LIKEHELL
Solid State

Live Mix: possibly Matt Corman [?]

1, 8, 9, 10, 13: Love American Style [1995 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
2: Sacred Crown [1994 • Kingdom Records CD EP]
4, 7: Snowball’s Chance [1996 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
6: unidentified release [?]
12: Bad Company: Straight Shooter [1975 • Swan Song / Island Records LP]

Promoting the “new album” Love American Style.

Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives

Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive

LIKEHELL • 1996-07-05
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (48:14.24)

[01] start (00:07.16)
[02] introduction / That Devil (02:51.64)
[03] Happy Seeds (03:08.13)
[04] Blank Slate (03:03.41)
[05] Agape (02:56.54)
[06] 1,000,000 Miles (05:23.10)
[07] Land Of Gold (03:37.71)
[08] interim (00:21.07)
[09] Halos Follow You (04:24.73)
[10] Crack (02:08.23)
[11] interim (00:32.53)
[12] King Of The Dicks (04:08.07)
[13] interim (00:15.13)
[14] Hydroponic (04:16.10)
[15] interim (00:17.11)
[16] Daddy Head (02:36.66)
[17] interim (00:42.30)
[18] Implant (05:38.27)
[19] tape flip / end (00:44 39)
[20] end runout (00:59.71)

Bill:
LIKEHELL
Cheater Slicks
Satan’s Pilgrims

Live mix: Nick Settich

This was how the setlist was written out, but the set was performed differently:
Load O’Gold
Crack
Daddy Head
Implant
Agape
Million Miles
Devil Stole Your Heart
Happy Seeds
Halos
Blank Slate

3, 4, 14, 16, 18: Love American Style [1995 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
5: Sacred Crown [1994 • Kingdom Records CD EP]
2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12: Snowball’s Chance [1996 • Spanish Fly Records CD]

Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives

Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive

LIKEHELL • 1997-08-16
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
stereo audience recording
duration (37:39.24)

[01] That Devil (04:10.55)
[02] Land Of Gold (03:17.64)
[03] Crack (02:34.54)
[04] Sammy (04:25.39)
[05] interim (00:21.69)
[06] La Bamba [Ritchie Valens] (02:39.30)
[07] interim (00:27.68)
[08] Feed The Need (03:36.47)
[09] unidentified title [when I go drinkin’] (03:12.70)
[10] interim (00:25.18)
[11] King Of The Dicks (03:18.35)
[12] interim (00:18.26)
[13] Daddy Head (03:06.02)
[14] unidentified title [find my way to those *** balls] (05:03.18)
[15] end runout (00:40.29)

Bill:
Cows
LIKEHELL

1, 2, 3, 11: Snowball’s Chance [1996 • Spanish Fly Records CD]
4: Workman’s Comp [1995 • Big Money Records CD]
6: Ritchie Valens: 7” [1958]
8: Feed The Need b/w New World Fun 7” [1997 • Diablo Musica]
9, 14: unidentified release [?]
13: Love American Style [1995 • Spanish Fly Records CD]

Recorded / transferred / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives

Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive

Download or stream all sets by LIKEHELL from Live Music Archive

I always say this (only because it’s true!), but it is well worth your time to track down any of the band’s releases:

First and foremost, I would direct your attention to the Official LIKEHELL web site

…where most of the full-length releases and a few singles are listed [NOTE: many of the links may or may not be active as of 2026], as well as info about the band, and also……

Likehell – The Movie (2004)

Drummer extraordinaire and man about town Tony Oliveri has a pretty detailed Discography of his own involvement with Likehell, God Bullies, and Cows between 1988 – 2000 on his own Tony Oliveri web site

Digital versions of Love American Style and Snowball’s Chance are hosted on the Twin/Tone site

And of course, if all other avenues are exhausted, some of these things will occasionally turn up on eBay, as well as a few releases which have been spotted on the discogs site

And if you really have some spare time on your hands….

Can you name the 179 bands which comprise
Three degrees of separation for LIKEHELL ???

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