The Hogg Mountain Lugg Nuts, which features Derek Jackson on vocals/rhythm guitar, Josh Brewer on drums/vocals, Chase Lexi on bass/vocals, Craig Hunter on lead guitar/vocals, and newcomer Miki Diamon on guitar, brought the house down at SkyBar Friday night.

Hailing from Alex City, the Hogg Mountain Luggnuts play covers from all types of popular genres, anything from Def Leppard to Sir Mix-A-Lot, with a pop-punk aesthetic and arena style lighting and stage presence. The guys have some original songs up on their MySpace page, and they’re all technically proficient and skilled musicians, but the real draw to their act is the performance. These guys serve up faithful , full-volume renditions of songs you know front to back with wild stage presence, energ, and showmanship.

The band invited intrepid members of the crowd, lingering over by the bar, to come down to the dance floor. They turned up the lights and rocked out like they actually were the arena rockers that they emulate, and judging from their recent tour lineup, they’re playing in a lot of the same venues as their heroes.
The Hogg Mountain Lugg Nuts’ set covered a wide array of appropriate party songs, and the surprisingly decent sized crowd (for the Friday before Thanksgiving break) were really into it. The guys did a particularly notable take on the Violent Femme’s classic hit, “Blister in the Sun,” taking a few minutes in the middle to riff on the first or second verses of “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice. All in all, a fun rock show for the Skybar crowd.