It’s been awhile since I’ve covered Poison Karma, so let’s call this one Poison Karma Revisited. Even though the stars have not lined up just so for me to make a lot of their shows, I certainly know they are still the same hard-working band they’ve always been. In talking to guitarist/vocalist Kevin Hull I learned the following night, which would be Easter Eve, was to be the first Saturday night they had off in a long, long time (Easter Eve, I’ve noticed, is a rather slow night for clubbing). Now you don’t get that much work without repeat engagements, and Poison Karma gets plenty of them. And you don’t get repeat engagements unless you’re giving the public what they want. In Poison Karma’s case its hits from the 60s all the way to the present, and done very well.

Lead singer Maria Donatelli remains one of Bowling Green’s great female voices. She’s been doing this a long time and knows her stuff. Hull does all the riffs and solos pretty true to the originals, and with all the original vitality too. There have been some changes to the rhythm section. John Lippert is now the regular bass player, and interacts perfectly with Hull. John’s been in several Bowling Green bands and fits in well in Poison Karma. Melissa Moran is the second replacement drummer from the original lineup and, having seen her twice now, seems to be adjusting well.  Most shows are at least three sets long and are chock full of tunes you know, love, but do not hear too much from other bands.

Just to keep everyone up to date, I’ll let the band speak for themselves regarding what they do. If you check out their Facebook page you will see this:  “Poison Karma is a cover band that can play over 100 songs from Janis Joplin, The Pretenders, Foreigner, Journey, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC to Pink, Katy Perry, Kid Rock and Evanescence. You will not be disappointed with this bands performance.” I agree wholeheartedly. If you’re in the mood for rock and roll from all decades, go see Poison Karma.

Now if we could only get them to throw in some of their original songs each night, things would get really interesting. Hull and Donatelli are pretty good songwriters, so who knows? Friend them on Facebook and you’ll get all the alerts on where they’re playing next.

Poison Karma performed at Wha Bah’s Steelhorse Ranch on 4/6/2012.

About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman