Re-release Party in Chinatown For Pigus Drunkus Maxiumus by Top Jimmy And The Rhythm Pigs

Friday, January 23rd – 6-11 pm At Eastern Projects Gallery

Beloved by celebs and musicians, Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs fans included everyone from incomparable musicians like Tom Waits and David Lee Roth but also bands like X and The Blasters as well as musicians like Maria Mckee and Steve Wynn (who released the original LP on his Down There Records). Out of print for nearly 40 years, this new reissue of Pigus Drunkus Maximus has been remastered, features a new 16-page booklet of archival photos from noted photographer Gary Leonard, gig flyers and new liner notes from veteran Grammy-nominated L.A. scribe Chris Morris.

Spoken about in hushed tones for their incendiary live shows soaked in booze, blues and sweaty, transformative bacchanalian liberation during the oppressive Reagan years, Top Jimmy and The Rhythm Pigs burned brightly in the L.A. music scene of the 1980s. Known as “L.A.’s high priest of booze culture,” the band was led by Falstaffian front man Top Jimmy (aka James Paul Koncek, 1954-2001), a true force of nature full of roadhouse rantings, whisky and yes, the very person referenced in the Diamond Dave track “Top Jimmy” from Van Halen’s breakout 1984 album.

Free! All Ages Event!

The Rhythm Pigs included Dig The Pig (Richard Aeilts), Gil T (R. Gilbert Isais), Carlos Guitarlos (Carlos Ayala), Joey Morales & Steve Berlin, the band played famed Hollywood clubs like Cathey de Grande, Florentine Gardens and the Whiskey A Go-Go. They played the blues to punk rockers starting in the early eighties until their demise less than a decade later. Famous for their spirited covers of everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Merle Haggard, nothing was off limits if it shook the walls or got your feet moving.

What makes this Pigus Drunkus Maximus reissue so important in 2026 is that unless you lived in LA in the eighties, most music fans might have only heard of Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs, or about their legendary output but never actually heard their music or saw them live. So while the band did tour a bit, this was very much a Los Angeles band. But talk to anyone who saw them live, in their element at the Cathay, and their eyes glaze over in a somnambulist-like haze of remembrance. Because for those who did see the band, they never forgot one of the best bands they ever saw.

This lovingly restored reissue of Pigus Drunkus Maximus will go a long way to restoring the band’s rightful place in L.A. music history as one of the greatest bands this city ever produced.

Pigus, Drunkus, Maximus was re-released on January 16, 2026.

Follow Blind Owl Records on Social Media:

Website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube