In the late 80s, four cousins—Rich Abboud, Roge Karma, Monique Bivona(Moe), and her brother Chuck Bivona —formed a rock band called WEST OF CAIRO.

With Rich on drums, Roge on bass, Chuck slamming the guitar, and Monique commanding the mic, they electrified stages across the country, becoming a staple on the small but passionate rock circuit. They had the grit, the talent, and a raw energy that drew in crowds wherever they played.

After years of gigging, they found themselves headlining at the Sports Pub Bar on Maryland Parkway, right in the heart of Las Vegas. The crowd that night was brimming with college kids from UNLV, hyped for a night of unfiltered rock.

But that night was far from perfect.

Rich, notorious for his late-night escapades, had overslept at a friend’s place across town. When curtain call came and the band took their places on stage, Rich was nowhere to be found. Panic rippled through the band as Monique, Roge, and Chuck stared out at the restless audience.

The venue’s manager was breathing down their necks, but the cousins weren’t ready to throw in the towel. Roge shot a frantic call to Rich, who woke up in a daze, realized the disaster unfolding, and floored his car across town, weaving through traffic like a man possessed.

Fifteen long minutes passed, with Chuck doing his best to banter with the crowd, cracking jokes and even attempting an impromptu a cappella number. The audience was growing restless, some even throwing unidentified stuff toward the stage. Just when the tension threatened to boil over, the back door of the bar slammed open, and Rich rushed in, drumsticks in hand, still buttoning his shirt.

The moment he hit the stage, the cousins exchanged a quick nod, and the band kicked into overdrive. The crowd, packed with students, erupted as WEST OF CAIRO launched into their first song. It was pure, unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll magic.

For the next hour, they rocked the house, setting the place ablaze with thunderous beats, searing guitar solos, and Chuck’s hypnotic vocals.

Little did they know, some future legends were in the audience that night. Among them was a struggling musician named Brian Jay Cline. At the time, Cline was working grueling days laying pipe at construction sites around Vegas. But he had music in his blood, and as he watched WEST OF CAIRO, something clicked. He saw a future for himself on stage. The band had unknowingly ignited a fire in him that would later burn bright.

In the coming years, Cline would go on to join forces with Chuck and Rich in the underground punk rock band Twisted Nixon, which would take the 90s by storm with hits like “Stone Throwing Riot” and “Left is Right.”

Rumor had it that other future rock royalty were in the crowd too—Curt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, and even a young Alanis Morrissette. Vegas was that kind of place back then, where worlds collided, and the seeds of something great were sown.

But like many great bands, WEST OF CAIRO didn’t last. They were on the brink of something bigger when the cracks began to show. A simmering family feud—sparked by a dramatic blowout over a girl living in a trailer park—finally tore them apart. What could have been a meteoric rise ended in a spectacular implosion, with the cousins going their separate ways before the big break ever came.

Still, that night in Vegas became the stuff of legend—a moment when the past, present, and future of rock ‘n’ roll brushed shoulders in the smoky haze of a college bar.

LYRICS

Oh Oh Oh
It’s a click clack bang

When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang
You get yourself a drum and go du-lang du-lang
Going on a grift or on an ego-centric trip
You better take cover cause the world’s about to slip when

Upside Down and all over town
The people hear the cry and the music hits the ground
An’ you never hear the call like the phone never rang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Oh Oh Oh
It’s time for the show
Oh Oh Oh
The bands on the go
Oh Oh Oh
It’s a click clack bang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Jackie says jump
Roger says “how high?”
Sorry turtle dove I’m just makin’ trailer pie
While I steal your song and eat your brain
Sorry Devon baby O. G. was too insane

Me me me mo knees never never wrong
It’s everybody’s fault like the guy who wrote this song
Drama party girl is the queen of the show
When West of Cairo burned the people want to know
It goes…

Upside Down and all over town
The people hear the cry and the music hits the ground
An’ you never hear the call like the phone never rang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Oh Oh Oh
It’s time for the show
Oh Oh Oh
The bands on the go
Oh Oh Oh
It’s a click clack bang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Richy is a good guy who shines like his car
or a bag full of thorns while he laughs at my guitar
He can drum with a smile putting Debbie on a leash
While his crazy family mammy cuts him off at the knees
They go…

While Biv and his bong and the Skela Tone Knees
A dirty pitch for money you know what I mean
There’s Brian Jay Strummer at the Sports Pub Bar
He tried to say hello but he didn’t get too far….

Upside Down and all over town
The people hear the cry and the music hits the ground
An’ you never hear the call like the phone never rang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Oh Oh Oh
In the midnight sun
Oh Oh Oh
Let’s get to the fun
Oh Oh Oh
It’s a click clack bang
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Oh Oh Oh
And she’s alright
Oh Oh Oh
In the middle of the night
Oh Oh Oh
The band was in the tank
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

Oh Oh Oh
What’s wrong with your head
Oh Oh Oh
Chuck B’s not dead
Oh Oh Oh
Too much beer you must have drank
When you’re Kryptonite Moe and the Richy Karma Gang

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Written by Johnny Punish
Produced by Punish Studios enhanced by A.I.
Official Web Site: www.PunishStudios.com