Teenage Bottlerocket – The Dopamines – Elway – Tiltwheel – and The Bombpops – at The Shakedown Bar – San Diego, CA

  On Friday July 27th, Wyoming natives Teenage Bottlerocket rocked the Shakedown Bar in San Diego.  They were graced with an outstanding lineup of opening bands to get the show started.

The Bombpops opened the show with amazing energy.  The mostly male crowd was instantly drawn to the two female singers/guitarists.  But the ladies (and the rest of the band) kept the crowd’s attention with Power Pop riffs and musical tenacity.  On a comical note, while I was migrating through the crowd, I overheard two men talking about how incredible the drummer is.  They were speaking of The Bombpops’ newest addition, Josh Sleeze, who also plays in the Los Angeles horror punk band Murderland.  “She plays really well, ya know, for a chick,” one guy said to the other.  They both nodded and looked back at the stage just as Josh was taking off his shirt.  Their eyes widened and they started to high five each other but stopped comically, mid-air, as they both realized that despite his shoulder length hair, Josh is indeed a male. 

Next up was San Diego’s own Tiltwheel.  Although this was not my first time seeing Tiltwheel play, it was the first time that I saw the band and was sober enough to remember (most of) their performance.  Do you like Jawbreaker?  Do you like Fifteen?  Do you like beer?  Me too!  So you’ll probably like Tiltwheel.  The sound of the songs fit the bill of the venue - grinding Power Punk with a slight side of happy.  That is, until you listen to lead singer/guitarist Davey’s vocals.  The songs may be laced with boozy lyrics on the surface but, there the dark themes separate Tiltwheel from any old ‘bunch of drunk dudes in a band’. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third was Elway, a 4 piece from Fort Collins, Colorado.  As they powered through a good part of their new EP, I was drawn away from my intoxicating conversation with the overly tattooed, overly good looking doorman of the bar.  I stood dumbfounded in the middle of the very small, very crowded floor.  It’s no wonder Elway was signed to Red Scare; they are the southwest incarnates of the Lawrence Arms who are easily one of my favorite bands.  As the band powered through classics from their debut Red Scare album Delusions, the liveliness of the bodies in the bar ebbed and flowed as fists were raised high in the air.  It didn’t seem to matter that many people didn’t know the words or the songs.  They were giving it their all.  As Elway dismounted the stage, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and was left with only one thought.  That was an amazing set.

And it only got better!  The Dopamines from Cincinnati, Ohio were on.  For a band that started as a side project with the focus of just having fun and playing music for music’s sake, something has gone wonderfully right.  It only took one song to see that they are not the typical ‘fucking off in the garage with your friends’ kind of band.  There is the band, onstage (with touring fill-in Mikey Erg! of The Ergs!), having a great time, possibly a little more than drunk, laughing and smiling AND sounding great.  That is, if you could hear the vocals over the entire bar cheering and singing along.  There was pogo dancing.  There was fist pumping.  We all sang and danced out little Punk hearts out in fear that, as many were talking about the in crowd before the show, The Dopamines won't make it back to California again. 

Lastly, the band that we were all there to see, Teenage Bottlerocket.  With their catchy bass riffs and witty yet lighthearted lyrics, it was as if the ghosts of the Ramones were back from the dead and inhabiting the bodies of 4 guys from Wyoming…with less hair.  If you don’t know the words, you will by the second chorus; the songs are just plain fun and the live performance is even better.  Bottlerocket played a good portion of their new album, Freak Out!, along with many of the fan favorites from their previous albums.  Upon playing a new song “In The Pit”, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.  I couldn’t help but note the irony as the center of the room filled with kids (and I use that term loosely) ready to spin, kick, and fight as the band sang:

We'll act like we're 10 and run around this place
In redneck circles like a NASCAR race
It's much fun getting kicked in the face
We're too fucking dumb to quit

IN THE PIT!

But they were having fun, so who am I to judge?

At the end of the show, the crowd was so insistent and relentless, the band came back onstage for an encore… in an 100 person capacity bar.  That shit is practically unseen! In fact, Bottlerocket played so long that the bartenders and staff at Shakedown started to close the facility down with everyone still inside.

  It was one of those shows that left my jaw on the floor, my shirt covered in sweat, and songs stuck in my head for days.

             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Kendra Sheetz-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

 

 

 

Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE