The Gears – at the Buccaneer Lounge – Sierra Madre, CA

Sierra Madre is a small town outside of Los Angeles with no traffic lights in the entire city. While spending time at a nearby restaurant it seemed that everyone who was there had spent their entire lives in this Pleasantville esque community, with the one exception being a man with a thick European accent who asked my friends and I for directions to the "Bookayner." After a moment of pause from all of us someone finally figured out that he was asking about the Buccaneer and gave him directions. Soon after we set off for the same destination to see The Gears who were playing a barely advertised show. On our way from the restaraunt to the show we passed the town's volunteer run fire station- the last of its kind in greater Los Angeles and store fronts that looked like they hadn't changed since the 1950's.

By the time The Gears actually went on the bar was pretty packed and personal space became a bit of an issue. The crowd was a mix of bar regulars and older fans of the band. The band started out their set with "Heartbeat Baby" and continued on to play other classics such as "Don't be Afraid to Pogo," "Let's Go to the Beach," "Rockin' at Ground Zero," and "Baby Runaround," which has been covered by local favorites, the Smut Peddlars. Throughout the set Gears vocalist, Axxel G. Reese attempted to egg on the crowd to dance stood on tables to liven up the mood. Their melodic blend of the Ramones, Beach Boys, and Garage/classic rockabilly won over the audience and after they finished their set appropriately with "The Last Chord" everyone seemed satisfied to see high octane rock n roll at its finest.
Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/thegearslosangeles

 

-Ditch-
Big Wheel Asst. Editor

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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