The Mormons – The Perverts – The Dharma Bums – and Hooker Spit – at Sandrini’s – Bakersfield, CA

 Sandrini's was THE place to be at if you were in Bakersfield on Saturday. LA based bands The Mormons, The Perverts, and The Dharma bums made their way over the Grapevine to show Bakersfield what the Los Angeles music scene is all about.  

Locals, Hooker Spit, opened up the evening. They have recently gone through a line up change. With new bassist Tim, their sound has been refreshingly revamped. Cuba and Nick take turns on vocal/guitar and drums, switching back and forth throughout their set. While the have stayed with their Punk Rock roots, there is an obvious addition of some folky undertones which has added to the diversity of their sound and actually improved it. They played a lot of their original Hooker Spit material, as well as new, and included a couple covers. Their version of Fugazi's "Waiting Room" kicked ass! They played a great set to start the night.

 

The Dharma Bums were up next. They are always well received no matter what show they play. When people ask what genre they are, I'm always at a loss for words. They can float back and forth through Blues, Alternative, to Spanish Rock or even Ska effortlessly. They opened with "Up The Country" and played a well rounded set that had the girls up dancing.

The Perverts played a short set before The Mormons took the stage. They sounded pretty good, however it was kind of a bummer that it was so short lived.

The Mormons are a LA based Punk band that have been at it for about as long as Big Wheel has been in existence. They have under gone tons of line-up changes through out the years but have remained strong, and still kick ass during every performance. If you have ever been to a large music festival in LA or even the farmer's market. Chances are you've seen these guys in their "mobile unit" form. Amps in back backs and Pat screaming through his mega phone.

Their performances never disappoint and tonight would be no exception to the rule. They started their set with the song "Half-Polyester Protection" and Pat wasted no time in his stage antics. Before you knew it his shoes were off and he was wrestling with bar chairs, crawling into the men's bathroom, sticking pencils in air vents and spastically falling all over the place.

They sounded great,  playing songs like "Forge Ahead" and "Friend Detector" (during which he made his way around the bar shaking hands with almost everyone in the crowd).  There were a few scuffles during the set one from an overly enthusiastic bar patron who decided to accost Pat  and another from a bar patron that Pat got a little to friendly with his chair causing him to fall on top of Pat and subsequently momentarily pissed him off. Both situations were diffused rather quickly by security and the show went on with out hard feelings. 

This show may not be a typical show for the "Sandrini's" crowd, but I guarantee everyone had a blast and it is one that will be remembered for years to come.

 

https://www.facebook.com/themormons

https://www.facebook.com/LosDharmaBums

  More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-J.Moncrief-
Big Wheel Journalist

 

 

 

 

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