After years of playing shows up and down the California coast, reggae-rock band The Expendables will return to SLO Brewing Co. Friday, followed by The Dirty Heads on Sunday for a weekend of California reggae.
But how do two bands that have collectively played more than 35 shows in San Luis Obispo keep things fresh for the fans?
For The Expendables, one thing to do is come up with a new set-list, said Shaun Logan, the band’s tour manager.
“I think it’s their energy. They have fun. People want to know what they’re going to do next,” Logan said. “They want people to get their money’s worth.”
Last time the Santa Cruz-based Expendables were in town, people packed in to see them perform. The band played three shows at SLO Brew, selling out two and almost selling out the third. In fact, promoter Eddy Numbskull estimated that The Expendables have sold out 15 of its last 18 shows in San Luis Obispo.
All three of The Expendables’ past shows in San Luis Obispo were booked by Numbskull, a local promoter who books shows in San Luis Obispo as well as in other California cities such as Santa Cruz, Ventura, Fresno and parts of the Bay Area.
“It’s crazy, they keep doing so well in this area,” Numbskull said.
But the band’s notoriety extends beyond the West Coast. The Expendables have also sold out shows in Colorado, Arizona, New York, Florida and Massachusetts.
Geoff Weers, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, isn’t quite sure why they’ve done so well, he said. The band finds ways to remain relevant and different from the bands The Expendables share tours with, since they’re not the only band playing new-school reggae.
“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we haven’t changed too much,” Weers said. “We always try to come from the same place. Also, we’ve been able to evolve our music without changing as people too much.”
Weers would like to see his band get some mainstream radio play on stations like Los Angeles’ KROQ or the Bay Area’s LIVE 105, something he said would be great exposure.
Another band soon to perform in San Luis Obispo is southern California’s The Dirty Heads.
The band’s last performance in San Luis Obispo was last spring, when it performed for Cal Poly’s second-to-last University Union (UU) Hour. With backpacks strapped tightly to their backs, the crowd bobbed their heads and some sang along as The Dirty Heads played its hits “Stand Tall” and “Lay Me Down.” The latter gained the band mainstream recognition, recently reaching the number one position on KROQ’s most requested songs.
KROQ’s phones were ringing 24 hours a day with requests for “Lay Me Down” when the song debuted, said Jonathan Hogan, who was one of the call screeners at KROQ when the song hit the airwaves.
“They were originally played on ‘Locals Only,’” Hogan said. “Once that song got played on regular rotation, they blew up.”
Regardless of how big each band gets, San Luis Obispo is a big part of the success for both The Expendables and The Dirty Heads. According to Weers, The Expendables spent a great deal of time in its early career as a band playing in living rooms and backyards around San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo has been an important part of The Dirty Heads’ career as well. The first venue the band sold out was also in San Luis Obispo, even though The Dirty Heads formed in Orange County, Calif.
Despite frequent visits, there are some fans in San Luis Obispo that try to make it to as many Expendables and Dirty Heads performances they can. Lyja Stadlen-Brown, a business administration junior at Cal Poly, has seen both bands many times and feels as though she’s never seen a repeat performance, she said.
“If I see a band twice and they play the same set as another time, it instantly turns me off,” Stadlen-Brown said.
In fact, it was The Expendables’ music that led her to similar bands, such as The Dirty Heads, she said.