What do dog masks, Led Zeppelin and NASA all have in common?
All three are important parts of the “Calirado” tour, by bands The Bash Dogs and Captain Nomad, who performed at DU this past Friday.
Both bands are from Orange County, California. The two groups met for the first time in early June for a rock-meets-soul show in Downtown LA. The event ended up selling out, and so many people came that the Fire Department shut it down. After that illustrious first start, the magic began and the idea for a tour sponsored by Broken Management came together.
On Oct. 17, the bands gave a free performance for students at a house off of High Street, located at 2050 Humboldt St. known unofficially as the “Alpine Club house” (for the large variety of club officers who live there). The concert marked one of many on the band’s very first tour.
The Clarion sat down to talk with both of the bands before the show to get their opinions on the DU campus, Colorado crowds and what music means to them.
The Bash Dogs got their start in fifth grade. Their press kit describes their sound as “a hint of Black Keys vocals as well as an Arctic Monkeys old school vibe.” Brothers Nate (lead singer) and Jeremy Barrett (guitar) both recall the early musical influences of their dad, a bassist, saying, “we grew up listening to Wolfmother, Led Zepellin, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.” These rock-and-roll training wheels eventually manifested themselves in their music, and the duo began entering local music shows, and winning, year after year.
The band’s third member, Trevor Brown (bassist) joined after the band cycled through five bass players and eventually added Trevor. Although no formal audition was provided, he accompanied Nate to a USC music school audition and the two, as described by Nate, “jammed so well” that he was added on.
The band won the KROQ Battle of the Bands in Southern California, and has played at a plethora of stadium and more casual, laid-back “skate park” type venues.
Between Jeremy’s longer hair, Nate’s funky thrift-store quilted jacket and Trevor’s curly hair, the trio perfectly embodies their motto to “surf and skate everyday.” All three mentioned having neck pains after concerts, because they feed off the energy of the crowd and mosh right along with their fans. The band frequently comes on stage in dog masks, just to “shake things up, [and] get people excited about what’s to come.”
Their tour began with the CU Auraria campus, and goes to Boulder on Saturday. Following the conclusion of the tour, the band will return back to their hometown of Orange County, California and pick up playing all around Northern California.
As for the name of the band, Nate and Jeremy mentioned how as kids, when watching the NASA space shuttles lift from Earth, they would sing along, “3 2 1 Bash Dogs” [rather than Blast Off]. The name is endearing and witty, much like the band members themselves.
Next, we talked with Captain Nomad. Both bands provide support and much-needed friendship for each other, and if the Bash Dogs emulate the Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys and a heavy-rock feel, Captain Nomad provides a more mellow, acoustic reggae-vibe. Will Craig leads the band, as the lead singer and primary songwriter. As the band’s bassist said, “Will is the inspiration, the song writer, the whole reason the band is together.” His charm comes through in the lyrics, and the support provided by the bassist, guitarist and drummer lend a truly unique twist to the group’s overall congruency and sound.
Both Captain Nomad and the Bash Dogs have recently released EP’s: “the Wheel,” and self-titled “the Bash Dogs” are currently on SoundCloud and will be available for purchase on iTunes soon.
