Congratulations, Madison. We’ve made it to February, which means another daunting winter is well underway, and I like to think that it’ll only be a matter of weeks before the temperatures start to climb above freezing. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves—the sidewalks are still frozen, the temperatures are still brutal and we could all use a little taste of summertime. This Wednesday, The Majestic Theater will be home to the best possible remedy for wintertime blues: the Winter Blackout tour, featuring The Expendables and Ballyhoo!, two of the hottest reggae rock bands on the scene.
I spoke with drummer Adam Patterson of The Expendables about the tour and their new album Sand in the Sky, released last month on Stoopid Records. “It took us, like, five years to complete this thing,” Patterson said about the album, which merges such a wide range of musical styles that to label it a “reggae album” would be an understatement. “I don’t know that we purposely went out to write in a different style. It takes a lot of time to grow as a musician, and I think it reflects upon that.”
The Expendables got their start in Santa Cruz, Calif., over a decade ago and have gone on to tour with some of the biggest names in the genre, including Slightly Stoopid and 311. “There was definitely a different underground scene that shaped who we are. In Santa Cruz there was a big reggae scene and a big punk scene. That’s how we got our sound, by playing both,” Patterson said about the band’s early days. “It’s hard for any scene to stay underground now that you can get your music out to anybody around the world. We used to have to pass out CDs on the streets, and you don’t have to do that anymore. The CDs have become a promotional tool to sell tickets to shows, rather than a money-maker. We sell way more shirts than CDs, which is weird, but it’s all part of the times.”
But through changing times, whether the band is headlining their own tour or opening for the reggae giants that came before them, The Expendables’ mission is simple: “Any time we play, we try to give people a couple hours out of their week to have fun and party, drink, smoke, whatever you do,” Patterson said. “It’s a little mini-vacation from reality. That’s what we’re hoping for, at least.”
“I grew up liking all different kinds of music. I like it all, like anyone else,” Patterson told me regarding the band’s eclectic style, name-dropping influential bands that ranged from Sublime to NOFX to Pantera. The Expendables are even entertaining the idea of releasing a split-EP by themselves, featuring one-half reggae and one-half metal music. “We kind of have our own recording studio now, so those weird in-between albums are more of a possibility,” Patterson said. “We did our acoustic album, we could do a cover album and maybe even a metal-reggae split. I like doing little weird things like that, that are kind of off-the-wall and really fun.”
Uniting West Coast and East Coast sounds, The Expendables are joined by Maryland natives Ballyhoo! on the Winter Blackout tour. Ballyhoo! are a personal favorite of mine. I can’t believe that five years have passed since I first saw them play live, because I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a cold winter night in 2010, I was a high school sophomore in suburban Cleveland, and it was one of the first times my young, naive ska band had gotten the chance to open for a band who we didn’t know personally. Each year since then, my summer playlists have been dominated by Ballyhoo!’s fusion of reggae and punk rock energy. Frontman Howi Spangler is a seriously talented singer, guitarist and songwriter, instilling much more in the band’s sound than their label as a “reggae rock” band may prescribe.
Whether you’re a fan of reggae, punk, hard rock or simply a fan of having a great time, the Winter Blackout tour has something for you. Forget about the loss of feeling in your toes long enough to come out to The Majestic Wednesday. Leave your coat at the door, because The Expendables and Ballyhoo! are ready to bring us what we can all appreciate: a precious taste of summertime to hold us over until the snow melts.
