The Expendables Rock, Punk and Reggae The HOB Sunset “Down Down Down”

The Expendables playing at The House of Blues Sunset ~ Geoff Weers (Guitar and Vocals), Adam Patterson (Drums and Vocals), Raul Bianchi (Lead Guitar and Keyboard) and Ryan DeMars (Bass) (photo credit: Sydney Ramone Stokes) — The Expendables playing at The House of Blues Sunset 11.24.2015 ~ (left to right) Raul Bianchi (Lead Guitar and Keyboard), Adam Patterson (Drums and Vocals), Geoff Weers (Guitar and Vocals) and Ryan DeMars (Bass) (photo credit: Sydney Ramone Stokes)

The Expendables have kicked off their annual Winter Blackout Tour, seriously sending the HOB Sunset crowd into a conniption of amped up mosh pit frenzies to sweet reggae sways this Saturday, January 24, 2015. They lured a range of emotions from the crowd, but always on the high-end of the spectrum. It’s no wonder that they’ve enticed the support and mixing genius of power house guitarist and producer, Paul Leary, of Butthole Surfer, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, U2 and Weezer for their newly released (January 13, 2015) album SAND IN THE SKY under Stoopid Records. They’ve also brought back the magic of producer Gordon Brislawn from their Getting’ Filthy album. SAND IN THE SKY marks the follow-up to their 2010 full-length album Prove It (Stoopid Records), which debuted at #4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and #30 on the Independent Chart, and their 2012’s acoustic album Gone Soft. The Expendable’s current tour will run through March 15th and will no doubt continue to amp up crowds and set them ablaze over a whopping 40 cities across the U.S. with their sweet reggae, rock, punk vibe.

The Expendables rocked, punk'ed and reggae'd the House of Blues Sunset kicking off their Winter Blackout Tour for their new album Sand in the Sky (photo credit: Rochelle Robinson) — The Expendables rocked, punk’ed and reggae’d the House of Blues Sunset kicking off their Winter Blackout Tour for their new album Sand in the Sky (photo credit: Rochelle Robinson)

Rochelle Robinson, LaLaScoop co-founder and writer, at The Expendables Blackout Tour Kickoff at House of Blues Sunset (photo credit: Sydney Ramone Stokes) — Rochelle Robinson, LaLaScoop co-founder and writer, at The Expendables Blackout Tour kickoff at House of Blues Sunset (photo credit: Sydney Ramone Stokes)

Geoff Weers (Guitar and Vocals), Adam Patterson (Drums and Vocals), Raul Bianchi (Lead Guitar and Keyboard) and Ryan DeMars (Bass) have been surfing, skating, playing music and partying it up together since their childhood in Santa Cruz, and since 1997 have been staking a strong claim in the California surf/rock genre. They pull from an eclectic base of genres and are musically tight as a band, enabling them to take hold of the energy in the venue at hand. Meeting Raul Bianchi backstage before the show, he greeted us with a generous smile, fun sense of humor and humble attitude. If his personality is any indication of what the rest of his band mates behold, these guys are also super sweet.

The Expendables SAND IN THE SKY album released January 14th, 2015

Towards the end of the show the Expendables’ Geoff Weers sent out an energetic shout out to their Hollywood fans, packed in wall to wall & top to bottom at the HOB Sunset, enticing us all to sing out an echo of “Down, down, down…” under his full body directives. It remains ringing in my ears and my echo is still obliging.