Business
Good Vibes
The Expendables decide it’s gonna keep it mellow this time
Hailing from green-friendly Santa Cruz, The Expendables have been skating, partying, playing shows and burning bowls to a distinctive blend of reggae, punk and surf rock music for 15 years. Formed in 1997 by longtime buddies Geoff Weers (singer/guitarist), Ryan DeMars (bass), Raul Bianchi (lead guitars) and Adam Patterson (drums), the band has managed to sell tens of thousands of records, and tour throughout
The Expendables decide it’s gonna keep it mellow this time
Hailing from green-friendly Santa Cruz, The Expendables have been skating, partying, playing shows and burning bowls to a distinctive blend of reggae, punk and surf rock music for 15 years. Formed in 1997 by longtime buddies Geoff Weers (singer/guitarist), Ryan DeMars (bass), Raul Bianchi (lead guitars) and Adam Patterson (drums), the band has managed to sell tens of thousands of records, and tour throughout North America without a major label’s backing. With four albums under its belt, the band—which is scheduled to perform at House of Blues in Anaheim on May 18—is set to release a new, all-acoustic album entitled Gone Soft this month. CULTURE recently connected with axe-man Bianchi, who discussed the Santa Cruz music scene, cannabis and how the band’s maintained its positive vibe throughout all its indie years.
What is life like in Santa Cruz, and how has the city influenced The Expendables?
Santa Cruz has a small town vibe even though it’s not a tiny town. It’s a place where everyone knows everyone; we’re a small tight-knit community. We have a strong surf and skate culture, and we all just grew up here playing music together. That’s how the band started. We’ve been lucky to have a lot of support here in Santa Cruz and throughout California.
The Expendables are known to have very positive vibes both on record and at shows. How do you explain this optimism?
I think that people look at music as a platform to get political ideas across; but for the most part we just want to have a good time with everyone. Whether we are singing about a party or something politics, our whole goal at a show is go give it all our energy and have a fun time. We want people to come out rock out, have a good time with us. It’s an escape for them from their everyday lives and it’s an escape to us. The music is what moves us and [it’s] all that matters.
How has the band managed to thrive in the music business without major label support?
One of the main things for us is that we’ve been the same group of guys all these years—we’re all friends. We do tour a lot; we play hundreds of shows each year. We also use the Internet and word of mouth, social networking to get the word out. That’s how we’ve managed to be successful without a major label. We have a lot of amazing loyal fans.
What is the cannabis scene like in Santa Cruz?
Around here it’s not that big of a deal, honestly. Nobody really puts too much thought into it up here. We do have the dispensaries and the potent strains like most parts of California, and especially up North. But since everyone grows, it’s pretty much available like in any other place. But for the most part cops are not looking for it; they have more important things to worry about. It’s pretty mellow.
What are your favorite uses of cannabis?
For most of the guys, it’s a recreational thing, for sure. But for me, personally I like edibles, I don’t smoke that much because it’s harder for me while on tour, and edibles help me get to sleep. I get stress and anxiety, which they help with as well.
In your opinion, why is there such a resistance to the legalization/decriminalization of cannabis?
If you look at a lot of things, politically, it usually takes the country a long time to get its act together. There is just a backlash; people are scared. People have been brainwashed over the last 50 years of propaganda. There has been so much negative press about marijuana there are still residual effects of that. People still think it’s a horrible evil drug that’s going to make you kill yourself and your family or go straight into heroin. It’s definitely getting momentum nowadays, politically, and eventually I think it will be accepted and legalized for all the medicinal benefits—and even recreational use.
Have you or anyone you know been in legal troubles because of cannabis?
Yes, not to name names, but I have dozens of friends that have been busted over the years—whether it’s a possession ticket or intent to sell. I won’t mention any band names, but there are tons of bands we’ve toured with that have been pulled over. There are notorious checkpoints near San Diego, Arizona; busses get pulled over, searched and lots of times our weed has been taken.
Tell readers about the acoustic album you have coming out, and the shows to promote it.
Yes, we have an acoustic album called Gone Soft. It will be out in May. So far, we have a handful of shows lined up to promote this record towards the end of May. We’ll be playing in Ventura, Anaheim and Solano Beach in California, and a few shows in Arizona as well. More dates are possible after these shows, but nothing yet is confirmed. We’re all very excited because at these shows, we’ll be playing two sets, one full electric and one acoustic. It should be a lot of fun. It’s something we’ve never done before.
Any final words for your fans.
We want to thank everyone for the years of support. We could not have gone this far without our fans . . . We hope to see you all out there at our shows for good music, good times and good vibes.
