A Dreamcar With An Exxxtra Element
A great musician is a great musician no matter the genre. In this case, we have what most people have labeled a “super band.” Dreamcar is made up of Davey Havok, of A.F.I., and Tony, Tom, and Adrian of No Doubt. The magic is that they aren’t playing any genre most adoring fans are familiar with, and it comes together in magnificent form.
Before we get to Dreamcar, however, there were the guys in Dear Boy opening up the show. They were the perfect complement to open. I would best describe Dear Boy as Alternative meets New Wave. They put good energy behind that microphone, and their bass player was moves all around the stage. I enjoyed their set, and Dear Boy was the perfect opener for Dreamcar.
As set up above, this tour represented the first for the band Dreamcar. They don’t have an album out yet, though have released some solid singles thus far. While some punk fans feel alienated by where A.F.I. has gone, Dreamcar isn’t going to fix that. When you hear everyone but Gwen Stefani is in the band, you think it is going to be ska. In actuality, the band goes all out New Wave. The only thing they had close to ska was the saxophone and keyboard player.
That said, Dreamcar comes together well. They don’t redefine the genre, but they do an excellent job at playing it. I was standing closest to Tony, on bass, and he was smiles the entire set. He wasn’t the only one, as the entire band you could catch usually with a grin. This band appears to be one of the most appropriate for the charismatic performer in Davey Havok. He knows how to sing to an audience. I still wager that the lights are engineered to keep at least two sparkles in his eyes on stage at all times. The set itself consisted of all originals songs except for a cover in their encore and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” during the set. I left enamored with this band, it was an experience.
While in the daze, I waved it off to make sure I caught Exxxtra Crispy playing their album release about fifty feet away at the Pueblo. I describe them as garage punk with a little ska sprinkled in. Ricky does main vocals in the hyper and physically in your face style you may recognize a little if you have seen him perform in other bands. The entire band matches his personality, adding an excitable element to the performance that catches on with that crowd. If there was a better way to end the night than them, I don’t know what it was. What I do want are more people to know and catch Exxxtra Crispy, because they are fantastic.
