Bobaflex, Mason’s hometown heroes, return to the Monkey Bar for their CD release show Saturday October 13th. Their new CD “Tales From Dirt Town” is slated for nationwide release October 30th, so look for that if you don’t go to the show. They’ll also be doing what they call a “treatment,” or video shoot, live at the club. Love them or hate them, Bobaflex is a West Virginia rock success story.

Show starts @ 8 p.m. w/Let The Guilty Hang, Crimson Rising, WCM, PI, Exocell and StereoVenom. Cost is $10, which is fair according to our in-house Gazz arbitrators and auditors.

Check out the article on Bobaflex in the 10/11 print Gazz by clicking the link to the article right…here.

Our friends up at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown book some of West Virginia’s finest rock bands. Friday the 12th they’ll celebrate the U92FM (WVU’s college radio) 25th anniversary with some cool bands (see flyer).

The 13th 123 will celebrate nine years with J. Marinelli, The Emergency and The Stonewall Jackson Five, and Maceo Ruez. J. Marinelli and The Emergency are two of our favorites, and if there’s anything that we do, it’s influence the culture through our music tastes.

So go. And they’re not really our “friend” friends, but they have so many cool shows that they’re on our short list of casual acquaintances.

We noticed that Morgantown’s Rasta Rafiki was doing a three-day weekend jaunt of reunion shows in Morgantown, Huntington, and Charleston. We thought it would be cool if we could kind of go with them, and Tom Batchelor hooked us up with words and pics from their shows. Let’s turn it over to him…

Sept. 21 @ 123 Pleasant St., Morgantown
No matter what it was called, 123 Pleasant St. was always home base for Rasta Rafiki. So, it only seemed fitting that we start our reunion on its stage, with a sellout crowd in place. The Apostles (Atlanta, Ga.) started things off with their original blend of roots music. The energy when we hit the stage was incredible and after 10 years it felt like we hadn’t ever been apart.

Songs that hadn’t been played in nearly a decade seemed to flow effortlessly as the crowd danced and cheered each offering. Pouring sweat, we served up “Rollercoaster,” “At the Dancehall,” “Elm Tree” and many more from our three recordings. Old faces and new ones brought smiles of joy and glad hearts to every musician onstage.

Sept. 22 @ V-Club, Huntington

Night two at the V-Club (Huntington’s sweetest venue now) brought back mention and faces from a different venue: Gumby’s. I could imagine John Kerrwood somewhere smiling and callin’ his dog Thorndike.

While the vibe was a little mellower that night the jams seemed that much smoother and deeper. Vern’s Pot O’ Chili got things rolling with some very nice grooves and tight songs. The sound was excellent, with Darren manning the board, allowing our set to hit a nice stride and roll on with the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd.

I think Huntington did “back in the day” proud by bringing cool vibes and rockin out. Patrick of the V-club helped us put on a real nice show that left everyone smiling. “Dr Herb,” “Up To You,” and “Good Calypso” stretched out and jammed, getting the crowd in on the action.

Sept. 23 @ The Empty Glass, Charleston

I’m pretty sure the Glass was one of Rasta Rafiki’s very first out-of-Morgantown gigs. At any rate, Sunday nights had become a monthly routine when on our way back from a Saturday in Roanoke or Blacksburg or maybe Knoxville, TN. It was good to be back in the cozy confines of the Glass and sweating it up good along with a lot of the folks we used to see on those nights 10 years before.

Mike Pushkin and friends kicked things off with some nice originals, even an old Jolly Gargoyle tune in keeping with the nostalgia of the evening.

“Never Go Away,” “Congregation,” and “The Gap” were three tunes that seemed to really shine that night, and a warm, friendly feeling filled the room. Once again, the question of the weekend: will it be another 10 years?

— by Tom Batchelor

— pics: Melissa Rollins

more pics: tombatchelorband.com

The CD: Heavy Nasty (Skull City)
Artist: The Demon Beat

We sometimes get CDs in the mail, and some are better than others. Some, we actively seek because we dig the bands and like to hear what they put out. Some bands, we have no clue about because they’re from Shepherdstown, which is for all we know located in Maryland.

That’s where The Demon Beat is from. This three-piece retro-rock outfit surprised and impressed us with their late ’60s inspired rock sound. You would do yourself and the band a disservice if you judged their sound by their name and cover. At first glance you’d think they were hardcore.

The band (Adam Meisterhans: guitar/vocals; Tucker Riggleman: bass; Jordan Hudkins: drums) recently released a tight, 10-song effort called “Heavy Nasty” that will remind you of hard rock from a bygone era (’60s-’70s). A friend of mine told me that I would’ve fit in perfect in the ’60s, and this CD only supports his point. (more…)