Under the blazing California sunshine, Santa Cruz locals The Expendables, have something cookin’ in that warehouse of theirs! After the addition of a new studio warehouse for writing and music production, the guys have been dedicated to bringing the fans something new: an acoustic album of fan and band favorites titled Gone Soft! In addition to the revamped tunes, The Expendies will be touring with Unwritten Law and Josh Fischel with a concluding stop at the California Roots Festival in Monterey, California in late May.
In an Exclusive Interview dropping on April 24th, The Expendables’ guitarist & lead singer, Geoff Weers, shared the lasting impact the new acoustic album had on the band and the tour to follow. With a reserved yet friendly disposition, Geoff delved into details about the benefits of the warehouse and how the new album influenced them to explore other genres of music. With their album officially being released on May 17th 2012, a long with an album listening party on 4/20, excitement is heating up for the Santa Cruz natives.
”This album definitely opened our eyes to a lot of different styles we can play. Our original thought it was just going to be a couple mics, a couple acoustic guitars, and it will be done in three weeks. Super quick. But it ended up being quite an involved project and we started messing with styles we have never really messed with…”
The Expendables did not just simply record an acoustic version of their hit songs. They completely recomposed them with some acoustic guitars, percussion, and many more rad instruments. In the Santa Cruz hip fashion, the band managed to “go back to the grassroots” as Geoff said. So with the lasting impression of the production of Gone Soft, The Expendies are hitting the road with electric and acoustic guitars!
”On tour, we are actually going to split it up…We are going to have Josh Fischel play a set, then Unwritten Law is going to do an acoustic set, then we are going to do an acoustic set. Then Unwritten Law is going to do an electric set then we are going to an electric set…We are definitely doing a mellow thing first and then finish off the night with a bang!”
So with the line up for the tour already in the works, The Expendables are bringing some new styles to their classic material. Geoff shares the softer side of The Expendables with their expanding self-awareness of the musical abilities, finding musicians off the street to perform on the new album, and new music that is on the way!
With a new album on the way and tour approaching, The Expendables have way more up their sleeves! As they make their way out of their warehouse facilities, the guys are ready to share their learned experiences and new material with us!
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Article & Interview By: Alyssa Torres
An acoustic version of “Dance Girl Dance” recorded at the MoBoogie Loft back in 2010!