Saturday night, what are you doing? Nothing? Good. Because you should head over to The Blue Side. Why? Because The Blue Side is moving away – for one night only! – from its typical bluegrass/jam band aesthetic. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that typical bluegrass/jam band aesthetic, of course. Nothing at all. But when something different happens around town, it’s neat. And so, behold: Pop-punkers Samuel Powers are taking it over for a night and they are inviting some friends along for the ride. We caught up with guitarist Chris Perry to ask him about the show, what’s up with the band in 2018 and his memories of the former Bentz Street Raw Bar. Enjoy!
First, can you tell us about the other bands playing? How did you pick them and what are they like?
We’ve been friends with Those Victorious and The Vens for a long time. Both bands haven’t played shows in years, so when I asked if they wanted to play a show at The Blue Side, they were stoked. Those Victorious have an Alkaline Trio / Green Day vibe and The Vens sound like Coheed & Cambria and Muse. I think it will be a pretty well-rounded rock show.
Has anyone in the band ever played The Blue Side before in any capacity? If so, when and with what band? How did it go?
I’m pretty sure Corey and B played it once in another band, but other than that, the rest of us have only attended shows when it was Bentz Street Bar.
Do you have any favorite memories from shows you’ve seen there in the past, perhaps when it was called the Bentz Street Raw Bar?
I remember seeing bands like Passengers, Mindset and Praise play at Bentz Street, and I always wanted to play there, but never did.
What’s up with Samuel Powers in 2018? Any plans you could tell us about?
We’ll be releasing a b-side from “Wonder” at some point, announcing a few tours throughout the year, and probably posting more photos of B’s dog.
And finally, what can we expect from the show at The Blue Side? If it goes well, do you think it might be possible that they’d let more likeminded acts in there?
You can expect to not be bored and to have fun. Each band has something special to offer and we hope that people can appreciate that and want to see more of it at a venue that doesn’t typically do shows like this.
