Live: Perro Bravo (11-1-14)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 1st, 2014
Line Up: Perro Bravo, C-Money
Location: Winstons. Ocean Beach, CA

Perro Bravo Live @ Winston’s. Ocean Beac, CA

Perro Bravo stopped by for a show in San Diego to kick off their short November tour. The band chose Winston’s Beach Club in Ocean Beach as the idea venue to play some music. The band was previously expected to play Ocean Beach for Muir Fest earlier this year, but Kevin Faulconer’s Mayor’s Office of the City of San Diego canceled the event permit at the last second leaving thousands of Perro Bravo fans in silence. Fast forward a few months later, and you could feel it in the air that Ocean Beach was more than ready to welcome Perro Bravo. The band took the stage around 11:30 P.M. and by that time, the venue was packed and ready to get the party started.

The band kicked off with “Electrified Tonight”, an unreleased track that features a groovy rhythm section that fans were able to dance to. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Miguel Happoldt, improvised a solo on his guitar in between the verses that caused applause among the crowd. Part of the chorus was also in Spanish, and Happoldt had no trouble singing that part either. Without a doubt, from the very beginning, the vibes were feeling right and everybody took a hold of them.

Perro Bravo was handing out demo CD’s throughout the show. This is the first time that the band officially releases material on CD, opting before to release material on vinyl only. Fans rejoiced at the opportunity to finally bump their favorite Perro Bravo tunes in their car. The band decided to give fans a little glimpse of what’s on the album, unleashing a new song, “Same Thing,” that appears on the demo CD.

Fans expecting to get a set list after the show were in for a big surprise because the band didn’t use a set list. Any member of the three piece band would do a little riff from the next song while there was silence in between songs and the other two members would instantly know what song it was; this kept all band members on their toes, ready to play any song they knew at any given moment, which added a bit of spontaneity to the show, which is always a plus.

Instead of set lists, however, the band was throwing custom made hats into the crowd, which caused fans to cheer in excitement at the new source of memorabilia. The hats, as well as skateboards at the merch booth, were hand painted by DJ Product. Each one was a different, custom-made masterpiece, and they were all made locally in Ocean Beach.

In a first for Winston’s, the unprecedented occurred and there was nothing no one could do about it, even if they tried. Perro Bravo is known for playing punk rock as well as reggae, and halfway through their set they switched gears and powered through a couple of high energy, fast-paced tunes. The first of these was “Early Man”, otherwise known as, “We’re Only Gonna Die From Our Own Arrogance,” which was the hit that was made famous by Sublime and originally created by Bad Religion.

A few fans in attendance started to circle the dance floor, a sign that a mosh was about to occur. By the time the first verse was done, the mosh was in full force, and the only thing security could do was watch and make sure no one got hurt. Winston’s has had many shows for many different genres, and not one of those shows has provoked a mosh pit. Perro Bravo changed that. It was during this time that a couple of die-hard fans that partied too much before the show had to leave because they couldn’t handle their alcohol. One person, wearing a white Ziggens shirt, reportedly stumbled outside of the club and turned his shirt into a different color, effectively ruining it, say witnesses. Altogether though, everyone knows that Perro Bravo fans know how to have a good time.

Joining the party on stage for a song was C-Money, formerly from Slighly Stoopid, and now front man of his own, C-Money and the Players. Miguel Happoldt invited him on stage to play a song, and together they covered Slightly Stoopid’s rendering of UB40’s, “I Would Do For You.” This was definitely one of the highlights of the night since this is the first time C-Money and Perro Bravo shared the stage together. After the show, they said they would most likely do it again, since they all had fun.

The night ended with a couple of new songs the band played for the fans, no doubt as a way to say “thank you” for the energy the fans gave the band that night. As everyone started to leave, one thing became clear: The Perro Bravo street team was in attendance. When the venue finished clearing out, it became evident that the drummer’s presence would forever change Winston’s interior décor. Dozens of Mudd Lowther stickers made their way onto support beams, ATM machines, urinals, air conditioning vents, bathroom stalls, bar stools, trash cans, doors, and walls. The thing with these stickers is that when people try to get them off, they rip, so they cause a real eyesore if not left intact. People will now be able to see Greg “Mudd” Lowther any time they please at Winston’s if they look hard enough.


Perro Bravo Set List:
1.) Electrified
2.) Same Thing
3.) Drowning
4.) No One Is To Blame
5.) Scarlet Begonias
6.) As The Sun Sets In The West
7.) Smoking Scorpion Tales
8.) Early Man
9.) Livin’ In Time
10.) I Would Do For You (C-Money Collab)
11.) Girl Song
12.) Last Ska Song
13.) New Song 2


Related Links:
Perro Bravo Website
Perro Bravo Facebook
Skunk Records Website


Article by: Juan Barragan
Photos by: David Norris


More photos from the event…