Weapon has its sights set on Kirkwood. The South Lake Tahoe power trio is headed to the ski resort’s 7800 Bar & Grill for a night show Saturday, Feb. 21.
Weapon is Todd Christensen (bass), Billy Blurton (vocals, guitar) and Casey Smith (drums).
Christensen and Blurton formed Weapon in South Lake Tahoe in 2010. The band went through several drummers before Smith signed on in 2014.
“He really fell into our pocket,” Christensen said. “Kind of completed what we wanted to do, what we wanted the band to be.”
What Weapon is, is a grooving, crowd-moving blend of the rock style, with an unmistakable reggae backbeat. The band is primarily focused on original music, although it does include a number of cover tunes in most sets.
“It’s definitely a little bit more rock than reggae; I call it alternative reggae rock,” Christensen said. “It’s a little bit more upbeat, a little bit faster.”
With the addition of Smith, Weapon leapt into high gear in 2014, with shows at Hard Rock Café Lake Tahoe, and Heavenly Village’s summer music series, among others.
“We just had a hell of a summer last year,” Christensen said. “We played Live at Lakeview, we played with Bud Gaugh, the drummer from Sublime. Then, we kind of took a little time off to focus on the future and write some music, so we’ve been off the grid a little bit.”
Starting in the fall of 2014, the trio sat down to work on its debut album.
“It’s going great,” Christensen said. “We just put down a bunch of new tracks and have been writing some new stuff to get down on the second round of recording. We are really liking how it’s coming out.”
For its initial release, Weapon aims to include a number of the band’s older songs alongside more recent creations.
“It’s kind of a mix, mostly newer stuff, but some older songs that we wanted to rerecord, try to get a better version of,” Christensen said.
The trio works together to produce original material, with one member often bringing a musical idea to practice and then developing the tune in the group setting.
“We just put out ideas and then jam on them for long periods of time,” Christensen said. “We all play it together, just put our heads together.”
The group has completed five out of an estimated 10 tracks for its debut release, the bassist said, although he noted that the total could change.
Looking ahead, the band is focused on completing the album and expanding its summer booking lineup.
For now though, Weapon is savoring the chance to take a break from writing and recording, and is looking forward to firing up the Kirkwood crowd Saturday.
“We’ve played there a couple times, it’s always a good time,’ Christensen said of 7800 Bar. “It’s always a huge party out there.”
Weapon
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: 7800 Bar & Grill, Kirkwood
Tickets: Free
