BOBAFLEX at Opinion Brewing Company

This just in.  Bobaflex is on tour.  It’s hard to comprehend when they have time to record their music.  They are eternally on the road.  If you didn’t know Bobaflex are one of hard rock and metal’s best.  For the life of me, I can’t understand how “Bury Me With My Guns” isn’t a hard rock radio staple.   It is a fist-pumping classic that fits right in the formats most overplayed tracks.  That injustice hasn’t stopped Bobaflex from pushing on.  Bringing the rock show to Saint Paul on March 5th.

Opinion Brewing Co. is somewhat new on the Twin Cities music scene and both Bobaflex and I would pop our OBC cherry on the same night.  Odd name as they don’t brew their own beer.  It’s a converted bowling alley that kept much of the bowling alley motif.  Table tops, as well as the stage, were topped with actual bowling alley wood.  Live music was clearly part of the original mission as the sound system was top end.

Both of the McCoy brothers were battling the flu.  While it didn’t stop them from delivering sonically, the lack of physical exuberance from both of them was noticeable.  I spoke with Marty before the show.  I saw how sick he was.  Their road manager brewed a pot of thera-flu while I spoke to him.  So I was a little surprised at how good they sounded when they came out.  Physically they rocked a little less but the rest of the band made up for it.  Not that anyone in the band is a slouch (You don’t get an invitation to join Gigantour if you can’t play) but guitarist Dave Tipple has to be in the conversation of current rock guitar heavyweights.

Opening with “Start A War” seemed obvious and frankly the rest of the set list seemed like one I’ve heard before.  Not a complaint as it’s a set list that hits all the right notes.  One of the newer additions was the cover of the Pink Floyd song “Hey You” which seems like Bobaflex attempting to recapture the uniqueness that Disturbed stole from them by mimicking their amazing version of the Simon & Garfunkel song “Sound of Silence”.  No matter.  They kill on “Hey You” and live it works harder than an out of control Roomba.  The single of it will be available on March 24th and it’s going to be on their next album which we may see around June/July.  If you’ve yet to hear it I suggest seeking it out.

Blasting through tracks like “Chemical Valley”,  “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away” and “Spider In The Dark” before getting to the show closer “Bury Me With My Guns On”.  And just like every time I’ve seen this amazing band they announced that they would be available for photos and autographs right after the show.  Despite having feeling like dog shit and having pretty legit reason to take a night off, they didn’t.  Their music alone is enough to satisfy.  Their effort to connect with the fans is the icing on the cake.  Save rock for the children.  Go see Bobaflex.

Bobaflex are currently on tour as they always are.  If you don’t like them you either don’t like them or don’t know them.  And if you don’t like them, then you don’t like hard rock.  And quite possibly music.

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bakko@decibelgeek.com