Back to All Events

Live Band - Boxcar Chief

Join us in the tap room for live music from Southern California’s Boxcar Chief, a five-piece rock band playing Southern rock and jam inspired tunes. 

 Lead guitarist, lyricist, and frontman Brian Gaines (formerly of The Natural Fact, Mandrex Jones, and Almost Criminals) leads his band through a seventies era and Southern rock-jam sound. Scott Anderson’s (Chuck Richards, Hoyny) no nonsense bass lines and Sean Rhead’s (Sourgrass, Hoyny) experimental drum patterns have near perfect synchronicity from their years of playing together in the band Hoyny. In late 2014 Paul Cougil joined them on keyboards; his long standing musical career in San Diego brings experience and melodic depth to their live shows; it’s clear he is having fun and being creative as he plays. Steve Poirier joined the band in 2015 to complete the lineup. Boxcar Chief is all about doing what comes naturally, creating an Americana, summer-all-year feel, perfect for their subtle psychedelic rock and slightly bluesy style. They’re about making music for anyone willing to listen, to cut loose, to escape for a few hours.

 It’s that kind of life and that kind of music. Despite only formally coming together in the summer of 2013, they’ve got the musical experience to bring the listener to that place, where its the music that matters. Brian and Scott, friends since high school, got together with Sean to jam, to experiment with a their collective sound. Their first jam session created a sound Brian calls “real organic” but they wanted to find another guitar player to push back against his heavy slide riffs. Adding Paul’s musical insight to the to mix gave them added musical inspiration. Brian contends that “everyone wanted to be on the same musical journey.” With a solid rock history as their guide (they credit The Rolling Stones, Gov’t Mule, The Black Crowes and Led Zeppelin as influences), it’s sure to be a journey fans will want to join.

 After fine-tuning their live sound on such stages as The House of Blues (San Diego and Hollywood), The Casbah, and Winstons, Boxcar Chief's debut album Vagabond was nominated for best  Rock Album of the year by the San Diego Music Academy and has been accepted to Pandora. Their music is played on local San Diego radio stations including 91X, 94.9, and 102.1 To see and hear more, please visit boxcarchief.com

 

Earlier Event: August 5
Pirates Bistro
Later Event: August 10
The Hungry Royal