Fresh off the heels of its first album release, South Lake Tahoe’s Strange Weather is headed for its first show in Vinyl at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe.
Strange Weather came together in 2015, with Vinny Berry (lead vocals, guitar), John Munroe (lead guitar), Todd Christensen (bass) and Jon Gardner (drums), creating a hard-nosed rock band with a blend of vintage sounds.
The four brought a sense of drive and dedication to the act, working quickly to write and record an initial round of songs in early 2015. Strange Weather continued to hit the studio throughout the year, laying down new tracks and refining others, before deciding that the final product was ready to roll this year.
The group aired its self-titled debut at American Legion Feb. 3, rolling out tunes from the new record for a raucous hometown crowd.
“It was a good crowd, I’d say almost 200 people show up,” Berry said. “This town is a lot of word of mouth. I feel like every time we play the shows get bigger. Someone will see us and have a really good time and then tell their friends.”
“Strange Weather” has been a success so far, garnering ample positive feedback and selling enough copies that the band has largely been able to recoup recording and production expenses, Berry said.
The lads are pumping up the publicity on local media this week, with appearances on KTKE 101.5 Truckee Radio, Tahoe TV and KRLT 93.9.
“We’ve just been kind of trying to push (the album) into as many hands as we can,” Berry said. “We’ve also put some songs up on that website Bandcamp. You can download several songs for 4 bucks or so.”
Promotional efforts aside, the rock group can’t wait to get onstage with instruments in hand Friday.
“This is our first time (playing at Hard Rock Lake Tahoe),” Berry said. “Oh man, we’re so stoked — great sound, great room, great lights. It’s kind of like a little mini version of a House of Blues or something.”
Strange Weather has been honing its stagecraft during the brief career, playing numerous shows in the Tahoe area, as well as a fall tour run to Southern California, with shows in San Diego, Santa Monica, Hollywood and Bakersfield. The band is plotting a desert tour through Southern California and Nevada.
“We’re hoping to do Vegas, Phoenix and then come back through L.A.,” Berry said. “Maybe do Palm Springs or Joshua Tree, do kind of a desert-in-the-springtime tour.”
For now, the tempest is headed for Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe, a fitting stop for the long-haired rockers.
“We’ve got a couple new covers that we’re gonna bust out for Hard Rock,” Berry said. “We’re just gonna melt face, as always.”
- Strange Weather
When: 9 p.m. Friday, March 4
Where: Vinyl, Hard Rock Casino
Tickets: Free show
