Images: Dead Frets, Matt Salkeld & more March 10, 2012 at the Paradise Poker Club (Drunks Go Acoustic)

Paradise Poker Club was the place to be for acoustic punk lovers on March 10. That night, we celebrated a local stop of the Drunks Go Acoustic Tour, featuring hometown friend Brock Frabbiele (of TheCore.) Jared Stinson (of Sic Waiting) and Matt Salkeld (formerly of Black Sails, Western Shores).

The night started with a talented trio of local folk artists: Ryan Gibbs, Jesse Pino and No Red Alice. Gibbs was up first and got the early comers singing along with the covers of Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love” that peppered his set. No Red Alice, aka Frabbiele’s TheCore. bandmate Sal Giordano, followed up Gibbs’ crowd-pleasing set with one of his own. His set was far too short for our liking, and based on the number of people singing along with every word, we weren’t the only ones who wanted more, but we got our much-needed daily dose of gruff vocals with impassioned delivery.

Rounding out the locals (minus the headliner, or course) was singer/songwriter Jesse Pino, ever the consummate professional showing no wear from his earlier, paid gig at the Hard Rock Café (play on, player). Barflies who had been hanging in the back took notice as soon as he began, his strong voice and catchy songs instantly winning over the room. Jesse has been working on some new material, and fortunately for us, he played a fantastic new song titled “Good Luck” which we hope to see on his upcoming full-length.

The touring portion of the night kicked off with Matt Salkeld, the one-time guitarist for Bakersfield’s  Black Sails, Western Shores now playing impressive original tunes from his recently-released solo record Life, Love, Hate and Alcohol. He was arguably the artist most of the crowd, including myself, were least familiar with, but he captivated the room and gained some new fans with his haunting and raw style.

Jared Stinson, sporting a black eye from what we’re sure is a good story, has been busy promoting his new Dead Frets solo project and was eager to share those songs with the crowd, along with a few Sic Waiting songs thrown in for good measure. Fans of Stinson’s technical and more aggressive work in Sic Waiting might be surprised at first to hear the Frank Turner-esq campfire punk he creates in his solo project but he has a keen knack for crafting catchy songs and the reverbs of tapping toes and nodding heads were a testament to that.

Finally, the man of the hour was up. Brock Frabbiele finished out the night, happy for a hometown visit after a few weeks of touring, and for a girlfriend-baked cake made to look like his guitar. The whole bar sang along as he played the crowd favorite apocalyptic tale “Seize the Carp,” unemployment anthem “Rock Bottom,” the open mic theme song , and more. Frabbiele is a staple of the music scene out here and his presence was obviously missed, as the bar began stretching capacity with friends and fans happy to sing along with every last word.

-Ashleigh Thompson

Photos by Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens