Images: Rayner, Hard Pipe Hitters, Wicked Bears, JERK! June 9, 2018 at Evel Pie

If Ben Affleck caught a Masked Intruder or The Copyrights show, he might call them “wicked cool.”

Wicked Bears aren’t from Boston and as far as I can tell they never played Batman and if they were in Phantoms they weren’t bomb, yo. The origins of the trio, made up of Casey Keele (vocals & bass), Nick Fleming (guitar & vocals) and Ken Vallejos (drums & vocals), lie in Salt Lake City, but their brand of pop punk certainly fits in with the aforementioned bands. They’ve got peppy music with big hooks and a little more going on with the lyrics. Their songs tackle feeling lonely, overcoming adversity, and getting robbed- draped in the imagery of arcades, classic sneaks, and a time wherein we’ll all become oldheads: the somewhat distant future.

The band made their way through Vegas earlier this month for a show at Evel Pie, and they were  just as fun as one would expect from listening to their 2017 release Tuning Out. The ‘Bears played second- though as the show got closer it seemed like almost every band on the bill, which was rounded out by locals Jerk!, Hard Pipe Hitters, and Rayner, were set to go on second (this confusion forced everyone to show up on time, so it was a retroactively brilliant marketing move). The harmonic vocals of the three members sounded especially good live, particularly on the Arrested Development quote ending to “Nickel Arcade” and the soaring chorus to my favorite Bears song, “Reebok Classics.”

Evel Pie’s back patio wasn’t packed but the turnout of friends and music lovers wasn’t bad, likely bolstered by being The ‘Hitters’ return from tour (a number of fans were shouting for “Boner Pills” between each song) and curiosity towards how Rayner would sound playing as a four piece.

It was my first time seeing Rayner without previous bassist Manny Panda. Rory Child has moved into the bass position, leaving Chris Piro as the band’s lone guitarist. The lack of a second guitar was noticeable in some places, but they still sounded good and I’m excited to see how playing the older songs live develops at subsequent shows.

Wicked Bears? They are wicked cool, just like this show.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/