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A SoCal (musical) vibe in West Vail

Caramie Schnell
cschnell@vaildaily.com
VAIL CO, Colorado
Special to the DailySouthern Cali. rock/reggae band The B Foundation returns to the Sandbar in West Vail for a show Thursday.
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Surviving on stolen cat naps and pilfered gas station hot dogs, the four boys in The B Foundation spent 24 hours in a car earlier this week. They drove straight from Seattle to Aspen on Tuesday, where they played a show at the Belly Up. Wednesday night they performed at Cervantes in Denver and on Thursday night the Southern California surf-rock-reggae band will take the stage at the Sandbar in West Vail.

“The first guy drove seven hours, then I drove 10 or 11 hours and then 300 miles from Aspen we pulled over and slept for a few hours,” said Jason Moorehead, the band’s bass player, during a phone interview from an Aspen motel. “It’s not all that exciting. We stop at truck stops and steal hot dogs. That’s how we survive on the road. We call ourselves ‘the hot dog bandits.'”

The B Foundation consists of Moorehead, Patrick Stevenson the lead singer/guitarist, Tyler Lewis on lead guitar and Ian McGrath on drums. The band is based in Los Angeles, where they practice in a big warehouse in downtown L.A.



“It’s the ghetto,” Moorehead said, “but it’s cool.”

Moorehead describes the band’s sound as “eclectic.”

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“We’re definitely influenced by a lot of different styles of music – it’s a mix of reggae, blues, gangster rap and rock. It’s like if Slayer, Bob Marley and Dr. Dre had a three-way baby together. I don’t even know if that’s possible, but if so, it’d be like that.”

The band, which got its start in 2002, has shared the stage with Eek-A-Mouse, Iration, Slightly Stoopid, Pepper and more. The band’s most recent album, their third studio album, “Souvenirs Novelties and Party Tricks,” was released in 2009. The band released a single in October called “Take Some Time.”

“As soon as we get home from this tour, mid-May, we’ll be recording some new songs,” Moorehead said. “We’re looking forward to recording a new album.”

Over the years, the band has performed locally a few times, most recently at the Sandbar about a year ago, Moorehead said.

Local radio DJ Scott Peterson, aka Weez, hosts a reggae show each week on KZYR and hosts a reggae night at Paddy’s in Eagle-Vail on Sunday nights. He’s met the band members a few times, he said.

“I’ve hung out with those guys a few times. They’re real good and they’re shows are a lot of fun,” he said.

Peterson said the band’s music is in the vein of Sublime/Slightly Stoopid/Long Beach Dub Allstars style.

“The music is rooted in reggae for sure,” he said. “They’re from Southern California so it’s that reggae hybrid, with a little surf, ska and even a little punk mixed in.”

Moorehead said people can expect a lively, fun show Thursday night.

“They can definitely expect an energetic performance from the band,” he said. “We try to give people a break from their daily, stressful lives of people being unemployed and paying $4 a gallon for gas. We want to give people a straight release from that. We have a good party vibe going on, but at the same time, we put out great music.”

High Life Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 970-748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.


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