The three Bs

Dr. Know, El Dopa, Attitude Adjustment, I Madman, ADT, Circle One, Verbal Abuse, and now, you can maybe start to include Reno’s own Blood Brains and Beer in that list of speedy punk elite.

In the six months or so since the local thrash punks played their first show, they’ve shared the stage with that long list of luminaries, and have caused quite a stir in the scene. Now, as they’ve proven themselves a legitimate musical threat, they’re developing quite a following among the hardest of the hardcore.

Blood Brains and Beer captures the essence of what the classic bands of the ‘80s L.A. punk scene hurled at the unsuspecting public.

While punk is not the most complicated genre of music known to man, there are certain ineffable elements that separate good bands from the great, and lousy ones from musical urinal cakes with nothing but a fast drumbeat. The trick is to take the minimalistic structure and power chords and stuff it to the seams with all sorts of attitude and genuine expression of boiling-point angst. Blood Brains and Beer tackles this feat in a way that reeks of the pure, punk-rock stench of authenticity.

Old-school bands seem to appreciate and rightly recognize just what it is that Blood Brains and Beer are doing right.

Vocalist Cyndi “Skindawg” Saner, guitarist Dave Wood and bassist Mark Rosol have been weathering the Reno punk scene ever since the early Skeeno glory days of 7 Seconds, Daughter Judys and Grange Hall. Drummer Joey Caldwell is a Stockton, Calif. transplant and the only member not yet in his late 30s.

The band admits that the many friendships and connections held by singer Saner got them that first foot in the door. But, as Saner is quick to point out, “I know some people and I got us some shows, but now that we are being seen, they like our talent and are asking us back.”

Most bands don’t get “asked” to play 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley with Verbal Abuse, as Blood Brains and Beer did on Dec. 2. Bands usually have to beg for such an opportunity.

Blood Brains and Beer also place great importance in playing with other local bands, like Spermicide.

Mark Rosol, who also played for Short Fuse, Head Grenade and Gluehorse, described Blood Brains and Beer’s sound as no-frills, straight-ahead punk rock.

“We really like to have a mid-80s punk sound that is not too fancy, for the most part hard and fast,” said Rosol.

According to Wood, the band’s style is a testimony to the good old days of punk.

“It’s based on everything we grew up on and just everything we were listening to when we were kids.”

In addition to the handful of songs posted to their Myspace account, they recently recorded 11 new tunes and are planning to start shopping them to various independant labels soon. When you consider the exposure they’ve already garnered, it’s doubtful that this will be an altogether impossible task for them to achieve, even in the current state of the music industry, where labels are reluctant to sign anybody who’s not already famous and comes with a built-in audience.

What was it like coming into a band that would be playing such big shows right off the bat? “Well,” Caldwell admits, “it did seem exaggerated at first,” though as it turns out, he and the band have gotten used to it with minimal adjustment.