Dino Bravo & guest Ray Padgett — 11 December 2019 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Dino Bravo, with special guest Ray Padgett of County Tracks joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop‘, Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at facebook.com/DinoBravoVT.

A name like “Dino Bravo” reeks of strength, racket and intensity. Like a figurative hurricane tearing shit up on stage. It’s a perfect name to fit the four-man rock ensemble of Chris Farnsworth, Matt Perry, Josh Shedaker and Jeff LaBossiere: a group described perfectly by Seven Days as “an exceptionally controlled explosion.”

Dino Bravo formed officially in 2011, however have only recently released their debut album in 2019, titled Blind By Midnight. They formed on the banks of Lake Champlain, brought together by both their various life choices and a love of wrestling (evident in their naming of the band after Italian wrestler Dino Bravo), and describe themselves as “fiercely unambitious.” It also speaks to the rigorous spirit of their music and performances, how that explosion is so exceptionally controlled and shown.

They walked into Big Heavy World already chatting and bantering amongst each other, something that continued throughout their interview in Rocketshop. It’s always one thing to see a band answer interview questions with a brief sentence or two, trapped in an eternal (and tedious) back and forth with the interviewer. But Dino Bravo provides something else: interviewees sitting down and engaging in conversation, asking their own questions, helping lead the discussion forward. It was clear from watching them interact that they had years of experience together both as band members and friends.

Their first song was titled “The Arielists,” and from the get-go set the stage for the night’s (and by extension, the band’s) energy. Out the gate, Dino Bravo opened with this thrashy, catchy beat with rigorous instrumentals and vocals that blend right in with the rest of the sound. Emphasis can be heard on the electric guitar, bringing back a good ol’ guitar solo with a dash of their aggressive percussion. It may seem like the “default” rock song of the bunch, but it was the perfect opener for their night.

As said by their website: “…with a respectful nod to the song craftsmanship of The Pixies, the beauty and humour of Ween, the heavy grooves of Black Sabbath and a passion for run-on sentences, Dino Bravo seeks to save rock ‘n’ roll in the Queen City and beyond.” The concept of “saving” or at least preserving the spirit of rock and roll isn’t new, but the attitude Dino Bravo takes towards it is nothing but. The party-rock spirit and energy is often seen as mindless, almost blind and loud fun, and certainly not often under the banner of “save rock and roll.”

The second song they performed was “You’ve Heard Enough,” a song with a much more somber tone and beat than the previous song. It centers on the feeling of isolation, being stuck within yourself and the paranoia that everyone else is growing sick of you. Listening to it brought back memories and tunes from middle school, waste deep in my sad rock phase. Furthermore, the lighter vocals and melody prove that while Dino Bravo’s core is high-octane rock, they are more than capable of switching up their game when the time comes.

The four men that make up Dino Bravo (Chris, Matt, Josh, and Jeff) came together over their shared passions and interests, as said before, dedicating time every Monday as a group to getting high and discussing said interests. In terms of the band and recording, a riff is often written by Chris while everyone else works on their section of the song, essentially piecing together the music with everyone playing their part in the process. And clearly it’s a process that works, seeing as their album Blind by Midnight is said to have been written over the course of a day, with Dino Bravo even calling the process “easy.” But it is important to note that the speed of their work does not inhibit the passion and care gone into it. As they made clear on Rocketshop: “Everything music and art related here requires labors of love and people giving a shit.”

Their third and final feature, ironically titled “Pop Music,” is a song that’s lyrically about coming to terms with getting older in the music scene and seeing things come and go. It’s undoubtedly the most instrument heavy song of the three, and the heaviest song of the three. Period. The vocals have a kind of snarl to them, with the background music roaring alongside them, creating this truly encircling, aggressive orchestra that at times even gave me tastes of metal.

As exemplified by their music and passions, Dino Bravo truly is an “extremely controlled explosion.” With their first album finally underway, the road is paved for the band’s future. Aside from taking part in Dino Bravo, its members can be found playing in other bands (such as Zeus Springsting), performing in the Monkey House, trying to book Weird Al, and other “fiercely unambitious” endeavors across Burlington.

Text by Thomas Himmield.

Photo by James Lockridge.