By Nicholas Merl
Chair Bomb performing at the Wesley Foundation United Methodist Church. (Robert Esteban Vera/Radio 1190)
It was far from the usual crowd piling into the Wesley Foundation United Methodist Church on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 23. The church was overrun by hordes of teenage punks drawn in by flyers advertising local punk favorites for only “$5 Dude!” As fans packed into the vaulted nave, which had been converted into a makeshift mosh pit, the energy was palpable. For many, it was their first chance to experience everything truly punk after months without a proper venue. Everyone else was just there for the music.
For show organizers Cody Townsend and Zane Manning, who are also collectively the band Chair Bomb, the evening was the culmination of a months-long pilgrimage. The duo had been focal points of the hardcore scene since they started organizing punk shows during the summer, originally at The Coffee Stand on Arapahoe Avenue and Broadway Street. But after a series of disputes with the owners, Townsend and Manning quickly found themselves evicted from venue after venue.
“We just wanted to play hard music, and we want to make music that we want to be in the pit for, and there’s nowhere to get into a pit in Boulder,” Manning said. Townsend agreed, attributing their earlier failures to the closed-mindedness of Boulder’s traditionally indie-dominated circuit. “Boulder has no small venues, and nowhere that has the tolerance for things like punk,” Townsend said. “It’s just kind of abrasive in a lot of ways and rowdy.”
But even after being kicked out countless times, the pair managed to keep moving from location to location, followed by a growing crowd of hardcore enthusiasts. The unwavering support from Boulder hardcore fans allowed them to carve out a niche for themselves despite the strong headwinds.
“A year ago they were all Indie house shows and stuff like that, and people would threaten us because we would try to start mosh pits at Indie house shows. That was kind of our hobby,” Townsend said. “Once we actually started to be able to start punk shows we realized how many other people actually wanted to also do that, so that’s cool.”
While the Wesley Church might seem like an unlikely venue, it had long been a popular rehearsal spot among Boulder musicians. Townsend and Manning were first introduced to the space by fellow punk band Gaunt, who are frequently featured at their shows. After meeting with the Reverend, the pair were able to negotiate themselves a new stage, mosh pit space included.
“It’s a pretty open-minded space, so that’s pretty rad,” Townsend said.
Finn Offensend (Guitar), Torin Carmichael (Bass) and Vail Kuntz (Drums) as Mulholland. (Robert Esteban Vera/Radio 1190)
The extra mosh space came in handy as the band Mulholland provided the opener for the night. The self-described “migraine punk” trio from Denver blended classic hardcore with a more experimental edge. While guitarist Finn Offensend and bassist Torin Carmichael ripped through blistering riffs to drummer Vail Kuntz’s droning percussion, it wasn’t just noise. From the dark, volcanic “1916” to the roaring opening of “sunshower,” Mulholland moulded nonstop sonic assault with an understated sophistication and intricacy. Somewhere between straight hardcore, prog rock and grunge, “migraine punk” is exactly what Mulholland is.
“I just want more people to come out, you know. Punk scenes thrive off community,” Kuntz said after the show. “The more people come out to see shows, it gets more people playing shows. It’s all synergistic, it’s both the heart and the people who come out and support and engage with it.”
Mulholland themselves seemed intent on returning to Boulder.
“They’re gonna have a real hard time kicking us out after this I think,” Finn Offensend said.
If one argued Mulholland only toyed with grunge, the next band, Soneffs, went all in. Driven by bassist Carlos Adame’s heavy riffs and drummer Carlitos Perez Mendoza’s intense backing, Soneffs was shoegaze with muscle. While singer Arturo “Archie” Lopez’s soaring vocals and hazy guitar chords said indie, Mendoza’s percussion recalled math rock and Adame’s bassline unmistakable grunge. The end result was something surreal and beautiful that was still more than hardcore enough to fill the mosh pit.
Carlos Adame (Bass), Carlitos Perez Mendoza (Drums) and Arturo “Archie” Lopez (Guitar/Vocals) performing as Soneffs. (Robert Esteban Vera/Radio 1190)
The members of Soneffs had known one another long before the band’s official formation.
“We all knew each other from middle school,” Mendoza said. “I like writing poetry, so I was like, I like writing songs.”
The trio had gotten in touch with Chair Bomb over social media and were thrilled about the venue.
“It’s a lot cooler, a lot more roomy,” Adame said. “We’re happy we met them, they’re really cool dudes.”
Ultimately, they hoped that others would draw inspiration to make more experimental music and explore DIY culture.
“Just be yourself, be true to yourself, no matter what anybody says,” Lopez said. “If you love it, I’m sure other people will love it.”
The last band of the night was Townsend and Manning’s own Chair Bomb. In contrast to Mulholland and Soneffs’ more progressive and experimental undertones, Chair Bomb was pure, unapologetic hardcore. Manning on guitar and Townsend on drums moulded the satirical attitude of Viagra Boys with pure caustic attack. While the duo honored several beloved classics with covers – such as Viagra Boys’ “Sports” and Agent Orange’s “Bloodstains” – the main attraction was their own music. Between the raw aggression of “Esmeralda” and the relentless intensity of “Umami,” Chair Bomb was every bit as explosive as the name implies. However, contrary to their name, sitting was not an option.
Manning and Townsend as Chair Bomb. (Robert Esteban Vera/Radio 1190)
In the end, bringing together Boulder’s punk scene is almost poetic justice after so many false starts. It is, after all, the birthplace of Jello Biafra (who famously hated Boulder). Whether this new relocation will be permanent remains to be seen. Townsend and Manning expressed cautious optimism.
“I have a lot of hopes for the future, and I have very small expectations. It would be super cool if we could keep putting on shows here but you never know what will happen,” Townsend said, adding: “My real hope and dream with this is that we can inspire people to do the same type of DIY shows and stuff that we do here and have that ethic to put stuff on.”
However, if the night proved anything, it was that punk isn’t leaving Boulder anytime soon.
“The hard music is here – it’s popping up. I just hope that what we’re doing inspires other people to make more hardcore bands that make you want to get in the pit,” Manning said. “Bringing this community together – it’s crazy to me that no one is trying the same way we are, but it makes me unbelievably happy when there’s people willing to try with us.”