The B Foundation returns to the Central Coast armed with a new lineup and a fresh supporting act to headline a show at SLO Brewing Co. April 7.
The surf/rock/reggae band last performed in San Luis Obispo in February, and has since added a new guitarist to the band, but the passion that has driven the musicians since their formation in 2001 is unchanged.
The B Foundation bassist Jason Moorehead said since the band’s very first show, he believed the band could succeed.
“I’ve been pushing hard as hell ever since,” Moorehead said.
The band has come a long way, having toured all over the U.S. and abroad in places like Japan and Europe. But the band members grew up in California (except for their new guitarist who is from Detroit) and consider it one of their favorite places to play.
Moorehead said they are specifically drawn to San Luis Obispo because of the college town vibes and laid back atmosphere.
“San Luis Obispo is really unique,” Moorehead said. “There’s a good music scene, and the kids are really into the music. It’s a college town, but it’s also by the beach. You can’t get that vibe in LA or San Francisco.”
Drummer Ian McGrath said The B Foundation’s Southern California roots are reflected in it’s work.
“There’s definitely a Southern California influence in our music,” McGrath said. “Our music is pretty much a lifestyle.”
But music as a lifestyle is not something McGrath always planned on.
“I’ve always wanted to play music,” McGrath said. “But as far as making it a profession, when I joined the band that wasn’t the intent for me.”
McGrath said as the band’s popularity grew and the shows got bigger, they had serious decisions to make.
“We were faced with questions like, ‘Now you have to quit your job and drop out of school, are you going to do it? Do we really have that much passion?’” he said. “Now, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else at this point in my life than playing music and traveling the world.”
The passion the members have for their careers in music is always kept lighthearted with the band, though.
Moorehead described a prank the band pulled that resulted in temporarily panicked colleagues preparing to cancel shows after they thought all of their equipment had been stolen.
“(The band we were touring with) left their trailer unlocked, so we took everything out of their trailer and put it in ours,” Moorehead said. “They were basically crying. Then we opened up our trailer, and were like, ‘Get your shit out of here.’”
This habit the band has might be bad news for their supporting act Katastro, a band from Phoenix that describes its sound as a mixture of funk, rock, hip-hop and a little bit of reggae.
Katastro’s bassist Ryan Weddle said touring with The B Foundation has been a very positive experience.
“They’re good guys, and they have been helping us out a lot,” Weddle said. “It’s nice to have support from them, and they’re funny dudes.”
Tickets for the show are $8 in advance or $10 at the door and are available at Boo Boo Records or at ticketweb.com.