The Expendables is returning to Gainesville this weekend.
The reggae-rock band will perform at the High Dive on Sunday night, located at 210 SW Second Ave., as part of their annual Winter Blackout Tour. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show will begin at 8:30 p.m. with reggae-rock band Ballyhoo.
The Expendables bassist Ryan DeMars said he is ready to head down south for the welcoming weather and a plate of gator tail.
“We’re looking forward to being in Florida next week because we will finally be out of the snow,” DeMars said.
The band will celebrate the January release of their sixth album, “Sand In The Sky.” They will perform new songs from the album as well as fan favorites such as “Bowl for Two,” “Sacrifice” and “Down, Down, Down.”
The longtime friends formed the band in 1997, getting their start by playing for college crowds when they were fresh out of high school.
Friends who went off to several colleges around California would call the band and invite them to play at parties.
“All the students are always down to party,” DeMars said, referring to the college crowd. “It makes for a good chance for us to have a good show.”
Jamming and playing parties turned into regular gigs at their local hometown venue.
“We would have all our friends come out, and next thing you know they’re buying tickets , and we were starting to sell out our local venue at a really young age,” DeMars said. “It just kind of sprung from there.”
Since then, the close-knit group has retained its original lineup.
DeMars attributes the band’s style to the surf-and-skate beach lifestyle of their hometown, Santa Cruz, California. Their music combines elements of rock, reggae and metal, and he said they have been strongly influenced by greats such as Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Iron Maiden and The Police.
“The music is a product of our environment,” he said.
DeMars said performances depend on the people in the crowd.
“We have so much fun in our live shows. We feed 100 percent off the audience,” DeMars said. “If the audience is going to be, like, lame and boring, we are going to be like ‘ugh.’”
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $21 or in advance for $18 at High Tides Tobacco and Gifts or on ticketweb.com.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 2/26/2015 under the headline “The Expendables returning to GNV, performing at High Dive”]
