Roderick Bambino - Spokane, Washington

By Sydney Fluker.

Roderick Bambino had the crowd acting “Gunk and Disorderly” at the band’s first headline show on January 14th.

Self-described as “Spokane’s Baseball Boys,” Roderick Bambino brought energy to the crowd and displayed an impressive ability to keep the crowd entertained. From an awards ceremony held during the performance to conversational tidbits sprinkled between songs, there was no slow moment while Spokane’s Baseball Boys were onstage.

Photo by Hailey McGill

The Spokane indie-punk-ish band played their new EP, “Gunk and Disorderly,” at The Big Dipper in Downtown Spokane to an excited crowd. This performance marked a milestone in the band’s career — it was their first time headlining a concert, and they drew quite the crowd.

The band consists of vocalist/bassist Nic Davis, drummer Mike Trukk and guitarists Caleb Mathews and Adam Cook. Despite being a relatively new band, only having performed a handful of times around Spokane, the group exhibited natural crowd management abilities. Solos were given to each band member that allowed them to show their skills, and Trukk and Davis split front-man duties in a natural and engaging manner.

While the EP was only released about a week before the show, the crowd was still dancing along to each song, including the medleys and cover songs.

“Help Yourself!,” which boasts a catchy chorus and groovy instrumentals to back up its lyrics, and the funky “Bluegrass Boogie” helped get the crowd dancing in the first half of the set.

The first song on the EP, “Mootsy’s-Atilano’s Loop,” which speaks to the quintessential coming-of-age Spokane experience of being stuck between the iconic bar and small venue, Mootsy’s, and the 24-hour Mexican food classic, Atilanos, was a fan favorite and helped bring the dance floor to life. Davis provided instructions for the performance of “Taco nite” to ensure maximum enjoyment to the fast-paced and funny punk song.

Photo by Hailey McGill

Manager Joe Graham hosted the “Gunkies”, held a little over halfway through the concert that showed appreciation to band members and iconic attendees by giving out trophies (and a taco night apron). The awards were creative, quick and funny, and gave audience members time to catch their breath before the final songs.

The band closed out the show with “Chumba,” giving the crowd once last chance to dance their hearts out — an opportunity audience members ran with. As expected, the show was filled with quips and lively instrumentals that beg to be danced along to. Here’s to hoping Roderick Bambino headlines more shows in the future.