19 Wheels, Atomic Numbers make special return to Rubbles

Friday night marked a notable local music highlight to kick the month off right, as the rock groups 19 Wheels and Atomic Numbers spiced up the stage at Rubbles, 112 W. Michigan.
Both bands are two of Michigan's better known alternative pop rock music gems, as they have proven to hold their own on hyped stages around the country with other bigger-label pop rock groups. But Friday night, the bands decided to break away from the bigger shows to hit the Mount Pleasant scene and keep up ties with our local music crowd.
"We like Rubbles because the crowd always comes out particularly to hear the music, which is really cool. It is nice to play for a crowd like that," said Chris Johnston, guitarist and lead vocalist for the East Lansing-based 19 Wheels. "We've played for much bigger crowds, but if a lot of people are playing pool or something like that, it kind of hits us with a different vibe," he said.
Both bands' combined forces of pop seemed to bring in a fair size crowd of about 100 people, many of which were not "regulars" of the Rubbles scene.
"There seems to be a happy/meloncholy little thing going on here tonight: the crowd is happy and the band is melancholy," said Chris Ayris, St. Louis junior, of 19 Wheels' poignant pop effects on the mellow crowd.
"When I think of college radio, I think of this band. That is really the best way to describe them," he continued.
19 Wheels was experimenting with a new addition to their live sound Friday night: a drum machine in unison with their live percussionist. "It kind of takes away from their pop factor a bit and adds something else. It kind of reminds me of '80s new wave," said Ayris.
Johnston explained the new element of the drum sequencer by saying "we wanted to add something new and different to our sound," which he describes as "song (oriented) pop rock with (a focus on) melodies and harmonies." He said that they are "road testing" the drum machine, so they can streamline its effects for a series of bigger shows coming next month, some of which are with major label bands such as Dovetail Joint, Tonic, Marcy Playground, Train, Goo Goo Dolls and The Why Store.
Johnston said that 19 Wheels has been on a bit of a hiatus lately in order to finish up studio work with producer Donny Brown, drummer for The Verve Pipe. This will be the latest studio album since 1997's acclaimed full-length debut "Six Ways From Sunday," which was produced by Tim Patalan (Sponge, Jeff Buckley).
"The majority of the stuff we are playing tonight is not on record, so we are working out a lot of our newer material," Johnston said.
19 Wheels still rocked Rubbles with established singles such as "Colorado" and "13 Seconds to Burn" from the previous album. Hit songs like these landed them slots on such national festivals as the 1997 ESPN Summer Games Tour, where the band played 64 shows in 29 states. The band has been recently competing in the national Band To Band Combat concerts in the Detroit area.
Show openers Atomic Numbers hit hard with a deep impression of its classic power pop with a modern edge in the vein of a punky Crowded House style. Energetic, lively stage presence and other humorous antics allowed the band to warm up the crowd quickly and easily, getting the show off to a fast start.
"I think the Numbers are the greatest rock band in Michigan, and they are all super nice guys," said Amanda Rease, Coleman resident.
Jake Burns, also a Coleman resident, showed up to support the Atomic Numbers.
"I like local music and I support the scene. The Numbers are very cool and really rock out," he said. "I've heard them before on the radio and usually I only like a band after their music grows on me for a while. But I loved this band's music instantly from the start."
Johnston said, "It is nice playing with them. They are good friends of ours and it is cool to play after a band you really respect. It is not a competitive thing then, it is more inspirational"