Andre and the Giants

“The show mainly consists of hip hop,” Bratney said. “We’re kind of the outlier, being a rock band.”

Bratney and his bandmates, guitarist Nick Friedman and drummer Andrew Fialka, started out with IndyGround as Steddy P’s live band before they started playing original music this past May. Andre and the Giants is now on an independent label but frequently plays shows with IndyGround, including last year’s anniversary.

“Hopefully, there’s a lot of new people,” Friedman said. “Last year was pretty packed. That’s always fun to play to a big crowd.” - The Maneater

This year's Halloween party was probably one of the best I've ever been to. My friend Rob is in a band called Andre and the Giants. On Saturday night they played a free and totally awesome basement show that included lots of Halloween classics like "Monster Mash," "Purple People Eater" and my all-time favorite, "The Time Warp." If there's anything I can't resist, it's a good Time Warp. - Stephanie Rapp

My good friend and neighbor, Rob Bratney, is in the band Andre and the Giants with a couple of awesome guys named Andrew Fialka and Nick Friedman. They are super talented and competed in the final round of Clash of the Titans last night, but unfortunately they got the short straw and had to go first. They still rocked the house. - Taylor Glascock

I had heard the Dirty Heads first on my local radio station, 100.1 the Buzz, and by the time the show came to pass, I had won more free tickets than I knew what to do with. I have always been a big Sublime fan, and their style was similar enough to pique my interest. The show was at the standard local venue, The Blue Note, and several friends joined me for the occasion. Unfortunately they would not allow us to bring in our camera, so I am unable to provide shots directly from the show. Honestly, I am more interested in the experience rather than the actual substance of the concerts I attend, and that is how I am going to judge this show as well.


Opening first for the Dirty Heads was Andre and the Giants. I had never heard of them until this show, and I knew they were a local band, so I didn’t have high expectations. Thankfully when the guitarist, Nick Friedman, started slammin out some extremely expressive solos reminiscent of the classic rock era to compliment Rob Bratney’s bluesy bass and brash vocals, my expectations were more than exceeded. I can only describe their vocal style as Modest Mouse sings the blues, and I love that. They take a very visceral approach to their performance, nothing too fancy but lots of emotion. Couple that with steady blues riffs to keep the groove flowing and they end up putting on an impressive show without going over the top. They were even kind enough to provide us with a free CD, and wouldn’t you know it, we ran into them after the show at my favorite pub, McNally’s.

Speaking of over the top, Nifty 250 followed up with a hip hop/reggae hybrid mix that is definitely fun, but without much deviation in their style song to song, it does get a bit boring. This band was surprisingly large, featuring two guitarists, a very excitable bassist, two lyricists, and of course their drummer. The lead vocalist spits lyrics with impressive speed, and the rest of the band fights to keep up. They convey alot of energy on stage and in their music, and their bassist was very vocal about his enjoyment of the show. Their set was fairly long, but with only a few slower songs to break up the bum rush lyrical onslaught, I found it a bit hard to maintain my level of interest. They are definitely worth checking out though if you are a fan of Kottonmouth Kings, or heavy hip hop reggae.

Moving on to the main show, the energy was high and I have to admit I was pretty inebriated by the time the Dirty Heads made it to the stage. They came out and immediately started laying into the SoCo style that has gotten them this far. I had been listening to their albums on Grooveshark and the like, but I didn’t know quite what to expect. The show was no nonsense, and I thought every single song performed had something to offer that just does not get conveyed in their albums. Vocalist Jared Watson sported some very dark sunglasses as he jaunted about the stage belting out smooth lyrics and trading off periodically with Dustin Bushnell who provided guitar and additional vocals. You cannot help but bob your head to this shit. The initial set ended without the playing of their famous radio hit, “Lay Me Down”, but it really could have ended there and I would have been satisfied. Thankfully it did not, and to a tremendous screaming crowd, they returned to the stage with none other than Rome Ramirez, famous in Sublime circles for taking Bradley Nowell’s place in “Sublime with Rome” after his passing. I don’t believe anyone was expecting this, as he is only featured in the one song, but his appearance was epic.

Although Nifty 250 was not quite my style, their reach is broad and I believe they will continue to have a growing fanbase. I would love to see Andre and the Giants featured at the upcoming Roots, Blues, and BBQ festival here in Columbia Missouri, as they are quickly becoming one of my favorite local bands. This was all in all a great show, and if the Dirty Heads return to Columbia, I will definitely be there. - Drunk on Judgement