Dirt Bike Annie - live in New York City (Cover Artwork)

Dirt Bike Annie

live in New York City (2004)

live show


While going to see one of my long time favorite bands, The Mr. T Experience, I was pleasantly surprised by one of the opening acts, Dirt Bike Annie. I enjoyed their performance so much that I made sure to see them 2 weeks later at the Luna Lounge in New York City.

This four-piece band took the stage while singer/guitarist Adam Rabuck asked the crowd,"are you ready to rock?" His serious demeanor made the crowd wonder if Adam was being very sarcastic, or if he was just extremely high. DBA launched into their first song and once again the crowd was taken back once the smoke machine started going off and strobe lights lit the room. The crowd took a collective sigh as they wondered if this band was for real. It only took halfway into the first song for the crowd to realize that DBA was being totally serious and was on stage having a great time. The tiny box shaped room suddenly felt like a huge arena rock concert, which captured the intimacy of a small show. During the second song when the bubble machine went off, the crowd was having such a great time with the band, it seemed natural that there would be bubbles in the air.

Their sound can be described as having touches of the All-American Rejects, The Stereo, and even Weezer. This band definitely has its own sound and is extremely tight. Adam, Dan (who looks like a thicker version of Billy Corgan), and Jeanie all share turns on vocals, but are best when they are all singing together. Jeanie is the gorgeous singer/vocalist whose sweet voice mixes in perfectly with the rest of the band. All four members, including drummer Tommy Vinton have an enourmous amount of energy on stage. In particular, Jeanie is constantly moving in every song and will definitely give you a Wayne's World moment ("She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine").

DBA mostly played songs off their new full length, Show us your Demons! Every single song played will have you tapping your foot and shaking your head to their infectious melodies. The skeptical crowd, which included tough looking punks with mohawks and piercings were even bouncing around in joy by the end of the show. DBA is about to go on a 5 week tour across the U.S. I definitely recommend checking them out if they are in your town. They are the definition of pop-punk and will leave you humming their songs for days. By the end of the show, you will be asking Adam to rock some more!