Up-and-coming NorCal-based indie rock band Carpool Tunnel don’t like to think of themselves as conventional. Instead, they describe themselves on Spotify as “an idea of what it means to be human, and to share what makes us human together.” “To Carpool Tunnel,” they continue to write, “music is cosmic; it’s the only thing you don’t need language to understand.” Through their dynamic live shows, the band is able to exemplify just that. Their message is manifested through a feeling, one that washes over the crowd during each set.
On March 22, I saw them open for Fashion Jackson and Buddha Trixie at The Irenic in San Diego. A church by day and a music venue by night, The Irenic is famous for its progressive values and its support of local music, but infamous for its crammed setting and one awfully inconvenient step in front of the stage. Seeing high schoolers smoke pot against the stained glass windows was a perfect setting for this band, which is so reminiscent of adolescence and coming of age. Their music incites a sort of excitement and carelessness that translated into massive mosh pits and hyperactive dancers at the show.
This sense of carelessness was not lost on the audience when they returned to Berkeley and played at Thorsen House on April 26, which I also attended. Caffeinated on Yerba Mates and tipsy off Blue Moons, friends, fans and strangers crowded around their set, letting themselves go and dancing to the band’s modern indie-rock sound. This show, like so many of their other shows, made me feel nostalgic for now, as if I’m suddenly hit with the reminder that these fleeting moments are definitive of my youth, the ones I’ll miss when I’m too old, too tired, and too busy to let myself loose.
One of the most notable moments of the show was during the encore of their set, when bass player Spencer Layne jumped on top of his amp and grooved along to the bass riff to start their last song. During this high-energy piece, drummer Daniel Stauffer showed off his amazing drum skills, the lead singer danced with the crowd and t-shirts were thrown into the audience, further showing that even though Carpool Tunnel is starting to tour around California, they still know how to have a good time and play a small house show. Despite their growing audience, the boys of Carpool Tunnel don’t take themselves too seriously. They still carry the charm and goofiness that made them likable in the first place — the energy that manages to take us back a few years in time.
The band records certain tracks and practice in the basement of their own home which adds to the authenticity of their sound. Because of this authenticity, their live shows seem to take you back to their basement with them, almost as if you are with longtime friends, almost as if your setting is familiar.
Carpool Tunnel also frequents 924 Gilman in Berkeley and played here a few weekends ago alongside a collection of other California indie bands. Back in October they played a Halloween-themed show along with some more indie rock bands such as The Grinns, Small Crush and Killroi. The band stood on the stage dressed up as a monkey, a banana, an elf, and The Guy with the Yellow Hat from Curious George and played their hearts out. Their energy was off the charts and the crowd exploded with excitement as the lead singer Ben Koppenjan jumped straight into the mosh during one of Brad Kearsley’s epic guitar solos.
If you weren’t able to watch their set at Thorsen this past Friday, make sure to check them out at their show with The Grinns at Slim’s in San Francisco on May 4th, or on Spotify now.
Article by Alice Markman and Tovah Poplisky
Photos by Tovah Poplisky