PK’s is the kind of joint that’s rough, rowdy, and alive—exactly where rock belongs. Think coyote-ugly energy with just enough chaos to make it legendary. The crowd was fired up, and we fed off every ounce of it. Some dude wouldn’t quit hollering for Alice in Chains, so we dropped “Man in the Box” early and cooled it down later with “Nutshell.” The look on his face? Worth it.

This joint’s got teeth. Rock doesn’t belong in squeaky-clean venues—it belongs in spots like PK’s where the lights flicker, the amps howl, and the crowd’s right on top of you. Rock stars can only dream about gritty, raw rooms like this, where the sweat drips off the walls and every chord feels like it could break the ceiling. We carved our name into PK’s that night. Literally too—GrungeBob stickers are now part of the décor. You’ll spot them in the bathroom, on the street signs, even benches around town. Sorry (not sorry).

Oh, and shoutout to the tribal PD for rolling through—we’ll count that as another badge of honor.

PK’s, you f**ing* rock. We’ll be back.

The place was moving. Heads were bobbing, hips were swaying, and more than a few folks were straight-up ecstatic about the setlist. Compliments were flying left and right — and let’s be real, musicians live for that stuff.

Massive props to Trevor for snapping killer shots and vids and for absolutely sticker-bombing the place like a champ. The staff? Solid as always. Huge shoutout to Soundguy Sam (did I just coint that?)! Dude kept the mix tight all night — respect.

John’s Alley lived up to the hype and then some. Can’t wait to crank it up here again. Until next time… stay loud, stay proud.

Sticker

Flyer

The day started out looking like Mother Nature was gonna rain on our parade – clouds hanging low, a little gloom in the air. But by the time we hit the stage, the weather flipped the script and gave us perfect gig conditions.

Lewiston showed up strong. The crowd was ready to party, and the Groundwork crew? Cool as ever. They kept the good vibes rolling all night. And let’s talk about that wood fired pizza… nothing like demolishing a hot slice after sweating through a full set of 90’s rock bangers.

We must’ve left a mark, because before we even packed up our gear, we got the nod for another show next month. Big props to the sound guy – dialed in our tones perfectly. It was my first time micing up my cab since adding the big GrungeBob face, and yeah… it looked killer under the lights.

The Brewmaster whipped a banger of a batch of IPA and Kolsh because the beer tasted incedibly fresh and the patrons couldn’t get enough. I heard a lot of good things about the sour beers but I did not partake.

Groundwork Brewery is starting to feel less like just a stop on the gig list and more like home turf for the GrungeBob family. Can’t wait to bring it even harder next time.

Cheers, and keep it loud.

Guitars

• 2006 MIJ Fender Jaguar HH – Tobacco burst, TOM bridge, and dual humbuckers. Perfect for the gritty alt-rock/grunge stuff.
• PRS McCarty 594 – Warm, articulate, and smooth. My go-to for anything that needs dynamics and class.
• Beater Mustang – AKA the GrungeBob Axe. Bright yellow with a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker and SB face sticker. Loud, proud, and matched to the rest of the aesthetic.
• Gibson J-45 – Acoustic/electric dreadnought. Great plugged in, even better tracked.

Pedalboard (Multi-Instrument + Vocal Integration)

Everything runs through one board now—electric guitar, acoustic, and lead vocals. It’s streamlined, gig-ready, and powered by a Cioks DC7 mounted under a Pedaltrain Metro 20.

Signal Chain

1. Mini Tuner
2. Crybaby Mini Wah
3. JHS Whitey Tighty – Mini compressor to keep the signal consistent.
4. Ibanez TS9 Mini – My main overdrive. Does everything from edge-of-breakup to full crunch.
5. Boss IR-2 – Amp/cab sim. Clean and dirty tones with an always-consistent direct output.
6. Boss Super Chorus – A little shimmer to cut through the mix.
7. Reecho Delay – Basic slapback or ambient echoes.
8. EQ Pedal – For sculpting tone per guitar or room.
9. Fishman Platinum Stage DI – Runs my Gibson J-45 acoustic straight into the board with tone shaping and gain control.
10. TC Helicon Mic Mechanic 2 – Vocal reverb and pitch smoothing in one pedal. Clean, simple, and mounted right on the board.

Amps & Live Sound

• Fender FRFR-12 – My current main amp for live shows. Takes amp and cab sims beautifully and keeps my sound consistent at every venue.
• Mackie Thump Speakers – Our main monitoring system. We rum vox and drums for monitoring.
• Fender Blues Junior IV (Graffiti Yellow) – Currently set aside for studio and side project use, but still a killer tube combo with a Swamp Thang speaker when I need it.

Microphones

• Shure SM58 – Main live vocal mic. Nothing fancy, just proven.
• Shure SM57 – When I do mic a cab, this gets the job done.
• Groove Tubes Tube Condenser – My studio mic for vocals and acoustic tracking. Creamy top end, super responsive.

Studio Setup

In the studio, everything flows through this setup:

• Fender Tone Master Pro – Now a dedicated studio tool for silent recording and flexible tone sculpting.
• Tascam Model 12 – My command center for tracking and mixing.
• JBL LSR 308 Series 3 Monitors – Crisp and flat for mixing.
• 2017 MacBook Pro – Handles all DAW work and multi-track sessions.

Final Thoughts

This rig is all about flexibility. With electric, acoustic, and vocals all going through one board and a consistent amp/cab sim setup, I can load in fast and sound great on any stage. The studio gear keeps my tone dialed even when I’m working solo or tracking new material.

Drop me a line if you want a gear diagram or a stage plot—I’m always down to talk shop.

– Russ / GrungeBob

The brewery had a bigger event earlier that day, which tied up their sound guy, the main mixer, and stage monitors. So we ended up using our own mixer, ran it through the house mains, brought our own monitors, and honestly—it sounded pretty solid. The crowd was more family-oriented than I expected, but they were dancing and singing along like champs. The place was fairly packed, all things considered, and the weather was perfect.

The Stage

The stage setup is rad—it’s a repurposed shipping container, which gets a little toasty, but it’s dialed in inside. Plenty of outlets, solid lighting, a TV for video, carpets, and a killer front-of-house speaker system (JBL, I think, with massive 18″ subs). Very pro.

The Photographer

We connected with a photographer who was there shooting the event, and the guy is legit. He’s working with both modern gear and old-school film, which is wild these days—but it totally fits our band’s vibe. I didn’t catch his name, but he gave us our first official band photo, so he’s now part of Grunge Bob lore. I made sure he knows he’s got free beers at any show if he keeps snapping pics. We’re building our social media game—and content is king, baby.

The Venue

Groundworks has an outdoor brick-fired pizza oven, and let me tell you—the pizza is bomb. Highly recommend. And I don’t say that lightly—I’m a pizza expert. The beer? Just as good. I had the hazy IPA and was not disappointed. They brew it all on site, and you can taste the freshness in every sip.

The Staff

The staff were incredible. They let us set up early and made sure we stayed hydrated and well-fed. After a long set, those pizzas and beers really hit the spot. Big thanks and hats off to the Groundworks crew—you made us feel welcome and appreciated.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the night was a success—full of all the little quirks and surprises that come with playing a new venue. I’m already looking forward to playing there again, and I think the rest of the guys had just as much fun as I did.

Cheers and great beers!