Skunk’s on tour

“When I was in Sublime, we mostly played shitty shows in San Diego to a few devoted individuals, or [we] skipped over it altogether and pushed into Mexico,” says Perro Bravo mainman Miguel Happoldt, best known for producing Sublime, as well as early records by local acts such as Unwritten Law and Slightly Stoopid.

“With Stoopid, we started off bringing them up to record, but as time went on, Kyle [McDonald, singer/guitarist/bassist] got serious about buying some equipment, and we set up a nice little lab in his father’s house in O.B. Those were some really fun and creative times. I remember being blown away by the fact that we could record a full-blast band with all the windows open, and no one ever complained!”

Happoldt cofounded Skunk Records with the late Brad Nowell of Sublime. This year being Skunk’s 25th anniversary (they signed Slightly Stoopid when bandmembers were still in high school), he’s on a celebratory tour with his newest band, Perro Bravo, which also features Mudd Lowther (drums) and Mike Long (bass). They’ll hit Winstons in O.B. on November 1.

“We play live, no backing tracks, and we take requests if we know them,” says Happoldt. “We’re an intense band in the vein of the Meat Puppets or the Minutemen, and we also dub out and groove for the ladies to dance in sexy cat outfits.”

The bill also includes Players Inc., fronted by local horn player C-Money, who used to play with a band Happoldt has worked with often. “I left Slightly Stoopid for good [in December 2013],” C-Money tells the Reader. “After nine awesome, magical, fun, epic years, it was time to move on. Stoopid opened me up to so many new musical horizons I never thought possible. They really shaped me into the songwriter I’ve become. It wasn’t easy to leave a steady gig and go my own way, especially with a child just being born.... I’m still in contact with them, and I’m working on getting Kyle and [drummer] OG on my record, coming out soon.”

He says to expect inter-band jamming at Winstons. “Miguel is family, and I love to jam with him any chance I get. He’s a very good producer, singer, guitarist, and overall musician.”

Happoldt returns the compliment, adding, “Us Floridians gotta stick together!”