The Social Bandits

In 2013, longtime friends and bandmates Brad Rude, Jared Bentley, and Dylan Walsh hit up their high school buddy Jesse Medawar to see if he wanted to start a rock band. Having played together for years in a female fronted "Paramore-esque" band through high school, the guys needed a change of pace. Jesse showed up to "the warehouse" (a large, abandoned looking space connected to a Salvation Army) and the guys went on to jam some blues tunes such as Crossroads by Eric Clapton and Something Like Olivia by John Mayer. The guys hit it off, and the the jam session was a revelation for Brad, Jared, and Dylan. The guys quickly got a setlist of covers together (mostly classic rock and blues tunes) and booked their first show in a matter of weeks. It was a "Battle of the Bands" at a local bar. The jam was electric, and the band won the contest under the name Los Dientes Del Perro (a reference to The Killers music video for When You Were Young). At that very show Brad, Jared, and Dylan received a message from their lead singer in their other band informing them that she quit. The guys quickly asked Jesse if he was interested in taking this new band seriously and would join them in writing their own music. He was down. After the well needed name change, the band has went on to write, record, and release a four song EP and a full length album titled In Retrospect. With their shared love of classic rock, jazz, blues, funk, and reggae, the band has created a unique sonic blend that compliments their dynamic songwriting and knack for on-stage improvisation. Between the lead singers of Jesse and Brad, the band covers a lot of ground. With the addition of jazz extraordinaire, Evan Mercer, the band's musicality and showmanship is a cornerstone of their live performance. The band has easily played over one hundred shows including college house parties, four hour bar gigs, Detroit dives, esteemed clubs and halls throughout Michigan, and has opened for acts such and Passafire and Lil Dicky. With new music on the way, the guys hope to take this show on the road in the coming year and beyond. The Social Bandits are a rock/reggae/funk band from Metro Detroit. Find our full length album, "In Retrospect," on iTunes, Spotify, & Soundcloud