Rookie 13

The only way to experience Rookie 13 is to see this trio on stage, hear them blast through a live set of some of the most thunderously heavy rock music this town has seen in a long time. Rookie 13, though only a trio, can fill a room with the raucous sonic emanations of full powered rock, and to see them is to believe them. Not only because you can get so much more through a live show, but because the breadth of their collective experience really shines through.

Colin Brewer is the man on bass. He is not the biggest guy in the band (that distinction goes to the group’s drummer Greg Hopkins), but he certainly the one who is in charge on stage, the de facto frontman. His bass rig, like the expression he wears while pumping sound out through it, is an impressive visage; an 18-inch bass cone topped by a cabinet that houses eight 8-inch speakers. All together, he is pushing a massive 82 inches of bass air; image a bass cone roughly six-and-a-half feet in diameter. In case you’re not understanding the numbers here, that means that whenever Colin’s bass kicks in, the floor, the windows, the walls and the bar all shake.

Colin honed his skills through years in the local scene, most notably with the seminal Chico heavy rock outfit, Trench. Trench went on several national tours, and appeared in the TV movie about militia activist Randy Weaver, which was shot here in Chico. Other local bands that Colin has played in include 5 Cattle Butt, and the Experts, the later of which also featured Colin’s Trench band mate, Jeff Lee.

Initially, the name Rookie 13 came from a series of basement jam sessions at the home of Paul Corea (Digger Pine, Laburnum), where Colin, unwinding after a six-week Trench tour, played some loose music with Paul and a guy named Joel Johnson. That group never left the basement, but Colin always really liked the name and when he started with another project a couple of years ago—a project that included Eric North and Jeff Lee switching off on guitar and drums—he offered the name and the group decided to use it.

After a series of gigs, Jeff Lee decided to leave the band and pursue a career as an animal trainer in Nevada. That’s when Colin and Eric decided to find a new drummer, a mission that proved easier said than done.

"We knew Jeff was leaving, and we talked about getting another drummer," says Colin, "but there wasn’t anybody I thought of who would want to risk drumming with us. It takes a certain individual, I think."

At the time, Greg Hopkins, a DC native, had just moved to Chico by way of San Francisco. He landed a spot in Derailer, the sonic rock band that also included Stacy Hale on bass and Scott Foster on guitar, as well as a short-lived second guitar manned by none other than future R13 member Eric North.

North left his short stint Derailer to pursue other interests, and returned to music later with the second incarnation of Rookie 13, who eventually went on the road with the three-piece Derailer, who had tuned their sound to a brand of tight, strong sonic rock. Derailer eventually changed its name to Naugahyde 5 (N5).

One balmy evening, after Jeff Lee had left town, Seattle’s Bali Girls got word to Chico that they were coming through, and wanted to book an evening with N5. However, Scott Foster was going out of town, and his band could not play the gig. Rookie 13 was down to take N5’s place, but it was short a drummer. Greg’s services were offered up, and the rest is history.

" Yeah, that was our first gig," says Colin about that evening, the first time that the three of them—Colin, Eric and Greg—ever played out together. "We were able to practice about three times before the gig. [Greg] had a tape of stuff we had done up until that point, and he worked off of that. We ended up playing six or seven songs that night."

Stacy Hale and Scott Foster moved down south last year, taking N5 to a sunnier part of the state, and Greg stayed, having gone full time with Rookie 13 since.

As the second half of the group’s rhythm section, his presence on the drums is important. As Colin said, he didn’t think he knew anyone who would subject themselves to drumming with Rookie 13, simply because of the grueling physical demands, not to mention the personal ones. But Greg’s conviction behind the drums is furious, and his attack is strong and accurate. His rhythms anchor the band, and together with Colin, provides a solid, thick and rather large foundation that often includes the song’s melodies mirrored by both bass and guitar.

Guitarist Eric North has been a member of the Chico rock scene for years, having made a name for himself in Buzzwurm. He has also played in Derailer, Digger Pine and Laburnum. While Eric can riff rock like a metal head, he seems to be into the sonic exploration thing with Rookie 13. Songs like "Jack/Dad" have him following the melody in a flat, quirky tone, only to be given serious backbone when Colin’s bass joins in, but throughout a lot of R13’s songs, Eric’s sonic noodling and grinding provided an extra layer of flavor to the band’s music.

Hard music can touch the soul in a way that no other kind of sound can. There something about heavy, driving, chunky riffs and thunderous percussion that make even the meekest rock nerd feel his chest swell and his fist pump with requisite empathy. And while Rookie 13 has what it takes to blow the windows out of your living room, the band also possesses an oddly melodic edge to their music. "She Said," for example, has a gentle giant-like bass sound and a guitar line that accents it perfectly. It is something in the band’s music that is more acceptable than the average hard, dude rock.

There is a noticeable history in the music, not a history that come from Rookie 13 itself, but that comes from the band members’ experience. Collectively, the band has been playing for decades, and they seem to have never been duped by the pipe dream of cheesy rock stardom, the attitudes of big rock stars (their attitude comes from somewhere else) or the typically short-lived existence of Chico rock bands that cycle through year after year.

"So Rookie 13 is not just a bunch of snotty little kids being supported by their mommies and daddies," says Colin with a sneer that smacks slightly of Rum and Coke. "And that’s why we don’t sound very good, but we really try."

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