If unfamiliar with the pop-rock sensibilities of Sacramento, Calif.-based Middle Class Rut, a chance to get a taste of what this duo brings to the stage presents itself this weekend. Middle Class Rut opens the annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, this year featuring Weezer, Seether, Papa Roach and Panic! At the Disco.
“It’s cool, to be able to have so many types of bands that are pretty popular on the same show makes for a good one,” said guitarist and vocalist Zack Lopez.
| Onstage |
| The D.C. 101 Chili Cook-Off |
| Where: RFK Stadium Festival Grounds |
| When: 11 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. Saturday |
| Info: General admission is $35 in advance, $55 at the door. VIP tickets are $250. Benefits the National Kidney Foundation; dc101chilicookoff.com. |
| Bands: Weezer, Seether, Papa Roach, Panic! At the Disco, Neon Trees, Paper Tongues, and Middle Class Rut |
| The Chili: Plenty of if, with 101 cooks competing. |
| Schedule |
| Middle Class Rut, 11:40 a.m. |
| Paper Tongues, 12:40 p.m. |
| Neon Trees, 1:40 p.m. |
| Panic! At The Disco, 2:50 p.m. |
| Papa Roach, 4:05 p.m. |
| Seether, 5:25 p.m. |
| Weezer, 6:45 p.m. |
Lopez and bandmate Sean Stockham have been touring plenty the last few months. The pair plans to continue playing shows through the end of the summer.
Familiar with the festival circuit, Middle Class Rut has shared the stage with the likes of Weezer and Panic! At the Disco at other gigs.
“I don’t even know if it does, if it fits in more or less than any other bands up there,” Lopez said of where his band’s sound fits. “I think these types of shows feel a lot different than when you play your own show at a club or something. It’s a cool opportunity to play for fans that you normally wouldn’t get to play for.”
The Middle Class Rut duo offers a sort of raw energy that also presents certain atmospheric qualities. Think Kings of Leon meets the Black Keys
The band has last year’s full-length “No Name No Color” and five EPs to its credit.
“The way we perform is pretty much the same way we recorded the record,” Lopez said. “It’s pretty stripped down. It’s just the two of us. I think the record was just a raw, fast thing that happened. I think that’s why it worked for us. It’s pretty raw, and it’s pretty loud. When do it live it sounds pretty much like that.”
While maybe not household names, Lopez and Stockham are certainly not new to the music industry. As part of another band with a record deal at the turn of the century, the pair learned a lot of lessons as that earlier opportunity fell apart.
“People were more willing to take chances and money wasn’t so tight,” Lopez said. “I think we got in at a time when we didn’t realize how fortunate we were to have gotten what we did.
“We didn’t really take it anywhere,” he continued. “We were young, we had a ton of money, and we kind of wasted it away on the Hollywood party scene than trying to be a really good band. I don’t think we were ready to get the band on that level yet. It took a while to find a sound that we were looking for.”
Not all acts get a second chance.
“We’ve been fortunate that way,” Lopez said. “We’re glad that people know us now from the band we’re doing now.”
