In the back of a crowded, small, sweaty room in the Iowa Music Store, a band that goes by Bombardier played sweet, loud notes of pure rock and roll.

Bombardier is an Ames based band that consists of Derek Taylor on the bass, Cal Rebhuhn on the drums, Andy Boyd on the guitar and Josh Tenney’s vocals.

The crowd was an even mix of young and old and the setting gave off a vibe similar to that of a basement jam session. The air smelled of sweat and the faint, lingering scent of cigarettes.

Amps piled on top of each other and created waves of sound so loud and intense that the room shook and nothing was audible except for the music. This is rock and roll.

Every aspect of the show was on point. Josh Tenney’s vocals were delightfully rough, Cal Rebhuhn’s drums powerfully pulsated, but did not drown out Andy Boyd’s skillful guitar work and Derek Taylor’s booming bass.

The band played a few original songs and a few covers. The original songs were well-written and very fun, but the covers were amazing. Josh’s vocals in their cover for The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” was spectacular. I closed my eyes for a second and it felt like I had just stepped out of a time machine into 1963.

As soon as the band began playing “Twist and Shout,” a small group of people began to dance. This eventually turned into some form of a miniature, relatively tame mosh pit.

Their cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” was a fresh and innovative take on an old favorite. The intro sounded almost exactly like Cash, but then the band added their own rock and roll twist.

The band is currently working on their first studio album. There is no official, or even estimated, release date due to Bombardier’s busy schedule.

4.5/5