Tacoma is a rock and roll type of town. There’s dirt under these fingernails and grease on these jeans. There’s a warm can of Rainer rolling around this back seat. There’s a love of things real and rock that’s obvious to all interested enough to observe.



For those who’ve observed, hopefully you’re familiar with Gold Teeth — quite possibly the most rock and roll band in Tacoma. If you’re not familiar with Gold Teeth — which might have something to do with the fact the band plays only a handful of shows a year — you probably are familiar with some of the quintessential bands from Tacoma’s past that have helped spawn Gold Teeth — which brazenly claims former members of the Plastards, Argonaut, The Mexican Blackbirds, Nomovingparts and Bonzort.



Thursday, Dec. 18, Gold Teeth along with Blanco Bronco and the Coloffs will rock the fuck out of the Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe. If ever there was a truly rock and roll show — a gig that truly represents the beefy, beer and grease pumping heart of T-town — this just may be it.



Chris Trashcan, leader of Gold Teeth, former leader of The Mexican Blackbirds, and (oh, by the way) owner of The Red Hot on Sixth Avenue, helped put the current state of his band in perspective for the Weekly Volcano.



“We are still around. Nobody wants to see the same damn band week in and week out at the same bars. That’s like practicing in front of a crowd. That gets stale ... and gets to be like another job. We played back in March at the Jive and had a blast, so I expect another fun time at The Top,” explains Trashcan. “Most of us in the band have done the ‘put-out-a-record-then-play-tons-of-shows-then-tour’ thing, and while fun, I have no aspirations of sleeping on someone’s floor after getting paid gas money from a shifty promoter in another state, then folding 7- inch record covers in the van on the way to the next show in another state. Lame. As for Thursday, it’s beers at The Red Hot, then The Top to rock faces off. Maybe we’ll play again in March somewhere.



“Between the five of us, there are two kids to take care of, four mortgages to pay, two self-owned businesses to run, four wives to not piss off, and two of us have to work nights. It’s a miracle we still play together at all,” continues Trashcan. “Luckily for us, rock and roll is not brain surgery.”



Lucky for the members of Gold Teeth, lucky for fans of real rock in Tacoma — and, perhaps most of all — lucky for those in need of brain surgery, Trashcan is correct. Rock and roll is not brain surgery. It is, however, what Gold Teeth does best. A frantic and jagged amalgamation of power chords, broken strings, broken drum sticks and shattered eardrums, Gold Teeth lays it down the way it should be. There’s nothing pretty about this band. Gold Teeth is ugly and unkempt. They’re wild and unrestrained. They’re aging and fueled up — and they’re headed to the stage this Thursday at Top of Tacoma.



“This show is classified as a definite Cornhole Blackout™, with free rides on the Spirit Donkey™. All the bands rock, and DON’T play painfully long sets with 57 songs. Perfect. No bullshit, and ridiculously fun. It should be a crazed, sweaty night with dire consequences to pay the next day,” says Trashcan of Thursday’s show. “The Top is a great place for shows, because it’s only a once in a while thing. They can pick and choose lineups, so it’s all-killer, no-filler. We like both other bands on the bill. Why play a show with some band you don’t like? The Top has great people working there, and is a small Tacoma-owned business worthy of your hard-earned dollars.”



For those who show up to catch Gold Teeth, Blanco Bronco and the Coloffs on Thursday, keep this in mind: Nothing says thanks for the great show like buying the band a beer.



“Cold and free is our favorite,” says Trashcan.



Not surprising.



As far as real deal rock and roll goes, this one’s a sure bet. If you didn’t know before, now you do.



[Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe, Gold Teeth, Blanco Bronco, the Coloffs, Thursday, Dec. 18, 9 p.m., no cover, 3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1502]