December 19 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts and Entertainment Source: Bay Area Band to ‘Wreck the Halls’ in Benicia

Bay Area-based rock band Wreckless Strangers will perform Friday at Lucca Bar & Grill in Benicia. The “Wreck the Halls” show will feature fan favorites and songs off the band’s recently released EP, September’s “Blue Sky Fantasy.”

Although marketed as a holiday show, “Wreck the Halls” will not feature any Christmas songs as of now, although lead guitarist and vocalist David Noble hopes to play one or two if possible.

“White Christmas is always a fun tune. Maybe I can talk the band into doing a version of that,” he laughed.

Noble, a Bay Area native, grew up loving rock.

“I think the seventh grade was when all my friends at the time were learning Led Zeppelin and  I was a part of that crew,” he says. “I just kept going, all through high school, all through college, I just didn’t stop and last I checked I’ve been doing this professionally for about 30 years.”

In those three decades, Noble has performed all over the country, from Colorado to Los Angeles to his home in the Bay Area.

Born in Berkeley and raised in San Francisco, Noble says this is always where he knew he would settle. “Growing up here, it was always in the back of my head, like, I want to be here,” he said. “I want to put down roots here and I’m so glad I did. This is exactly where I want to be.”

The music of the Bay helped shape Noble’s love for rock and funk, listening to artists like Tower of Power and Faith No More. “I’m a product of my environment,” he says.

Over the years Noble has performed many styles of music but says he always found his way back to rock, saying “rock is just deep in my veins.”

Now,  he has been playing with Wreckless Strangers for about eight years. The band’s music is a blend of blues, funk, and above all, rock and roll.

Five years ago, they gained Amber Morris, lead vocalist and voice teacher. “She’s like a vocal coach to the stars. She’s worked with everybody,” says Noble. Although she “doesn’t really do bands,” she agreed to join the crew.

In addition to Morris and Noble, the band is complete with Joshua Zucker (bass, vocals), Austin de Lone (keys, vocals), Mick Hellman (drums, vocals), and Rob Anderson (guitar, vocals).

The “Blue Sky Fantasy” EP is the optimistic twin to their 2023 EP “Orange Sky Dream,” says Noble.

When “Orange Sky Dream” came out, its message was angry and fed up, he says, “talking about things like global warming and how we know what to do but we’re not doing it.”

‘Blue Sky Fantasy” made a turn towards hopeful, like, ‘hey, let’s pave a path towards something better.’”

Noble wrote the first track on the new EP, “I Found a Way.” The song is about finding pleasure in the simple things in life.

“I have a daughter who is two and a half and she just makes me laugh every day,” he says.

Another favorite of his is “Handling Snakes,” written by Lone, which is a metaphor for the dangers of love.

“Wreck the Halls,” although marketed as a holiday show, does not plan to feature any songs as of now, although Noble hopes to play one or two if possible. “White Christmas is always a fun tune. Maybe I can talk the band into doing a version of that,” he laughed.

Noble says he always looks forward to playing at Lucca Bar & Grill. “It’s such a fun audience and the owners do it right,” he said. “It’s fun because the fact that it’s outdoors means that people can literally walk out on their front porch and take a listen.”

Tickets are free to this event, although food and drink are available for purchase. For more information, visit luccabar.com

If you go …

• WHAT: Wreckless Strangers “Wreck the Halls” Live at Lucca Beer Garden
• WHEN: Dec. 20, 5:30-8 p.m.
• WHERE: Lucca Beer Garden, 439 First St., Benicia.