DIY October: Pt. 1 Community Bikes

As we will say over and over this month, a heathy local music scene (especially Punk) absolutely needs a healthy DIY component. And we’re going to spend October shining a light on the can-do individuals who are doing this God’s Work.

Recently, Community Bikes joined the ranks of local small businesses, retailers and dot orgs who are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in our Cville DIY ecosphere. Joints like Daedelus Books, Book Club, Infinite Repeats, Chinchilla Cafe, Visible Records, Tea Bazaar, JBird Coffee Warehouse and the Rivanna Area Queer Center. (If I missed you, dm me, we want to support your efforts!)

Jake, Sean and Todd work their asses off at Community Bikes here in Charlottesville building unique, tasty and affordable bikes for anyone who needs one, free bikes for kids or anyone who needs help affording one and in the process they keep a lot of perfectly good shit out of landfills.

When they’re done working they play hard, too, spending their free time on BMX bikes at the skate park by the Y, out in the woods on trails or bikepacking, organizing group rides and hosting free bike maintenance clinics. The common thread that runs thru it all is community service and a non stop soundtrack of fairly heavy music. I know this to be true because the winter before starting this blog I had time to work a day a week at the shop helping out.

Sean, bike mechanic and one of the founders of the Warthog Bike Club, is a particularly “screw it I’ll do it myself” member of the team at Community — he’s firmly entrenched in the local bike, music and art counterculture, involved in the Cvil Cat and Cville Bike Polo, both of which are super fun and you should look into if you love to ride.

Recently, Sean got the DIY bug and talked Jake into hosting shows at Community.

What a great idea.

The mechanic’s riser is a perfect stage. There’s plenty of room for fans. It’s somewhat subterranean so noise isn’t an issue. Parking is easy. It shoots great and sounds awesome.

Last Saturday, Community played host to a band I’ve been trying to see for a year, Studebaker Huck. They sorta sit in the sweet spot between an overly qualified Garage Band and a really kick ass Southern Rock Band. Them boys laid down a tight, sweet set, I shit you not.

They were joined by local Punk outfits Fair Play and Dies OffScreen, who also know what the hell they’re doing. Both let it rip to a full shop.

To stay on top of the happenings at Community and to catch the next show, follow @communitybikes and @warthogbc. There’s a fair chance you’ll wind up with a sweet new whip like this vintage steel mtb with a 1-by conversion Old Hank built up at the shop with Sean and Todd’s help.

And a 100% chance you’ll catch a great show.