In their formative high school years, members of the California reggae-metal band The Expendables claimed they sucked so much as musicians that they labeled themselves "expendable," said Geoff Weers, singer and guitarist for the band. A few years and four albums later on the band's national tour, the name stuck.
"Any one of us could be fired at any moment," Weers said. "We were all expendable."
The name still stuck as The Expendables shared the stage with Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and Pepper last fall on UF's Flavet Field.
The Expendables will perform in Gainesville with three other bands, Rebelution, OPM and Waiting for Green, at Market Street Pub, located at 120 SW First Ave. The show is Monday at 9 p.m.
"Our music is bipolar," Weers said. "Yin and yang, metal and reggae, fire and water - that's been our theme since the start."
The members grew up in Santa Cruz, Calif. Their songs, he said, are about being at the beach, surfing, parties and sexy girls.
"We're flying high now, we're flying high now," the band sings in "Bowl for Two," "I cannot feel the ground."
Weers confessed that marijuana might play a modest role in some of his songs. "Bowl for Two" is about the plant's romantic quality, its ability to bring people together.
"Smoking with girls is great," Weers said, "Unless the girl doesn't normally smoke. Then she gets paranoid and starts tripping out, which kind of ruins the vibe."
He also mentioned the importance of family. His brother was diagnosed about 10 years ago with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Weers wrote a song inspired by what he went through.
"My brother was 19 when he started being paranoid all the time," he said. "We're not so close anymore, and it really sucks."
The song is called "Brother," and it might appear in an upcoming album, Weers said. The band has already come out with four albums: "No Time to Worry" in 2001; "Open Container" in 2002; "Gettin' Filthy" in 2004; and "The Expendables" in 2007.
"Gettin' Filthy" features a mystical cover design with two women, the spirits of water and fire, about to touch each others' hands, surrounded by the ocean, flames and moonlight. The art for every album was first drawn by Shaun Logan, the band's tour manager and cover artist.
Weers and the band's other members, bassist Ryan DeMars, percussionist Adam Patterson and guitarist Raul Bianchi, had to practice and work part-time jobs before emerging as full-time musicians.
The Expendables' self-titled album includes "Paper Chains," a song about feeling helpless in a world controlled by corporations more powerful than governments.
"I want to change the world so badly," Weers said. "But I feel so small. It's like there's nothing I can do. Except maybe write songs about it."
So he writes songs, and the band tours. But who said there's no fun to be had while trying to change the world?
"There's this game we play whenever we travel," Bianchi said. "It's called Gatorade roulette. Whenever you're thirsty, you reach for a bottle and take a sip. But you're never sure if it's actually Gatorade."
Patterson took a sip while driving. It turned out to be pee, and the band almost crashed.
Urine-filled Gatorade bottles aside, Weers said to expect a great show at Market Street Pub.
"We're gonna play it all," Weers said, "We'll play all the hits. And we're definitely gonna break out some new jams."
The band plans to start recording a new album sometime next year. Weers said their technical skills have improved over time.
"We're playing songs now we could have never played years ago," he said. "We kind of want to write another song about weed. It's been a while since we've had a weed song."
