The music of Big Wheel Stunt Show is difficult to classify, but one thing is for sure: it can entertain.

The Tacoma band will play at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1 at The Charleston Music Venue, 333 N Callow Ave, Bremerton. The show at the Chuck will be the band’s second gig in Kitsap in a month, after playing Winterland Friday, Sept. 3.

The band’s influences cover the rock music spectrum, from Johnny Cash to (early) Van Halen. The sound is what drummer and lead singer Justin Gimse calls hyper-rock.

“It’s really difficult to pinpoint what type of rock we play without somehow alienating our sound,” Gimse said.

With songs like “Brand New Bag” and “Bounty Hunter,” Stunt Shows may remind fans of music from the 1960s and 1970s with heavy guitar riffs and heart-stopping drum beats.

While the band’s solid rock is what draws a crowd, the high-energy performance will leave a lasting impression.

As fans of rock themselves, the members of Stunt Show have watched countless concerts. Former Bremerton resident Evan Nagle—Stunt Show guitarist and back-up vocalist—knows that putting on more than just a musical show can help build a bands fan base, he said.

“I have witnessed so many amazing shows and want to provide our fans with the same kind of experience,” Nagle said.

Nagle lived in Bremerton after moving to the Northwest and is impressed by how close bands are in the Kitsap and Tacoma areas, he said. Nagle has played guitar since he was 12 years old and the last band he was in, Devil Motto, was not as motivated as Stunt Show, he said.

“Fourteen years of playing in bands and I have never seen what I have seen up here,” Nagle said. “This area has such a good vibe…people are just more excited.”

On stage Nagle can be seen jumping around—and sometimes off—music equipment. In the back of the stage, Gimse hits the drums with furious-precision and bass player and back-up vocalist Jake Melius slaps the guitar strings hard enough to leave bruises.

Seeing blood on the instruments and cracked knuckles is not uncommon.

“We don’t try to hurt ourselves,” Gimse said. “But when you have the pedal to the metal you’re going to have some bloody moments.”

Melius joined the band about three weeks ago after his previous band, Murdock, broke up. As a fan of Stunt Show, Melius remembers watching the band perform at venues like the Charleston, where he was in awe.

“One night at the Charleston (Gimse) went into this intense drum beat at the end of the show,” Melius said. “Then they all began going crazy… it was just this wall of rock music.”

The band’s performance may have always been exciting, but their venues began a little lack-luster. The first gig the band ever played was at Hot Iron Bar and Grill in Bremerton on May 21, 2009, which was a strange place to play live rock, Gimse said.

Stunt Show quickly changed gears, playing the Ron Paul Freedom Festival the next week in front of over 700 people. Big Wheel Stunt Show, which was originally called Big Wheel Stunt Squad, was trying to get its name out in the music scene and took any gig they could get, Gimse said.

“We chose a name that would catch people’s interest,” Gimse said. “We don’t have anything too do with vehicles and in terms of the stunts well…I guess that would be our guitar player (Nagle) during a performance.”

Stunt Show began preparations for recording a new album recently. The band plans on writing a large amount of new songs before heading down to Radiostar Studios in California to record.

Writing and perfecting a list of new songs is a difficult task, but the group feels they can do it because they are all on the same page. Living in close proximity to each other helps as well, with Gimse and Nagle living in the same house and Melius living a few blocks away.

“Our band has really strengthened recently,” Nagle said. “There are never reasons not to work on a set list or go and jam.”

Along with recording new music in a professional studio, the band has talked about going on a European trip. They are not trying to become the biggest band ever, but would enjoy making enough to live on with their music.

“I can’t wait for the day I can walk up to my boss and ask for time off to go on a rock tour,” Melius said.