9/25/15

We started the drive to New Orleans around 7 PM. My house was the last pickup spot and we got on the road right after Tom and I loaded our crap in to the freak van. Around 5 AM I hopped in to my hotel bed right after the first beer of the (previous) day. I was exhausted. We stopped five times on the way (including a casino break) that kinda kills the possibility of making good time. Oh well, we weren't going on until midnight so there was no great rush to get up early.

The show was at dba on Frenchman Street. I played there with an old version of "the Ladies" back before Katrina dumped her load and things have changed dramatically since then. Frenchman Street was packed and it's a tiny, one lane, one way street so there is very little room to move around. All of the tourist (myself included) were bouncing between the clubs and the brass band out on the street, it was elbow to elbow. Since the economy is up and party people flock to New Orleans it's no surprise that the former "locals" music road is now the tourists "secret" music place. There was money was flowing everywhere. The pickpockets were even donating 10% of their take to charity. Pretty decent of them.

dba has changed as well, but for the better. Now there is a decent sized stage framed out into the room and an extensive backstage with a private smoking patio. Very cool. When I played there the stage was basically a plank of wood that stuck out by the wall. This was a huge improvement. And the hospitality... They are batting a 1000 there. Loads of free beer, booze and mixers. They know how to treat a band at dba.

Alien Knife Fight was first, similar set as the last time I saw them, they rocked it. DiNOLA played the middle slot (and were the folks that got us to come to town). They had a seriously great set! Apparently we played with them at ACL at some point, but I don't remember it at all. Maybe I saw them, maybe I didn't... I saw them on this night. I won't forget that set for a long, long time.

We got up and played the longest Hickoid set in recorded history. I was told we were on for somewhere between two and a half and three hours. I have no idea if that's true, but we didn't end up leaving the club till 4AM. I was so drunk and happy (and loaded with cash after being PAID(!) for playing ) that I rushed over to the casino to gamble with Smitty and Cody until around 8 AM when I stumbled back to the hotel flush with my winnings!

What a great night.

9/19/15

The 'bucklers went on early at Opal Divines. It was finally "talk like a pirate day" and the costumed crowd had gathered for a rocking evening of ridiculousness. And beer (they called it ale or mead... sigh, it was beer).

Our set was spot on. We had no huge mishaps and we kept things pretty tight for the whole set. There were some kids in the audience (sitting right by the stage) so Smitty wasn't as actively verbal with the between song banter as he usually is. You don't really want to explain the double entendre of a song like "The Mast" to a nine year old...

"The wood, the wood, the wood is good..." The rest of the crowd got it, or gets it, that's all that really matters.

The Jolly Garogers and Shoulders finished things off. JG's had to wait a long time for a member to make it (I never figured out if he did, I went inside to the AC and beer and missed their entire set.) I did catch a bit of the Shoulders. Those guys are the same as they were twenty years ago (just in pirate garb for the "special occasion"). They rock so hard and play so quiet it's amazing and I don't know how they do it!

So that's it for the 'bucklin this year. One rehearsal, two shows and it will be another eleven months and three weeks until the next one. That's a hell of a schedule. It's a shame because I love shaking the slide for this band. Too bad the next show is forever away. Unless...

9/18/15

The Swishbucklers are back! We played at Tex Pop in San Antonio for our pal Belle's birthday. We will play together a grand total of three times this year, and that includes the one rehearsal we had Thursday night. 

I drove to Lance's house and we made the rest of the drive together. When I got to his place he was already in full costume AND make up! The man is committed or should be committed, I'm not the person who makes those kinds of decisions. 

The show was decent. I really like playing guitar in a band that isn't mine. It's fun to just wank around with a slide and not worry about pushing the beat all the time like I have to do when I'm playing bass. This band is practically a vacation since I don't even sing in it! What I'm getting at is I could basically just show up, set up and set my slide in motion while I take a nap. It's rare I get to do something this fun that isn't that much work.

Cock in my pocket was last. Here is a little musician math. 50% of cock in my pocket are in the Hickoids and The Swishbucklers. 100% of them are in the Gay Sportscasters. Welcome to the reality of bands music fans.

Cock's set was great until the cops showed up... Smitty was about to get a ticket and they were gonna shut it down, but he agreed to do two more if someone would make sure both the front and back doors stayed shut. I was on the back and did my duty while they finished up with a seriously badassed version of Iggy's No Fun. They really hit the groove in that tune. The cops left and eventually Lance and I drove back home. 

More 'bucklin tomorrow!

9/12/15

We flew up to Denver for a show last Saturday night. We went up late Friday on a flight that was delayed for a few hours and made it to Colorado about ten minutes after the last dispensary closed. Plans foiled.

The next day, bright and early, we made our way over to Wellspring on Broadway where we were HOOKED UP! They gave us (gave, as in no money) a load of bud, edibles and concentrate. Good God it's nice up in Denver... We spent most of the afternoon smoking and munching followed by more smoking and munching and a little bass playing. I'd weigh 400 pounds if I lived there...

Eventually we made it up to the Oriental Theater. Hickoids were the last on a bill of five. Apparently there was a sixth "act" before everything else got started. Some chick played a meditation bowl while she chanted. Maybe all the legal weed isn't such a good thing... You know... Hippies can ruin anything.

We went on around 9 and had a decent set. A big stage and borrowed gear can make things interesting. The boat load of liquor the crowd brought us was what really made things insane. There were a lot of shots. Like a lot. Like to the point where there was a boat load of sloppy on the stage. Not the good, funky slop I usually aim for, but the "what a bunch of sloppy shit"... Not the greatest...

We lost a decent chunk of the crowd when we did "Kung Fu Fighting" Apparently casual racism offends hippies. We should have played it earlier... The folks who came to rock stayed and brought us more shots. That led to more of the aforementioned sloppy and pretty much ended our set.

It wasn't the glorious out of town show we'd hoped for, but I still had a hell of a good time. And I can't wait to smoke my way back to Denver ASAP!

9/4/15

Hickoids had a couple of shows in Bryan TX last Friday night. Usually when people say Bryan they also say (or at least think) College Station. I'm not sure we ever made it in to College Station, I figured we were close, but I never saw a sign, so I guess I've never been there. Once we go to town we made our way through a few busy blocks of one lane traffic. It's First Friday so the streets are packed! Well... small town packed.

The Beaumonts were also along for the ride, they went on before us at both shows. The first was at a vintage clothing store/art gallery. Cool place with some interesting art for your funeral home or for fans of the movie "Dinner for Schmucks". Mouse and duckling taxidermy is really cool, sad and adorable. I think I want some.

I was outside for most of the Beaumonts first set. Lots of people would stop and gawk at the "country" band in the store. They would either hang out for a minute and leave happy or they'd stay till they heard a lyric they deemed offensive and moved on. During "If you don't love the Lord..." I saw a family go from "Alright!" to "move along" after hearing only one line in that God Dammed song.

We went up and it was a decent set. Sweaty and packed into a tiny space the Hickoids can sound pretty great. We all tried to make it out to the sidewalk at one point, but we got stuck in the door. So mature. We finished up and loaded out to the next place.

It was only a couple of blocks away and when we got there the opening band was on stage. A couple of the fellas worked their way up to the bar and were told the opener used all of the bar tab for the night...  All of it.

What a horrible decision on managements part. Here is a good idea if you own a club. Let the band have a couple of free drinks for each member. Sure, it cuts into your bottom line, but not as much as a band that's pissed because they get no free drinks! Without proper beverage "accommodations" a band's attitude will quickly become "Oh, you want US to entertain you?" I even made friends with a bartender who said "I'll take care of you!" I thought this meant free beer (or at least A free beer) but when I asked for one he said "$3.50". What a bunch of crap.

The worst part was we were borrowing the openers PA so we couldn't say anything to them about our lack of drinks...

Anyway, Beaumonts played, we played. There was a bunch of going out in the audience and taking a "break" at a table in the middle of a song People love that stuff. A couple of them loved it enough to buy us a couple of rounds! So we didn't spend all of our money on beer, just a decent chunk.

Eventually we finished, loaded out and headed back to Austin. I was home a little after 6AM and up for work at 8:45 the next morning... That was a rough day.