7/21/18

Hickoids were up lthe Other Saturday night. Big show at the Empire Control Room we were  second of four. 

Dress up was first. Some pretty raunchy punk with a whole lot of penis out in the room. Lance and I were talking outside and Tom came up to us and said “that guy is just wearing a guitar.”  Lance and I sighed and went inside for a minute. 

Tom was right... Penis. 

We went on next and the crowd was really in to it. But they weren’t there for us. They came for Piñata Protest!!

Alvaro has really killed it over the years. He is busting his ass for that fine rock and roll music. It’s been cool watching him climb. The current lineup is really tight and on fire! No shocker there. 

Cunto finished us off with all of that Cunto sweetness. Those silly ass songs done so seriously... kills me. I’ve said it a hundred times, any band that sings “We fucked a polar bear” will always make me happy.  

3/18/15

The Hickoids had our first show of SXSW last night. We were at the White Horse and there were a bunch of label mates and friends on the bill. Lovefest all the way.

I got there late when the Hares were finishing up. Great fucking set (well, what I caught...) Horns rule. Not much else to say because, Horns Rule!

The Protest were up next. They have a new guitar player who moved all the way from LA to join them. The ever expanding awesomeness that is Pinata Protest is a pretty amazing thing to behold. When I first started in the Hickoids they were just another little punk band from SA. Now they have employees! Well deserved and really cool.

We went on at midnight a bunch of the Protest's crowd stuck around for us and we gave them some of the good stuff. It was a sloppy set filled with our special brand of stupidity and some girl in the front flashed us! That's almost as good as getting paid. Almost.

Beaumonts were last. They finished out the night on a beer soaked stage littered with cans and telecasters. I heard two songs I think I've never heard before! New songs make me so happy!

Rumor has it there were a couple of uber famous people in attendance, one of which was planning an Electric Kool-Aid Acid type of evening. I didn't get invited... Hell they didn't even offer me a beer or ask me to play bass with them! Guess I'll just keep doing what I've been doing.

5/2/14

Last night it was the Hickoids in San Antonio at Hi-tones, we were in the middle slot between Fea and Pinata Protest. The Protest were doing a secret show and the secret was out, big time.

I showed up about a minute before Fea went on, loaded in and had to park a few blocks away. The place was PACKED, I tried to get inside for a beer and to watch the band, but I could barely get in the door! So I just stood outside with the rest of the fellas.

Fea finished up and people were pouring out of the club. I ran in and scored a couple of beers and got setup. My gear went on the floor. The stage is too small for the five of us and all of our crap. I spent a couple of tunes just standing on the floor by my rig. If I wasn't singing I wasn't gonna keep bumping in to Tom for no reason.

One of my favorite drunks of the night was standing right in the front and he was holding three opened Lone Star tallboys. He was wearing a backpack and you could tell he was camped out for the Protest. But he was so drunk he could barely stand. He was basically on the edge of passing out and I could see him slowly getting a little more "relaxed" and he'd start to slip in to unconsciousness but he'd catch himself right on the edge, just before he was out. Every time he did it he would squeeze the tallboy cans and beer would shower up on him, everything and everyone around him. He did it four or five times during our forty five minute set. Pretty funny stuff.

I don't know how he "thought" he was gonna keep his spot, after three tallboys (and whatever else he had to drink) he'd have to be some kind of a piss-camel to make it to the end of our set and then through another hour and a half of gear moving and Protest rocking. Then again he squeezed eighty percent of his beer out before it got in to his mouth so pissing may not have been much of an issue.

We finish up and load the Freak for this weekend's shows while the main event loaded in. The place was razor blade packed. Crowbar packed. Sardine packed. The place was... packed! The Protest got up and started to whip it, there was no way I was gonna get back in so I took off and headed home. Kinda anticlimactic, but that was my night

5/16/13

My first time at the new Antone's. They did a really nice job with the place. Two stories, two bars (and most importantly) two coolers stocked with Lone Star tallboys for the bands. Iced beer! They STILL know how to treat bands here.

Hickoids were in the middle. Black Eyed Vermillion was first. The lineup was different from the last time I saw them (it seems to change a lot!). A couple of the Cunto fellas have joined and that's a very good thing. They held it down while Gary stomped and yelled all over the stage. They were louder than usual, but that makes them rowdier too, another good thing.

Our set felt quick to me, It wasn't, but it proves I have no concept of time when I'm playing. I'm always the person who thinks we've played twenty minutes more (or less) than we actually have... I need a soundman to keep me straight.

I borrowed Marcus's (from PP) rig. I'm liking the Orange gear more every time I use it. There may be a change in my future.

Pinata Protest was last. This was their record release and the crowd came out for the Protest. Loads of drunken people jumping around on the dance floor and having a great time. They always seem to bring the rock and roll beat down. It's expected at this point.

Breakdown

Two coolers of iced down Lone Star (a CASE of tallboys in each). And we got paid! Damn... one hell of a Thursday night.

7/15/11

Salute is one hell of a sweaty joint. Pack sixty or so folks in a room (and AC) meant for thirty it's not gonna be pretty. Add in the 104 degree temps we've been having and it ain't gonna smell any better either.

Hickoids played the middle slot after Pinata Protest and before a German band called The Boss Hoss. Evidently they are wildly popular in Germany. For a seven piece they had a 15 passenger van, an RV, a truck for the gear, some road crew, and some folks filming them. It must be fun having a budget. They appeared to be having a blast...

Breakdown

We bassists used the same SWR 2 10" combo that sounded farty to me on stage. It could my usual problem with low powered combos, my "attacky" style overwhelms them pretty quick. The other two bassist sounded solid, but not very loud. My rig would have sounded better, but it was still being fixed.

I never got a chance to ask if there was a beer deal for bands, the place was pretty packed when we got there and it never eased up. I paid $3 for Lone Stars and someone bought me one on stage (thanks!) not a horrible rip-off, but it's not The Mix.