3/20/15

Friday of SXSW I only have two shows today!

#1 AGBG with the Gay Sportscasters.

I drove down to South Austin on an extended lunch hour from the day job to fill in for this show. Tom (who took over for me a couple of years ago) couldn't make it so I was back in for one. The stage was packed with three dancers, three guitars, a singer, bass and drums. It's a decent sized space, but not with that many people on it.

I was switching between both sides of the stage. When I was singing I was on the opposite side of the bass rig. That's always a little weird, but you get used to it. There were a bunch of kids at the show and they all got eyes and ears full! The 'casters would have been my dream band when I was a kid. All of that jiggling flesh and dirty talk, I would have been in heaven!

We finished up and as I was changing back in to work clothes the rain really picked up. I was soaked by the time I got back in the car. At least the post show shower was taken care of...

#2 Triple Crown with the Hickoids.

After seeing the Residents and 숨[suːm] at the Paramount (!!!!) I made the drive to San Marcos. It was a shitty, drizzly night and it kept getting colder. I made it to the club right when Pony was finishing up. We loaded up and rocked a thin but excited crowd. The Triple Crown is a locals bar and it hard to get the central Texas locals out during SXSW even in San Marcos, but we still had some good, drunken fun during the night.

The most memorable moment was after closing one of the other bands on the bill had a truck with a dead battery (if you keep three iphones plugged in and the overhead light on for hours on end without turning on the car it will drain the battery...) So Smitty pulled up the freak van and got them jumped, but then he locked the keys in the freak!!! Chalk that one up to exhaustion. Tom and I broke in and eventually everyone got to go home home, but now without feeling a little bit stupid first...

11/8/14

Back before this show was booked I'd heard all abut the eventual demise of the Triple Crown, San Marcos' finest place to play. It was falling victim to the same kind of property development that's been happening up here in Austin, clear out the old crap and build the new/fancy and rich folks will buy it up as fast as they can.

So it was a bittersweet drive when I headed down for the show. After (literally) hundreds of late, sweaty nights the last time I would play there would be with the Hickoids and we were opening for the Beaumonts.

Since the Dog and Duck closed on Halloween (and with this last show looming) I'd been bummed out about all the change in central Texas. I was getting all sentimental and missing cherry picked parts of my past. I even Tweeted about the show with the hashtag #anothergreatbarcloses.

I pulled in to the parking lot and loaded my gear then headed outside to talk with the fellas. At some point I said something about our last night here and I was told...

"Oh no, it's staying open. The guy that owns it decided not to build condos."

I was thrilled! The Crown was staying! And I had just posted the stupidest tweet possible in that situation...

It probably wont be the last time.

4/5/14

I made the drive to the Triple Crown and got there right before we were gonna play. There was some lineup juggling going on and at one point we were third, but in reality we were second (and I sadly can't remember who was first...) We got up and Hickoided the hell out of it for about forty five minutes. Nice set. There weren't as many people there as last month, but they were drunk and happy and therefore they loved us.

Gringos were next. The set was a whole lot better getting to hear everything and I think they played better than the night before because of it. Also there were no "surprise instrumentals", a huge plus.

The Beaumonts were last. I wasn't gonna stick around for the set, but I did anyway. That's the second time in a row I was gonna ditch their set and I didn't, I'm hardcore. Well, in reality there was too much love in the room to go. I'm really happy I stayed, they played three new songs!!! It was a beautiful, baby Jesus kinda miracle. I don't think they've changed the set much in the last two or three years so this was a really cool surprise. I think they did it all for me...

Fortunately there were no asshole-egomaniacs on the bill. Everyone was happy to be there and ready to play. You know, like they are supposed too. It also looks like the Crown might have a small reprieve on the building. Apparently there is a lot of opposition to condos being built that close to the river. Let's hope that fight goes to regular people and the condo building folks lose their asses.

I can dream.

3/15/14

Yeah this one is late. I'll have a SXSW wrap up coming tomorrow (I hope) Saturday night kinda knocked the crap out of me.

The Hickoids first set started at 6PM at the '04 lounge. The drive was ok, I found decent parking and for the first time during this years fest, I used my own bass rig! We set up and played after A Pony Named Olga, again. Our set was ok, it was a little early in the day and I think we were all in the marathon mindset, as in don't blow your wad too early boy, you got three shows today. 

The '04 is a cool place, but where the bands set up is right where people walk by to go to the bathroom. So your rocking out with your eyes are closed and when you open them back up someone looking at you like "Get out of my way, I have to piss" It's strange.

Johnny Hell was there and he got up for two songs (Lance played a show before this one, so he was happy to take the break) as always it was nice playing with him. He and Lance even did a little double drumming on "Stop It", the world needs more double drummer lineups! After the set we quickly packed up and headed to...

ABGB on Oltorf. We were on at 8. I parked in the back and loaded just my bass and cords in (backline!) I was immediately asked what I wanted to drink and eat. I could get use to this. I had a couple of lagers but I held out for the pizza until after we played. When we showed up DD Dagger was on the stage and whipping ass. I haven't seen Allison blow sax in years and I really, REALLY liked this band. I've got to do a show with them and the Ladies it will be an "Animalistic Rock-A-Thon"! 

This set was a lot better than our first one. All of us were giving it a little extra gas and the sound was really good which makes the job a whole lot easier. It also felt more like a real show, ABGB has a stage! We did our thing and the crowd was in to it. We finished the set, ate some pizza and head to...

The Triple Crown. "Olga" was up when I got there. I settled in to the back and hung out with the Grannies and a Beaumont until they finished. Grannies were next, I hadn't seen a whole set from them since Europe last year so I caught every song. Sluggo was playing a cheap SG copy and I knew it wasn't gonna last. During the solo on the last tune of their set Sluggo jumped up on the bar and started playing the guitar with an ashtray. Then he hopped to the ground, took it off and started swinging. Pop, Pop, Pop. The satisfying sound of a cheap guitar hitting linoleum. 

We were next and we played fine. I used Tom's bass rig because it was still on the stage and no one, including me, felt like moving it. There was some definite ass dragging going on in our third set (fourth for Lance!) But we survived the full 45 minutes and broke our shit down. SXSW was over for us. Now all we had to do was watch the Beaumonts! They were great as usual. Nothing new, just regular old, bad ass Beaumontin'.

After that Smitty and I went to IHOP and got some food. I drank almost a full pot of coffee and I was still buzzing from it after the 45 minute drive home. I drank three beers after a shower and finally went to bed around 6AM, twelve hours after the first show started (and that doesn't include me being at the day job from 10-4). The next day I woke up around noon, ate and managed to stay awake for a couple of hours before I fell asleep again. When I woke back up it was Monday afternoon and I was still on the couch. It's kinda a SXSW tradition.

11/8/13

Hickoids at the Triple Crown. I made the drive in 32 minutes! And I wasn't really speeding (much)... I load in and Pure Luck is setting up. They have a Drum Kit, Bass rig with 4 10"s , Orange amp with two 12"s, two Peavy's with 2 12"s each and Cody sets up a Fender pro Junior with 15 screaming watts of power through a 10" speaker. Luckily the sound guy (an out of costume Steve Vegas) knows what he is doing and everything sounded great. Rockin set!!

At some point someone popped a string and Smitty got his out to loan. The dude was playing a solo on it and it came to me that he was touching virgin territory on that guitar. A joke I beat to death by the end of the night...

We went on and had a good set. Not great, but we were fine. I only used one cabinet and it felt a little lean to me. "Steve Vegas" had it sounding good, but I've gotten use to having both cabs.

Mr Lewis and his Funeral Five were last. Good stuff. To over simplify them I'd say they sound like Tom Waits with a clean voice. For a few of the tunes they had a guy playing percussion with the drummer, getting closer to the double thing I love so much. 

The world needs more drums.

9/21/13

Hicks and The Beaumonts at the Triple Crown. San Marcos here I come! We went on around 10:30 to a pretty decent crowd. It's really odd being in a smoking bar nowadays. Another small town anomaly.

I borrowed "Don E. Rosewood's" rig so all I brought was the bass and some cords. Easy in and out. We were in the middle of "Stop It" and Smitty ran out in to the crowd and started wrapping them up in the mic cord. I was ready to jump in to start rubbing my ass on them and then I realized I was using a short cord! If I jumped Don's bass head would have come with me... I'm glad I thought about it for a second.

We wrapped it up and The Beaumonts went on. I watched them kick some ass for five or six tunes then headed back to Austin. I like being the early band.

5/23/13

It's day one of the latest Hickoids mini-tour, four days with the Beaumonts. It's a themed tour, I don't really know what the theme is, but I know it has something to do with goats or sheep... We are starting off close to home and will end things up in Marfa on Sunday (we are told the livestock will be there, in force).

I know I've said it before, but I love spending the night in my bed on the first day of a tour... It's rock and roll, old man style!

We were in San Marcos at a former massage parlor know as the Tokyo Spa. They call it the Triple Crown now. Hickoids were first, we had a good set. Smitty's playing a lot of guitar at the top of the set. Energy wise we seem to start things off a little more subdued than usual, but we still bring the rock by the end of the set.

We did the Brontosaurs and that always makes me happy.

Beaumonts were on next. I didn't see them (work the next morning) but, I heard the top of the first song as I headed to my truck. Lame, I know, but I'll see PLENTY of them this weekend.

Ft Worth tomorrow!

7/22/11

Double trifecta day two. The Gay Sportscasters played The Triple Crown in San Marcos last night. We were sans dancers and even though I thought people wouldn't dig it (I figure most folks come to watch the "mammarian force field") they did. We actually played like a real band instead of some guys who know some songs and play on occasion.

The Reaction was on the bill with Attic Ted (one of Wade's old bands) and the Jocks. When the 'casters were playing "Get Down Tonight" (yes, we do some really awful tunes) an old fried was dancing ala John Travolta right in front of me. I completely lost it and stopped playing for a few bars. It's a little different than Smitty's usual screwing with me, he just sticks that smelly ass mic in my face (or something similar). Seeing "The Travolta" took me by complete surprise.

Breakdown

Got two drink tickets and bought one extra beer for $2.50. Not bad or great.

On the first song Smitty's mic didn't work so while the sound guy was swapping it out Smitty jumped on mine. Nasty!