1/26/17

Bigfoot Chester was asked to play a last minute birthday party for our friend Ray from the Crackpipes. We wouldn't say no to that. It was at the Aristocrat, another club thats close to my house that I'd never been to because of sloth.

We were the only band, set up and breakdown couldn't have been easier. And I scored a couple of whiskeys during the evening. We were on a tab, the Dj tab. Not the band or music tab...

Anyway the crowd was decent and we played pretty good for a rehearsal... Onve again no practice before the show. We did a Crakpipes tune, "Record Player Party" for the first time (I think it's for the first time. Trey said we recorded it a few years ago, Bill and I don't remember that.) Ray got up and sang it with us and we kinda pulled it off.

Overall it was a pretty low key night with some good folks coming out for a bit of fun. Just like it should be.

1/7/17

You know what happens when you play three nights in a row? You can't help but slaughter it. Fuck ups be damned! Nothing is getting in the way of the Hickoid, three day freight train. We were even stronger than when we tour because we'd all slept in our own beds every night. I could tour like this forever.


It was a big pile of a lovefest at the Lost Well. It was Tub Rex from the Gringos' birthday and folks from all around made it out. I've never see the Lost Well that packed before. It didn't hurt that it was still cold as hell outside so there wasn't that much "going out side to smoke" going on.



Rio Jordan started it off. Holy shit. I missed them at ACL so glad I chance to make up for that. It seems real traditional at first, but that quickly changed when they started mixing up some pretty serious Jazz in the middle. And they didn't do it like they were showing off, they just whip that shit out whenever they want. Got to see them as much as I can.


Me Thinks made it down for their first show in Austin ever. Hard to believe I saw them for the first time nearly ten years ago and they've NEVER played Austin, crazy. Anyway they kicked ass, hard. So hard it made us step up our game when we went up next.



Gringos did a mini set after us. They were wearing pig masks when they did "Nurture My Pig." It was pretty disturbing. The mouths moved just a little and it looked like some kinda shitty animatronic doll that Disney scrapped in the fifties. Thanks for the nightmares fellas...


Beaumonts and Cunto finished things off. I was loading out and chatting folks up while the Beaumonts were on. I caught a fair amount of the set but I wasn't paying too much attention. I was so whipped after the last three days of working and playing I was gone with an Irish goodbye before Cunto even started.

1/6/17

When I pulled up to the Deanville bar and grill it was 22 degrees outside and the wind was blowing at around 20 miles an hour. There were only a few cars in the lot, pretty obvious we weren't gonna set any attendance records. Most people in Central Texas like the heat. Dry, cracked earth and no rain for a month heat. We stay home when it's this cold out.


We were gonna play from 8-11 but we didn't get going until around 8:45. Almost immediately we drove off of the older couples and we were left with a handful. Some of them were actually proud that they braved the elements to see the Hickoids!


By the time we packed up the temperature was 18, and the wind chill was 12. We hadn't been this cold since Berlin. Earlier we'd played a 20+ minute version of "Stop It" and a 20+ minute version of "Truck/Bronto". There was a little bit of phoning it in, but we hit 'em pretty hard for a bunch of old men, slugging out rock and roll for two hours during the coldest night of the winter.



More tomorrow.

1/5/17

Free week in San Antonio. Lots of clubs with lots of bands and it was all free!!!!
At this point, I don't know if we got paid so it really could be free ignoring the two drinks got and the gas I used...


We were on at 11 at the Paper Tiger. I think we were third of four. That place was cold as hell. The barn doors were closed, but they don't really have any heating in there. Originally it was a garage, no fixing it. I love it in the summer!


A decent amount of people we there when we went on. Our set was pretty good. I kept the coat on for the first few cause I was freezing. I screwed up a bunch. I'm still figuring out that new bass. At times it sounds amazing, then my hand moves position a little and it starts sounding wrong. I'll figure it out in a few shows.


More tomorrow.

12/31/16

A New Years Twofer!

#1) 8:30PM

This was the Hickoids at the Spiderhouse Ballroom. They had all three stages going, each with their own themed decade from the 60's-80's. We were on the 70's stage and we took that to heart. All covers, no crap! Well it was mostly crap... China Grove and Take it Easy were our first two songs... Jesus Fuck what a horrible bunch of shit. I hate those songs even more now that I know how to play them.

Anyway we did eight tunes, got free keg beer and got paid! Not a bad way to start things off. Fingerpistol was after us. I had fun hanging out with Jill and Kim, but I didn't get to see them play because....

#2) 11PM 

Swishbucklers at the Nomad. We were opening for the Pocket Fishermen. THe crow was small but spirited and we gave them all we had! We gay-pirated their faces off!

Fishermen went up after everyone tucked in to cheap champagne and rubbed and slobbered all over anyone they were allowed to hug and slobber all over. Their set was great as usual. They went long and eventually I went home tired (IE lazy). 

11/26/16

Bigfoot at the Nomad. I'd never played there and I'd only ever been a handful of times. The first few they didn't even have a stage, it was just a couple of acoustic folks strumming on the wood. Now there is a stage, PA, bass amp (!), drink tickets!! AND it's a mile and a half from the house.


We were in the middle of three. The first band's drummer couldn't make it so it was just a guy banging away on an acoustic. Then we went up. We had a nice set we were fairly mellow for us, but we still gave it plenty of rumble.


Because I am pitiful (notice how long it took to post this...) I can't even remember the last bands name... I'm pretty sure the singer's name was Ira. I do remember they had a pretty soulful sound and were kicking that ass. Hopefully I'll see them again.


I'll be back at the Nomad on NYE with the Swishbucklers. It's the perfect distance from my house for a drunk holiday show.

10/7/16

Late late lame



ACL Week Two

Hickoids were on earlyish at the Hole. In fact we were so early I almost missed the set! I showed up, plugged in, got a drink and we were on. GO!! Our set was decent. The crowd was nowhere near what we'd had the weekend before, seems like the big festival crowd can' make it above MLK. Oh well... We rocked it.

It was the typical two stage setup, back and fourth, bam bam bam. Meet your death was after us up front. Cool set, but Walters amp popped so he didn't sound like his usual self.

Sailor Poon was next in the back. I could barely understand what was being sung, but that didn't matter. They were great! I really liked them. As a matter of fact they have a bass player and a drummer that work pretty well together. Hmm...

Beaumonts were last and upfront. Their penises looked HUGE up on that little stage. I took off around the half way point, they were killing it and there was no reason to believe that wouldn't continue.

And that was all the ACL for me. I wasn't on the bill the next night, I was gonna go but by 9PM I was still in my underwear and I'd poured myself a whiskey so...

And AND The fellas (with Odie as my sub) are curremtly on the east coast and about to head over to Europe (bastards, without ME!!!!) Go see them! And tell em you miss RICE!!