Day 9 Bath
As a part of this tour we were added to the BOB festival with our pals the Grannies. BOB because it's bands from Bingen, Oakland and Bath, I'm not sure how central Texas fits in, but we were happy to play.
It was mostly heavy punk bands so by the time we went on and hit them with our act the folks were starving for something different and we delivered in a big way. Hickoids made a lot of new friends. I even had a woman tell me I was like Nicholas Cage if he was designed by Hal Heartly. I'm not sure what it means but she meant it as a complement...
Grannies were supposed to be right after us but they got bumped to the next slot and they had a hellacious set. Dean was wearing an old ladies suit with big, saggy boobs, a giant bush and a huge clit. Lovely. On the last song Sluggo jumped off the stage and smashed the shit out of his "new" epiphone. It was an incredible end to the end of the 300 years of punk rock tour. Two guitars down.
And then the sound guy started bitching. "Any band who breaks anything will be kicked out immediately". Umm... he broke his guitar not anyone else's. so there was about an hour of stupid drama, Dean and Sluggo apologized just to get that idiot to shit up, but he wouldn't. The security guys were called in an they started horse laughing at the sound guy. EVERYONE was saying the same thing, it's a punk rock show and he broke HI'S guitar. That's it, nothing else. What a lame little bitch.
After most of the drama was over we packed up the euro freak and headed out. We gave our Grannie pals some hugs and said goodby. We will have fun at our last show, but we are gonna miss them.
London tomorrow!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
3/29/12
Day 8 Kortjrik
At the Pits. I played here a few years ago with South Filthy and it is still a tiny and cool club. SF had six people and the Hickoids (and Grannies) are five. There would have been more room on the stage, but our amps are way bigger (and too loud for the space).
There is a band area and kitchen upstairs with 14 steep and tiny steps. I slipped on the top one and went all the way down. No serious damage, but my lower back is a little messed up and my elbows took a hit. I'm sore as shit, but ill live.
Breakdown
Euro travel tip of the day. Go down the tiny/steep stairs slowly and use the handrail. And bring painkillers, you may need them.
Bath tomorrow.
At the Pits. I played here a few years ago with South Filthy and it is still a tiny and cool club. SF had six people and the Hickoids (and Grannies) are five. There would have been more room on the stage, but our amps are way bigger (and too loud for the space).
There is a band area and kitchen upstairs with 14 steep and tiny steps. I slipped on the top one and went all the way down. No serious damage, but my lower back is a little messed up and my elbows took a hit. I'm sore as shit, but ill live.
Breakdown
Euro travel tip of the day. Go down the tiny/steep stairs slowly and use the handrail. And bring painkillers, you may need them.
Bath tomorrow.
Friday, March 29, 2013
3/28/13
Day 7 Bingen
Tonight went a little smoother than the one before, no broken anything (other than some beer bottles). The club is a youth center/semi-squat. It was loaded with kick ass graffiti and the members (not employees) were kind and helpful.
Apparently there is some kind of veg/vegan movement with this of community, another boon for me! Chili and salad for dinner (plus beer) and a pretty incredible paprika cashew paste with cheese and avocado on hot rolls for breakfast.
The club loaded up fast. The openers were PJ Franco and the Burnouts, a bass and drum duo from Alaska. Hell of a good set. They are bouncing around Europe and staying out of the Alaskan cold. They told me this when it was snowing outside. At least it was warm enough for snow...
We played second and the Grannies closed things up with an amazing set. It was the perfect crowd for them. Dean can whip an audience like that in to a frenzy with ease. Those folks didn't have a choice. He had control of the room from the beginning and he kept turning the heat up. Amazing.
Kortjrik tomorrow!
Tonight went a little smoother than the one before, no broken anything (other than some beer bottles). The club is a youth center/semi-squat. It was loaded with kick ass graffiti and the members (not employees) were kind and helpful.
Apparently there is some kind of veg/vegan movement with this of community, another boon for me! Chili and salad for dinner (plus beer) and a pretty incredible paprika cashew paste with cheese and avocado on hot rolls for breakfast.
The club loaded up fast. The openers were PJ Franco and the Burnouts, a bass and drum duo from Alaska. Hell of a good set. They are bouncing around Europe and staying out of the Alaskan cold. They told me this when it was snowing outside. At least it was warm enough for snow...
We played second and the Grannies closed things up with an amazing set. It was the perfect crowd for them. Dean can whip an audience like that in to a frenzy with ease. Those folks didn't have a choice. He had control of the room from the beginning and he kept turning the heat up. Amazing.
Kortjrik tomorrow!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
3/27/13
Day 6 Hamburg
Well there is really only one thing to say about this night. The club (Goldener Salon) was cool, they fed us well, put us up in a decent little flat next door and gave us beer(!).
Grannies opened and four or five songs in Sluggo smashed his 70's SG. He was twirling it around in his typical fashion and he missed. It hit the ground and the headstock broke. I saw the nut fly off an I was thinking "that can't be his nut". I was wrong, it was.
At this point there are only two ways to go, freak out or go big. Sluggo went big. Two good whacks and the body popped off the neck and there it was, busted. Pop pop. He even knocked out a chunk of the floor.
Sluggo ain't fucking around. Pure rock and roll.
Well there is really only one thing to say about this night. The club (Goldener Salon) was cool, they fed us well, put us up in a decent little flat next door and gave us beer(!).
Grannies opened and four or five songs in Sluggo smashed his 70's SG. He was twirling it around in his typical fashion and he missed. It hit the ground and the headstock broke. I saw the nut fly off an I was thinking "that can't be his nut". I was wrong, it was.
At this point there are only two ways to go, freak out or go big. Sluggo went big. Two good whacks and the body popped off the neck and there it was, busted. Pop pop. He even knocked out a chunk of the floor.
Sluggo ain't fucking around. Pure rock and roll.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
3/26/13
Day 5 Copenhagen
After a much needed day off and a boatload of rest we ripped it up in Denmark. Daemonens Port is in the basement of an office building and directly below a baby supply store. We couldn't do a sound check until after six so we wouldn't piss off the parents with their kinder.
Leadfoot Lee's One Man Trash Band opened with an incredible solo set. It's a tough act to pull off and he did it with ease.
Grannies were next. Dean was wearing something that looked like it was stolen from Jane Fonda's closet in 1986. It was frighteningly hilarious.
Then we played. We were working it up to a nice boil when Sluggo joined us to sing on "Queen". Things popped up another level. And then we did "Brontosaurus".
A few months ago, when we were still planning this tour, there was a discussion about all of us playing one together and we landed on Brontosaurus. For whatever reason we didn't do it until last night. It was so amazing it should be the entire act for the whole tour.
Dean and Smitty howling. Sluggo played third guitar, Chris hopped up with a cowbell (and mask and wig) and Drew joined us to do handclaps (in a wig). It was one of the greatest on stage moments in my life.
Amazing.
Breakdown
Free beer! And shots on the stage. It's gonna be hard going home.
Hamburg tomorrow
After a much needed day off and a boatload of rest we ripped it up in Denmark. Daemonens Port is in the basement of an office building and directly below a baby supply store. We couldn't do a sound check until after six so we wouldn't piss off the parents with their kinder.
Leadfoot Lee's One Man Trash Band opened with an incredible solo set. It's a tough act to pull off and he did it with ease.
Grannies were next. Dean was wearing something that looked like it was stolen from Jane Fonda's closet in 1986. It was frighteningly hilarious.
Then we played. We were working it up to a nice boil when Sluggo joined us to sing on "Queen". Things popped up another level. And then we did "Brontosaurus".
A few months ago, when we were still planning this tour, there was a discussion about all of us playing one together and we landed on Brontosaurus. For whatever reason we didn't do it until last night. It was so amazing it should be the entire act for the whole tour.
Dean and Smitty howling. Sluggo played third guitar, Chris hopped up with a cowbell (and mask and wig) and Drew joined us to do handclaps (in a wig). It was one of the greatest on stage moments in my life.
Amazing.
Breakdown
Free beer! And shots on the stage. It's gonna be hard going home.
Hamburg tomorrow
Monday, March 25, 2013
3/24/13
Day 4, Potsdam
31 steps up into the club. That SVT is stupid heavy. I'm really missing my rig. I think my setup is about half the weight of the SVT's head. The two half stacks and the drum kit weren't easy either.
It was so cold six people came out to the show. Even the locals don't want to brave the weather. Unlike Austin the club folks were apologetic and you could tell they felt bad about the attendance. And they paid us, IN FULL!
Grannies played first, . Both bands did 30 minute sets. Short, sweet and unattended.
Breakdown
A well stocked green room with snacks, sodas, juice and beer (or bier as they say over here). They even bought the twelve of us dinner on a boat that cost over €200!
Taking a ferry to Denmark tomorrow. Other than the drive we have the day off to check out Copenhagen. It should be a good Monday.
31 steps up into the club. That SVT is stupid heavy. I'm really missing my rig. I think my setup is about half the weight of the SVT's head. The two half stacks and the drum kit weren't easy either.
It was so cold six people came out to the show. Even the locals don't want to brave the weather. Unlike Austin the club folks were apologetic and you could tell they felt bad about the attendance. And they paid us, IN FULL!
Grannies played first, . Both bands did 30 minute sets. Short, sweet and unattended.
Breakdown
A well stocked green room with snacks, sodas, juice and beer (or bier as they say over here). They even bought the twelve of us dinner on a boat that cost over €200!
Taking a ferry to Denmark tomorrow. Other than the drive we have the day off to check out Copenhagen. It should be a good Monday.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
3/23/13
Day 3, Berlin
It was 19F in Berlin. Pretty impossible for a boy from central Texas to deal with that kind of cold. All of the locals were bitching about how bad the weather was... Never a good sign.
The club was called Wild at Heart and the folks that own it also have a restaurant next door that made some incredible tandoori tofu. It will probably be the best meal I'll have all tour. It's nice when they take care of the veggie.
There were some city sanctioned rolling brown outs that seemed to be centered around the club. My volume would change in the middle if a song without me doing anything. Very frustrating.
I played like shit and I was feeling kinda bad about it but the Grannies made me feel better by kicking some serious ass. One of Dean's best moves is throwing the mic on the floor and getting down on all fours to sing into it. Brilliant.
Breakdown
Great veggie food and six beer tickets. Not bad for playing like shit.
Potsdam tomorrow.
It was 19F in Berlin. Pretty impossible for a boy from central Texas to deal with that kind of cold. All of the locals were bitching about how bad the weather was... Never a good sign.
The club was called Wild at Heart and the folks that own it also have a restaurant next door that made some incredible tandoori tofu. It will probably be the best meal I'll have all tour. It's nice when they take care of the veggie.
There were some city sanctioned rolling brown outs that seemed to be centered around the club. My volume would change in the middle if a song without me doing anything. Very frustrating.
I played like shit and I was feeling kinda bad about it but the Grannies made me feel better by kicking some serious ass. One of Dean's best moves is throwing the mic on the floor and getting down on all fours to sing into it. Brilliant.
Breakdown
Great veggie food and six beer tickets. Not bad for playing like shit.
Potsdam tomorrow.
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