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!!

10/1/16

ACL night two.


Hickoids were last at the White Horse. I got there just as Chrissy Flatt's new group (New Mystery Girl) was going on. Hell of a good set. For years she was doing more of a folky solo (sometimes with a band) set. Now it's a lot more rocking and I think it fits her better. Nice work lady!


Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders were back in Austin! And of course they whipped ass. Fuck, it's really good to see, hear and play with those guys again. I can't really add much, nothing has changed since the last time we played with them. Other than all of us ageing...


Our set was a good sloppy mess. A decent chunk of the (big) festival crowd stuck around for our stupidity. They were drunk and there was still music.. why not! During one tune Lance broke his kick pedal. I kept playing till he straightened it out, a lame ass bass odyssey that shouldn't have been heard by anyone... But I had no choice. With the show going on and all.


We finished with the lights on. The crowd was quickly tossed and the night ended with a bit of a whimper...


More next week.

9/30/16

First Night of ACL. We were at the Lost Well and it was costume night. What a bunch of silly ass shit... Grannies, Fishermen so much fun.

The Shut-Ups started things off with a loud as shit set on the floor of the club. The drummer was in front of the bass and drums. I think they are a total improv group (in costumes!). At some point the drummer was on the bar with his floor tom on his head. Not balancing it there, he'd broken through the top head and was playing the sides of it with his sticks. Awesome!

I was with the Swishbucklers. We were on second and had a rocking little set. I love getting to play guitar! One of the regular 'bucklers couldn't make it so all of the lead lines were mine and I whipped the shit out of them. Through the magic of over amplified guitar, one little move can send you off to feedback heaven. Glorious. 

Fishermen and Grannies did the usual ass kicking. Nothing special, just the regular greatness.

The night went on, I left before The Upper Crust and Chasca started... Full on lameness on my part. It can't be helped.

Hickoids at the White Horse tomorrow.

9/24/16

By the time I got to San Antonio and started loading my gear in to the Amp Room I was thinking "I'm about a third through with this shit." Still sick. Hickoids were on some bill for an SA paper... I pay zero attention most of the time, I pay even less when I'm sick...


The stage was one of those that looks big until your on it. Gear made it worse. They had a drum riser that was tiny. Not really big enough for the average kit. And there were big monitors all over the place, eating up the precious real estate we so desperately needed.



Our set was ok. No rehearsal since the last show so we weren't as tight as usual. Also three of us were a little sick (flashback!) So that added to our sluggishness. New bass is great. With Bigfoot it was easy to get settings that work. With the Hickoids there is a little more "action" so the settings change more. I don't have them down yet, but it's coming.



I loaded out and was driving home before the next band went on. I wasn't waiting around for anything. The drive home was easy and I was on the couch a little after 2AM.



ACL is coming!

9/23/16

Playing a show when your sick sucks. Loading the gear, driving, talking, smiling and even standing for 45 consecutive minutes sucks... But sometimes you play really good!


Bigfoot was at the Local last night. We were near the end of a bunch of bands for some tribute show... I wasn't really paying that much attention, I felt like shit. But the Coffee Sargent's were on before us and had a great set. They had two guitars, two keys, bass and drums and it sounded like one big beautiful mass.



I have a new bass and I hadn't even had a rehearsal with it so i was a little nervous about playing the show. I brought the old one but it stayed in the case. The new one is bad as hell. Even my sick ass could tell I have a really nice new machine. It's new. Only my second time with a new bass in my life and the last one was a $200 hunk of left-handed crap. The new one is lovely.


Our set was good. I only sang one and I was barely able to get through it. All of us have been sick in the last few weeks so no one was !00%. But you can really get a good performance when three fifths of a group are high with fever.

9/10/16

Hickoids went up to Ft Worth last week. Our set was good and the opener, Duel, kicked some twin lead ass. But I don't wanna talk that. This post is all about the Me-Thinks.


It was their record release and they asked us to come up and play. Those dudes are great people and the music is top notch, we couldn't say no!



We finish our set and swap the gear, the "thinks" load in their amps, drums, smoke machines and a bar! A bar! On to the stage!! Then they stared the set. Nothing but covers. For their record release party! Guts! They played the first two tunes from that Cheap Trick Live album. Two Spinal Tap songs. TWO! Replacements and Beaumonts (and many, many others.)



There was a raffle where seventeen of the twenty-odd spaces on the wheel were labeled "cold taco". I saw a few folks eating cold tacos at various points. No euphemism here.


Somewhere in the set they all left the stage and a guy dressed as Peter Criss came up and played a drum solo, then sang Beth to a backing track. Fuck me it was funny.



Later on, I don't remember what song it was but when it got around to the lead, Ray took off his guitar and handed it to one of the dudes from Duel. He plays the solo, Ray sits at the stage bar, orders a beer and has a couple of swigs (they let the solo go on and on!) then they swapped back. The ass-kicking continued.


I spent a lot of time up at the stage at the bar. I was getting pretty lit up in the best possible way. With that easy access to beer and shots it was impossible not to... Then they played "I Like Drinking" by the Beaumonts. The place went nuts and the smoke machines went on. Lance was standing next to me (we were still mostly behind the drums) so I lit up a joint. Passed it around and the good people in the stage bar had an extra good time.


Eventually they finished up with what they were planning on playing and they were gonna call it a night. But there were too many people yelling that they played both songs from the single. I mean it was the release party... Speaking of which I totally spaced on getting a copy... Idiot.



Thanks fellas, that was one hell of a night! Pure Rock and Roll.