Random observations
1) The li'l Stoogeband played at Lola's Thursday night for Jamie and Linda's birthday. Opening band In Bad Taste were three nice cats from HEB with an original take on thrashy punk. Alex the guitar player kind of looks like Richard Hurley and uses some interesting chord voicings -- not completely odd like Daniel Gomez, but he plays a lot of 3rds on low strings, etc. -- and a lot of fast arpeggiated runs. He said they used to play metal before they wised up. Mikey the bassplayer/singer looks a little bit like Travis from Harry Has A Head Like A Ping Pong Ball and sings up in that reedy Blink 182 range, not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, they all sing, even the drummer. There was a little bit of drama when they thought they lost one of their guitars from the staging area outside the stage door, but luckily it turned up. They were all up front going apeshit while we played, and knew the words to all the songs. Band to watch.
2) STEW! from Dallas played the direct support slot, and were very slick and pro. They play color-coordinated miniature instruments, but they're not a schtick band like Honchie -- cats can rawk hard while playing their asses off, had good songs, etc. On their last song, the guitarist and bassplayer switched instruments and the bassplayer (who was wearing dogface makeup -- ???) even ate it jes' lahk Jimi. Exciting and fun.
3) We were apparently loud as fuck but still sounded nice and clear up front (Andre Edmonson is god). I changed strings on the Epi a couple of days before and had lotsa tuning probs, plus I broke the D string near the end of the set (planned for 20 songs, judiciously edited on the fly by "Mr. Right-of-Refusal" Teague), necessitating a change to the Tele, which shrieked feedback relentlessly, causing me to beat the living shit out of it. (Luckily I've learned since those halcyon daze of '08 not to attack Mr. Amp; the Tele, of course, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.) Richard was on fire, holding up his guitar like he was back in Blood of the Sun or something. I was so preoccupied (focused or inebriated? YOU decide!!!) that I failed to notice a stage invasion by a guy (Pete Rearden) in a Chewbacca costume who was taking photos earlier, evidently was humping Raymond's leg, and wants us to play the Mambo's podcast thingy, for which he's the production manager. Silly me. Hurt my back loading out. Duh.
4) On Saturday night, my sweetie (who's on fall break next week) 'n' I went to Clay Stinnett and Lanette Massey's wedding reception (held a few months post their wedding) at Pearl's Dancehall in the Stockyards, stomping ground for the Rueffer brothers in their country incarnation. Clay -- who is as saturated with Texana as any UNT art school grad that used to play in Ghostcar and History At Our Disposal -- and his bride were costumed in appropriate Wild West garb, and Hank Hankshaw, who's played with James Hinkle and Robert Ealey and with whom Clay used to drum, provided the evening's entertainment in the grand old style, accompanied by his full band.
5) After that, it was on to the Grotto for the Madame Fiery Couture Launch Party, an event with which Austin Craver, who's booked HIO at Landers Machine Shop, was somehow involved. I don't understand the infatuation some of De Yoof have developed with burlesque, but Pinkish Black was playing, and they're my favorite band that I can go see in the 817. As I go out so infrequently, every time I see Jon Teague and Daron Beck, they're playing an entahrly new set of material -- as Daron sez, "We like to challenge ourselves" -- and their dark, gothic thang is evolving from the sheer unadulterated heaviness of The Great Tyrant into a form that allows some pop influences to manifest themselves. Endlessly creative, intense, and dramatic, their Sturm und Drang always signifies. Bonus: Dave Coates, who plays with Daron in his "D. Wayne Grubb and Cutthroat Thompson" side project, was hanging out and said he was at Landers when HIO played a few weeks ago. DJ Natty Patty was spinning the tunes, too; always good to hear Pat.
6) We cut out before Holy Moly played (although it was nice to see Mr. Jeremy Hull) and finished out the night having a couple of drinks and nice convo with a couple of off duty Fort Worth police officers at the Bull & Bush. An eclectic evening, you might say.
2) STEW! from Dallas played the direct support slot, and were very slick and pro. They play color-coordinated miniature instruments, but they're not a schtick band like Honchie -- cats can rawk hard while playing their asses off, had good songs, etc. On their last song, the guitarist and bassplayer switched instruments and the bassplayer (who was wearing dogface makeup -- ???) even ate it jes' lahk Jimi. Exciting and fun.
3) We were apparently loud as fuck but still sounded nice and clear up front (Andre Edmonson is god). I changed strings on the Epi a couple of days before and had lotsa tuning probs, plus I broke the D string near the end of the set (planned for 20 songs, judiciously edited on the fly by "Mr. Right-of-Refusal" Teague), necessitating a change to the Tele, which shrieked feedback relentlessly, causing me to beat the living shit out of it. (Luckily I've learned since those halcyon daze of '08 not to attack Mr. Amp; the Tele, of course, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.) Richard was on fire, holding up his guitar like he was back in Blood of the Sun or something. I was so preoccupied (focused or inebriated? YOU decide!!!) that I failed to notice a stage invasion by a guy (Pete Rearden) in a Chewbacca costume who was taking photos earlier, evidently was humping Raymond's leg, and wants us to play the Mambo's podcast thingy, for which he's the production manager. Silly me. Hurt my back loading out. Duh.
4) On Saturday night, my sweetie (who's on fall break next week) 'n' I went to Clay Stinnett and Lanette Massey's wedding reception (held a few months post their wedding) at Pearl's Dancehall in the Stockyards, stomping ground for the Rueffer brothers in their country incarnation. Clay -- who is as saturated with Texana as any UNT art school grad that used to play in Ghostcar and History At Our Disposal -- and his bride were costumed in appropriate Wild West garb, and Hank Hankshaw, who's played with James Hinkle and Robert Ealey and with whom Clay used to drum, provided the evening's entertainment in the grand old style, accompanied by his full band.
5) After that, it was on to the Grotto for the Madame Fiery Couture Launch Party, an event with which Austin Craver, who's booked HIO at Landers Machine Shop, was somehow involved. I don't understand the infatuation some of De Yoof have developed with burlesque, but Pinkish Black was playing, and they're my favorite band that I can go see in the 817. As I go out so infrequently, every time I see Jon Teague and Daron Beck, they're playing an entahrly new set of material -- as Daron sez, "We like to challenge ourselves" -- and their dark, gothic thang is evolving from the sheer unadulterated heaviness of The Great Tyrant into a form that allows some pop influences to manifest themselves. Endlessly creative, intense, and dramatic, their Sturm und Drang always signifies. Bonus: Dave Coates, who plays with Daron in his "D. Wayne Grubb and Cutthroat Thompson" side project, was hanging out and said he was at Landers when HIO played a few weeks ago. DJ Natty Patty was spinning the tunes, too; always good to hear Pat.
6) We cut out before Holy Moly played (although it was nice to see Mr. Jeremy Hull) and finished out the night having a couple of drinks and nice convo with a couple of off duty Fort Worth police officers at the Bull & Bush. An eclectic evening, you might say.
posted by stashdauber at 5:09 AM
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