Things to do: Hickoids celebrate 40 years under the volcano

It’s been 40 years since cowpunk heroes The Hickoids played their first promoted show in band leader Jeff Smith’s hometown of San Antonio, sharing the stage with none other than Black Flag and The Meat Puppets.

“I was actually the promoter and I don’t remember much about it,” Smith laughs, adding, “It seemed to go pretty well.”

To celebrate this milestone, The Hickoids have been on tour and made a stop at Under The Volcano on Wednesday, May 29 with special guest Sister Rayban, the side project of Guillotines frontman Bill DeGidio.

For the Houston concert, the band will perform their 1987 debut album We are here for the corn in its entirety along with other fan favorites from their extensive catalog of songs.

“Our initial concept was to match hardcore punk with hardcore country. Blag Flag meets Gary Stewart. explains Smith, who founded the group with guitarist John Thomas Jackson, better known as Jukebox, who died in 2013.

“I was the kid in the band on the first album,” says Smith, who is the only surviving original member since Davy Jones also died in 2015 after a battle with cancer.

Jones actually named the band after Jukebox and Smith were in his apartment scoring pot and Jones saw a cowboy hat put on a tramp going through trash, calling him a “son of a bitch Hickoid” and the name stuck immediately.

“All these guys were ten years older than me, but I’m happy to be alive and still playing with a great group of guys. There has been very consistent programming over the last ten years, since Davy Jones became ill, so we are continuing the tradition.

The line up remained very coherent and the group retained its punk rock side and its ability to mix genres and faces with Harvey McLaughlin on keyboards, Tom Trusnovic on bass, guitarist Cody Richardson and Lance Farley on drums.

We are here for the corn plays fast and hard and really shows off the aggressive boom the band used to burst onto the scene four decades ago. Recorded by now-famous producer and engineer Stuart Sullivan, and his first recording project, Smith admits his debut album stands out from the rest.

“I think during the mixing process we all got a little crushed by Jukebox and that might have been a better balance for the mix, but I will say we didn’t sound like anyone else.”

To this day, it would be difficult to find a band that does what the Hickoids do. Corn joke filled rock stars dominate the stage and take no prisoners as Smith moves forward, slowly shedding layers of clothing and building tension between the band and the audience with humor and aggression creating a mix of fear, excitement and curiosity.

“Thank you, this is the desired result. I consider it a great addition,” Smith says of the description. “We are first and foremost a live band and I want everyone who comes to see us to leave feeling like they saw something special. For me it’s important to carry on the tradition with the guys I played with who are no longer alive and keep it relevant in the moment for me but those guys are never far from my thoughts when it’s about the group because it’s a continuum. .”

“We are first and foremost a live band and I want everyone who comes to see us to leave feeling like they saw something special.”

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A lot can happen in 40 years, and a lot has happened with the Hickoids. The band, a staple of the Austin cowpunk scene, toured and recorded extensively throughout the ’80s, moving slightly away from the harder sound of their debut album toward funnier, cheekier songs incorporating the many sounds of the Texas, from country to conjunto.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve ever heard a single sound and it’s probably been to our detriment. I think the first album, I would describe it as a mix of experimental hardcore and country, but there are elements of psychedelia and glam, as well as a dose of goofiness and we kind of continued on that theme.

The Hickoids broke up in the early ’90s and when Smith and Jones got back together in 2006, their partying ways of the past were no longer relevant, but they decided to try again, this time soberly, a new concept for Smith at that time.

“It was difficult because we were both sober, I was recently sober and he had been sober for about fifteen years at that time. We wanted to do what we had done before but do it better and be more consistent because we weren’t reliable and we weren’t everything we could be, so to that end I think we surpassed the first version in some respects.

Smith worked on a release to honor his fallen comrade with The Davy Jones bootlegsa three-LP collection of Jones’ work with the Hickoids and other bands and an accompanying book about his life.

Smith admits he took his time with the project because he wanted to do justice to Jones as well as his shared commitment to his San Antonio Corn Pound, including his Saustex Records, Jett Bass Studios, named after his brother and member by Krayolas, Flagship Records, repeat. spaces and more.

Smith also expects to release the Hickoids’ next album More ballads for sleazy riders soon and fans can expect some upcoming singles and tracks to be featured at the concerts.

Houston has always been an important city for the band during their long career and Smith remembers playing here many times over the years. It was only natural that the band would include a special performance of their debut album, something they’ve only done in Smith’s hometown of San Antonio.

“Houston has always been an important anchor for us and we appreciate our friends there who always support us and we try to always give to them,” said Smith who also shouts out the love and support they have received from Pete Mitchell. , owner of Under The Volcano.

Asked if he ever imagined that that day he was buying a bag with Jukebox and that the Hickoids in all their untamed glory would last this long, he quickly responds: “Absolutely not.”

“When I was 15, I never thought about what it would be like to be 20, and when I was 20, I never thought about what it would be like to be 25. I I’m just happy to be here and to have survived the madness and nonchalance of my youth.

The Hickoids will perform with Sister Rayban on Wednesday, May 29 at Under The Volcano, 2349 Bissonnet, doors at 7, $15.