― Huk-L, Friday, 3 June 2005 14:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Friday, 3 June 2005 15:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― roger, Monday, 20 June 2005 09:10 (eighteen years ago) link
THis is from the Royal Trux yah00 group:The show: When I entered the theatre (evidently the audience was prohibited at thattime), a woman, who I assume is Neil's wife, had taken control of the staff and players in the lighting configuration, stage set-up, so forth. When the configuration was complete, she disappeared, only to re-emerge (to my knowledge) at the end of the set. She had a very hands-off, distanced approach as in "I'll take care of these socialnegotiations and leave the rest to Neil." ~5'6", brunette, old-hipster vibe, drank a bit.Her affect reminded me heavily of Kelly. "I'm free for this moment."
Watched the opening band. Recorded one song. (I did not realize the members would later back up Hagerty). Short set.
HHex: 7-piece band. Hagerty, Mike Saenz, Dan Sylvester, and four players from The Theater Fire. No female vocalists! (Is Hagerty afraid of putting his wife, if she is indeed his wife and one of the vocalists, in the public eye?) Neil performed all of the vocals, save for occasional accompaniment. He would sing, then proceed to duck and conceal himself behind a monitor that he had draped with a painted gunnysack. I thought he was quite successful in his vocal execution, though I have yet to fully grasp the meaning of this act.
The band performed as a looped video was projected behind them. (I assume this will appear on the forthcoming DVD.) The band performed all songs on ANF, 60m set.The theatre was half full, ~60 people
I have 3m of "beautiful boy" (Allyssa) footage of images projected in sequence on Hagerty's face. The fire of a baked-bean can set ablaze.
____
Intellectually I understood that the project known of Royal Trux had reached an end (at least through the participation of N&J), but the woman's presence and the full band really cemented that fact.
More later.
http://theaterfire.com/albums/NewMexico/acq.sized.jpg(note wedding band. This photo is from the theaterfire.com site.)
― Mike Dixon, Saturday, 16 July 2005 17:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 16 July 2005 17:41 (eighteen years ago) link
Neil was very accepting of circumstance, not feeling the need to police the quality of playing. (Though he did make the comment, "I can't afford daycare" which was either a slight against the band and/or a preface to "What, Man? Who Are You?!"). The band performed songs 1-6, 8 from ANF in that order ("Cast Aside the False" being a bit personal?). They sang about 70% of the lyrics of each song.
Stereo(?) stage set-up:Stage left: drummer (Sylvester), guitaristStage center: Neil, bassist, trumpet playerStage right: drummer, guitarist (Saenz), pedal steel player(? - my memory)
It took about 25m to achieve a fuller sound. Neil stretched the structure/pacing of the songs very harshly through his actions/antics.
― Mike2, Sunday, 7 August 2005 16:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 19 August 2005 15:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Outsider Enter Port City (sexyDancer), Friday, 19 August 2005 15:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:18 (eighteen years ago) link
I YSIed the three vinyl-only deals in the Royal Trux thread.
Neil's blog is pretty confounding: http://hhex.blogspot.com/
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Thursday, 25 August 2005 20:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― Devil Made Me Do It, Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Saturday, 1 October 2005 14:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Saturday, 1 October 2005 17:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Saturday, 1 October 2005 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― jon dale, Saturday, 1 October 2005 23:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 16:40 (eighteen years ago) link
nope, the keyboard player did previously play with smog and bright eyes tho.
i could be wrong but i don't think anyone who played these shows (the sax player matt bauder and the bassist josh abrams are the only ones i knew) played on the albums.
― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 19:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― God Body, Wednesday, 12 October 2005 21:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 21:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― George, Friday, 21 October 2005 06:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Monday, 24 October 2005 14:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 24 October 2005 14:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 24 October 2005 14:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Monday, 24 October 2005 16:19 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 24 October 2005 21:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 03:18 (eighteen years ago) link
Will be curious to see what Hagerty fanz have to say about this one ...
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 18:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 18:11 (eighteen years ago) link
What's wrong with the album, Tim?? Has it leaked?? Spill your guts, hombre!!
― God Body, Friday, 28 October 2005 20:47 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 20:50 (eighteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 28 October 2005 20:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 21:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 21:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 28 October 2005 21:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Friday, 28 October 2005 21:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 28 October 2005 21:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Friday, 28 October 2005 22:07 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Thursday, 3 November 2005 15:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― God Body, Sunday, 13 November 2005 09:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:28 (eighteen years ago) link
no-one saw the howling hex recently, did they? i'd got quite used to the album-every-six-months rhythm, i think they're overdue.
― schlump, Thursday, 12 June 2008 20:34 (fifteen years ago) link
According to the Drag City news page, Earth Junk is forthcoming. A little sleuthing indicates a 9/15 release date.
― Mike Dixn, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 20:58 (fifteen years ago) link
woo! alright. and on vinyl again, too. i thought with the last one being only partially hagerty-songs, and the uncustomary delay until this one, maybe they were changing things around a bit. i can't wait, though.
― schlump, Thursday, 19 June 2008 11:58 (fifteen years ago) link
Album cover / track list. I've gotta say that Royal Trux tended to have much better album art than either principal's subsequent work. The 1st NMH solo album, All Night Fox and XI all had good covers, the rest are quite ugly.
― Mike Dixn, Friday, 27 June 2008 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
UH transmaniacon has fucking amazing art
― 69, Friday, 27 June 2008 19:55 (fifteen years ago) link
I saw 'em about 7 months ago at thee hemlock and it was amazing. XI was a little disappointing tho.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 27 June 2008 20:34 (fifteen years ago) link
UH transmaniacon has fucking amazing art I disagree! The skulls are merely okay, but the AC/DC font is awful.
― Mike Dixn, Friday, 27 June 2008 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Earth Junk is the best Howling Hex record to date. One of the many aspects that make it so unique is that many of the bass-lines are played on an organ. One feels unearthed by the lack of drums making it a very heady record with a strange sense of pop to it. One might appreciate Hagertys familiar fuzz or reverb. So many artists get caught in a web of familiarity with their discography. Many feel that if they stray too far away from their original vision that audiences may not warm up to something completely different. Though the sound on this record is completely unique, it still contains the new border sound found on other records especially NIGHTCLUB VERSION OF THE ETERNAL. The Southern New Mexican sound on the record that is much like traditional ranchero music that is also played in waltz time. This country pop record also reminds some of Mexican Polka music. The Howling Hex continues to challenge listeners and does not acquaint them with what they will expect.
Recorded in Austin in the late winter of early 2008, EARTH JUNK is a ramble in the dappled sunlight of the American southwest, twisted metallic folk-art in the ever changing breeze. Throw EARTH JUNK in your sound trunk - and keep on rolling. The Howling Hex will be there to greet you whenever - and wherever - you arrive.
i'm SO EXCITED about this. mexican polka?, no drums?, organ basslines? it's going to be amazing.
there's some youtube stuff from their last brooklyn show amid the incessant keyboard fumbling that is their website, too.
― schlump, Saturday, 5 July 2008 09:58 (fifteen years ago) link
This is one weird ass record. It most closely resembles the first solo album, but is really it's own thing.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Wednesday, 16 July 2008 19:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Soon as I get some income again, I'll subscribe. NMH is prob the one living *celebrity* I'd most want to meet
― doktor forstus (Drugs A. Money), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 01:34 (three years ago) link
He just uploaded a track labeled - "Return of The Rusted Sled" by The Vicksburg Occupation
New band name(?)
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 04:43 (three years ago) link
Looks like he's used the name for something: https://vicksburgoccupation.yolasite.com/
(that site's metadata includes a ref. to "www.denverbrunchgamesco.com")
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 04:45 (three years ago) link
It's really something -- this increasingly baroque insularity ("the howling hex is wrecked and is retired/done as a name"), blended with fresh stabs at outreach (the Patreon; "I noticed the wiki looked thin (no surprise) so if anyone wants to fuck around with it, say whatever you want. Just spell my name right...").
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Wednesday, 13 May 2020 05:03 (three years ago) link
https://i.ibb.co/pnfWQbT/Screenshot-20200514-060417-Patreon.jpg
― Mike Dixn, Thursday, 14 May 2020 11:06 (three years ago) link
Remember when he sprays the phone in that longform RTX video? Dude was ahead of his time.
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Thursday, 14 May 2020 14:36 (three years ago) link
His twitter is chockablock with the most random, inscrutable musings. Like reading replies to questions that you never got to hear from someone else's conversation. I sometimes worry about Ol' Hag.
― InternationalWaters, Thursday, 14 May 2020 19:17 (three years ago) link
Nahh NMH is as usual using the message to skewer the medium
― doktor forstus (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 15 May 2020 01:07 (three years ago) link
neutral milk hotel rules at twitter, are you kidding me? if you can make a twit like "beisbol is the sport not crakerball [cannon v hammer, 1817]" and have it not have any hearts, comments, or recycles at all, yet still maintain 2K+ followers, then you're playing games and you're winning
― the burrito that defined a generation, Friday, 15 May 2020 03:29 (three years ago) link
Aesthetically, I feel like The Best Of was already sort of the “final” Howling Hex album, bookending the project that began with All Night Fox. Denver felt like something different — it didn’t really feature the New Border Sound any longer (of course, Neil hasn’t lived near the border for years now anyway). The new album is, similarly, a return to more straightforward rock ‘n roll (though you could point out that XI also fit that description, and you’d be right).Neil has also slowed down, output-wise, which adds to the sense that the old throughline has fallen away. His concerns seem more local and specific now (though no less idiosyncratic) — he’s getting older, we all are.
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Friday, 15 May 2020 11:48 (three years ago) link
Lol @ "recycles"
― doktor forstus (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 18 May 2020 13:12 (three years ago) link
Neil Hagerty
May 18 at 5:20am
Unlocked
BEISBOL
**working out some place sketches & maybe have an origin story [not wholly fact] by Tuesday
BEISBOL USA
The game many of us grew up playing [& it is a game a person can play into their 80s] was known as “Beisbol”— I learned it in southern california, southeastern atlantic coast, Florida, urban townhouse suburb areas, military housing areas, public schools, central summer league. It differs from Cracker Ball (steam hammer versus electric torpedo) in a few general, gentle ways.
For example:
1 Ball is used for the entire 9 inning game. Ties stand. Ranking by pts.
2 pitching changes per team.
2 non-injury substitutes. Subs cannot be removed once placed, barring injury.
Advancing as a runner from bases may only occur with the standing runner(s) beginning the play with 2 feet touching the bag.
No steals or other between-pitch live ball action.
The outfield wall is deep, 450ft. minimum recommended. Home runs are rare.
Pitching mound and home plate are the standard distance.
The typical backstop should be close to the plate and rounded. Passed balls &c. advance runners 1 base and then are dead balls.
Balk rules are loose.
Infield fly = strike (incl. 3rd.)
Double if ball passes wall NOT on fly.
Foul balls are strikes, even 3rd strike.
Most the rules of Base-Ball are intact if not mentioned.
― Mike Dixn, Tuesday, 19 May 2020 01:31 (three years ago) link
If you want to die, believe in lies.
― the burrito that defined a generation, Tuesday, 19 May 2020 01:36 (three years ago) link
I was listening to a Silver Jews live 7” from a rate early gig, I guess it was some sort of Drag City showcase. Berman says something along the lines of “before the gig we were playing monopoly with Royal Trux, and they had an interesting strategy. They bought Baltic Avenue, put one house on it and quit.”.
― Cow_Art, Tuesday, 19 May 2020 02:03 (three years ago) link
In the Patreon, Neil shared a pretty heavy story about his childhood, and how the incident shaped his character. I guess I won’t repost it here (even though he gave his blessing to the sharing of audio files and stuff), out of an abundance of caution.
― Inadequate grass (morrisp), Thursday, 21 May 2020 23:55 (three years ago) link
Oh snap — his latest upload (from “the cassette vault”) is a 1986 track from the mythic Jet Boys of N.W.!
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Saturday, 30 May 2020 21:39 (three years ago) link
(...sorry, Jet Boyz)
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Saturday, 30 May 2020 21:58 (three years ago) link
(...) I must now go all the way back to the first band I had back in DC, Jet Boyz of NW— the band that I put on hold so I could do 1 tour and 1 record with another band— but one thing after another and now it’s decades later. The band name comes from a NY Dolls song with our local info attached; it was a great name because crackers would think it was some “gay” thing when to others it was a dig at private school kids. And everyone always finds it easy to dismiss and gain pleasure from dismissing “rock and roll” so it was a very uncool name, lots to clown with.In Denver I LIVE in NW so it all fits, and the same kind of folks still plague me personally and professionally— so the mission is ongoing. We will see what the future brings. My only other next move after PATREON is playing on the street, if the city has a system to let musicians do that. If that happens I’ll be painting the Jet Boyz logo on a guitar and getting out there, hopefully get a band together that way. After all the false starts and dead enders I can finally get back to where I started and do it right. (...)
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Sunday, 7 June 2020 16:14 (three years ago) link
Cross-ref from the RTX thread:
(....)1 year ago, after they torpedoed the trux thing fat possum came back and said they'd let me do a record to come out in the fall of ’19 and they would back the record up with tour support and so on. They buried the record this may I think and still owe me 17K in unpaid invoices for travel, show expenses, sessions, musicians, artwork. The publishing company offered me 0$ for it. That’s 0$ I came away with for all the songs I wrote for the trux record and the solo record.This is the work that I do and I don’t get to choose the 2 bosses who i work for but if things go bad they blame the musicians & listeners have no sympathy. Things get contorted. All I know is to stay on the path my father set me on, keep working to get very good at a few things, don't listen to white lies, you can't go wrong with a song-- no one else ever had better advice for me.
This is the work that I do and I don’t get to choose the 2 bosses who i work for but if things go bad they blame the musicians & listeners have no sympathy. Things get contorted.
All I know is to stay on the path my father set me on, keep working to get very good at a few things, don't listen to white lies, you can't go wrong with a song-- no one else ever had better advice for me.
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Friday, 12 June 2020 17:37 (three years ago) link
A friend had an extra copy of the Hagerty-Toth record that he gave to me this weekend and totally killed me. Singing a little wonky in a few spots, but awesome guitar and fun grooves.
― Mom jokes are his way of showing affection (to your mom) (PBKR), Tuesday, 11 August 2020 01:10 (three years ago) link
^I was just thinking about that record the other day - would like to revisit it...
― r u rolling pop 2021 (morrisp), Wednesday, 7 July 2021 20:02 (two years ago) link