Getting By With a Little Help for My Friends

Sun, 2 May 2010 16:18:01 -0500

One of the best things in the world is showing yourself & everyone else that you are more than you ever expected you could be; the icing on that particular piece of pastry is helping others while expanding your horizons.

It was an unexpected request that came out of a random meeting of old acquaintances at iFest, of all places: after being turned down by several local DJs who were already committed to other projects, the organizers for Pawdrophenia III were left hanging in quite a lurch. Long story short, I was asked to donate my time to spin records for the third annual Scooter Batallion event.

Of course I jumped at the chance, despite the fact that I had absolutely no experience DJing (even though I did have a radio show once upon a time; I wonder if anyone remembers that?). If nothing else, we have recently adopted a rescue puppy at home so I have a vested interest in supporting people who help animals.

Gnashing Teeth, Nana’s Handiwork

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:39:41 -0500

The Hates can’t rest on their laurels. And we don’t. Our few rewards only come from lots of hard work, and this show at the Trash Bar is a fine example of what we get for slogging away through all these years.

With the full support of the Trash Bar staff, we powered through a fast and furious catalogue of Hates songs both old and new. Our close-knit community of an audience cheered us on as we capped the night with a good ol‘ knees up. At the end of the night it was hard to leave, but I was proud to have been there because we gave it our all. We’re all looking forward to the next time we get to drive out there to rock the Trash Bar.

Someone Else’s Orchard

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

How ironic that our set at the Free Press Summer Fest was delayed by a sudden downpour while we watched a building in the distance burn down with not a drop falling on it. Hitting the stage two and a half hours later was all worth the trouble of carrying equipment across flooded fields, amps blowing up, and anything else that could have gone wrong.

The joy of playing in the Hates was not lost on me today. Our new song “Climate Change” went down well. I could even see some lads and lasses in the crowd caught on to lyrics and sang along. Cheers for that!

What’s He on About?

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 20:16:16 -0500

The Hates are always the outsiders, swimming against the tide. Generally speaking, Punk music is full of ‘socially unacceptable’ mystique, from incendiary lyrics, mindless bloody noise, to regimented raw-knuckled attitude. It’s a fine line to walk, fighting stereotypes on all sides. You’re too loud, you’re too old, you’re too raw, or the worst crime of all - you don’t play someone else’s idea of what Punk is. It’s a rough trade. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and the following blip in this week’s Street Beat section of the Music News brings it all home for me.

“No matter how music trends change in the Houston area, one fact always remains a constant. The Hates will always be a “Punk” band. Their banner flies high and Christian’s undying love for this great art form will last for life. We’ve been checking out Christian, his mohawk and his band for over 2 decades now and they are a real inspiration. You’ll never see this band sell out for the commercial life.”

I didn’t even know this had been written until a fellow musician told me about it last week after band practice. It was a complete and flattering surprise.

Out of Nowhere

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 22:14:43 -0500

It just goes to show that when we stick to our guns and follow our instincts, great things happen. This perspective is one of the beautiful things about of getting older.

Tonight we did something a little different by doing nothing more than being ourselves. We bucked the trends, rocked the Heights to its very core, and single-handedly ushered a new era to this historical building that was once a palatial movie theatre. The Hates was the champagne bottle that launched the ship of Gallery M2’s new location, and we’ve got the marquee to prove it. Thanks go out to our new friend Cigskill for the picture of a lifetime.