Pissing off Scenesters Since 1995
Humpers Reunion Gigs
10/3/08 – Red 7, Austin, TX
10/4/08 – Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar, San Antonio, TX
Okay, these shows were nowhere near where I live (Bloomington, IN) but since finding out that one of my all time favorite bands, the Humpers, reunited last year I told myself I would go to see ‘em if they ever came close (by that I meant Chicago, IL or NYC, as at this stage in their career it ain’t likely they’ll be playin’ Bumfuck, Midwest). I figured I needed another excuse to visit my pal Cody in Austin, so away I went.
Texas – what the fuck happened? I thought Austin was a rock and roll town, and here the club is only half full. And San Antonio, well, I didn’t know what to expect, but fuck, there was no one but the bands, me and the three friends I traveled down from Austin with. Lemme say the Humpers still blew me away both nights, with their unique blend of MC5/New York Dolls/Heartbreakers rock and roll. They played a good overview of their career (including the song “My Machine” from their debut album of the same name… which I still don’t own and someone needs to help me find). My only complaint is they only played one song off my favorite album of theirs, 1997s Plastique Valentine (“Mutate With Me”).
So, here’s the highlights. Austin: Singer Scott Drake does this thing where he’s singing on stage one minute and just falls forward into the crowd. Then he’ll appear in the middle somewhere, mic in hand, not missing a beat; he even grabbed me to sing along on their cover of the MC5s “Rocket Reducer No. 62″. The crowd was energetic throughout the 60 minute or so set. I attempted to talk to Drake after the set but I was drunk, he was drunk and I’m bad at fan boy-type stuff (even though I interviewed Drake last year for Life in a Bungalo). San Antonio: The city seemed strangely desolate, except for the River Walk area and around the Alamo. I don’t know where the rock clubs and the record stores would be. Turns out the Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar is in some alley (next to seemingly the only other rock club in town). Two of the three opening bands did nothing for me but Tim Napalm and His Cherry Darlings were decent enough. The Humpers played many of the same songs from the night before (not a complaint) and ended with “Cops and Robbers”, which I’m pretty sure they didn’t play in Austin. The band was tight and energetic but Drake stayed on stage the whole time.
I had to ask my friend Cody, a long time resident of Austin, why I didn’t see any flyers for the shows. He said that since there are so many shows on any given night, promoters don’t typically flyer because they would just get lost in the mix. I’m of the opinion that if someone, as a promoter, is gonna spend money to bring a band to town that hasn’t played there in over 10 years, they should let people know. Just because I love the Humpers and have been talking about these shows for months doesn’t mean I’m going to get people to go with me (say, one friend to the Austin show and three to the San Antonio show). The Humpers certainly promoted the hell out of the shows but it seems too many promoters are reliant on MySpace as their only promotional tool.
Alright, I’m off my soapbox. Go listen to the Humpers. I think Rankoutsider Records might be releasing a “best of” compilation soon, so keep your eyes open.
Who the hell uses the word “promote” three times in one sentence? Oh, that was me…
1 song from Plastique Valentine is the shits. I lost my jacket in Austin. Did you find it?