Nurse the Hate: Whiskey Daredevils New Guitar Player

The cat’s out of the bag.  Hector played his first show with the band last Saturday in Pittsburgh, and things went surprisingly well.  I had thought we would have a rocky transitional period, but he just stepped right in there.  We didn’t have any of those “what the hell is going on here” moments, which is nice.  If you think those are painful to watch from a crowd, just try being one of the people up on the stage.  It’s hard to hide behind a straight stand.  We didn’t want to make a big build up of his first gig beforehand as it’s difficult enough to step into a long running band without the additional social media chatter leading up to it.  We crossed the bridge though, so here’s the skinny.

The Whiskey Daredevils decided to make a change this year.  To consistently make good music, all members of a band need to be on the same page.  A band is unlike almost anything else in an adult life.  It’s a gang.  It’s like having three girlfriends simultaneously, which isn’t easy.  You have to be able to communicate with each other and work within a group setting.  There is a shared energy and enthusiasm for what you’re doing as well as a brotherhood in the best bands.  For example, I can say shit about Leo because he’s one of my brothers.  You’re not allowed to because you’re not one of us.  I will say this though.  If you made a crack about those mandels he wore to Pittsburgh that time we played with SCOTS, I would have let it slide.  Those shoes were an affront to God. 

Sorry.  I got sidetracked.

I remember seeing Son Volt on maybe their third record at the Odeon.  That was about 167 years ago.  They walked out on stage and played the material proficiently but seemed so disconnected from each other and the audience that it made the show unpleasant.  You could feel the energy getting sucked out of the room.  If the vibes are bad from the stage, there is no way the audience can have a good time.  It’s like paying to witness doomed marriage counseling.  I’ve never gone back to see Son Volt again.  Son Volt, if it was a one time thing and you were mad at each other because the drummer ate all the pre-gig sandwiches, I apologize.  I couldn’t shake the feeling of eternal sadness you conjured up so I never came back.

Let’s talk about what we are doing now.  We are all excited to play with Hex Mattos.  Hex is bringing in a lot of enthusiasm and a shared aesthetic.  We are all on the same page with what constitutes “our music” and it has been genuinely fun creating new material.  We have already worked up a full length record full of songs, and are working at teaching Hex all the “hits” from our back catalogue.  I had an extremely prolific period of ideas in 2017.  I spread songs across the previous Daredevils lineup, our new lineup and the Cowslingers.  We just shoved 9 new songs out there in Pittsburgh.  I even remembered most of the words.  I think you will like what you hear from us in 2018.  There was the Cowslingers full length that just came out, a Whiskey Daredevils record we did with Gary last summer, and I’m sure an upcoming record with our latest stuff when we can scare up some cash to go back into the studio. 

In the end, I think we made some very good music with Gary.  Seven records I think?  I am proud of the records we made.  I think you’ll all like the new one that will come out this year.  It’s a good one.  Gary was an absolute beast in the studio.  He's a heckuva guitar player.  The proof is right there on those releases.  However, we all needed to make a change.  It all gets back to this...  If you aren’t moving ahead, you’re falling behind.  

Onward ho!  Hope to see you soon...