Hootenanny 2003 - Three Perspectives

Most Photos by Cindy Luann

Hootenanny 2003: Was It Worth It?
by Bridget Hall

This year marked the ninth consecutive Hootenanny – and after the last few years, I always wonder if it was worth the money, the drive, the hassle. This time, Hoot was at a completely new venue [Cal State Fullerton] and was two full days long. Tickets, as usual, were obscenely high-priced – I just looooove Ticketmaster – and the only shade to be had at the venue – for those of us who weren’t vendors with tents or gearheads with cars – came in three forms:

1. hats – a cowboy hat was my personal choice for both days.
2. parasols – for god’s sake, girls, don’t bring these! It makes watching shows for us short people very difficult. I want to see the bands, not umbrellas. Not to mention, drunk girls with parasols continuously bean people’s noggins. VERY annoying. Makes me want to put those parasols where the sun doesn’t shine.
3. the side-stage tent – it was debated over who was there for the shade and who was there for the actual bands playing. But at least you could get both, if you wanted.

Okay, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: what made this year’s Hoot, in all honesty, blow chunks.

The Prices:

For any of you who went to the Hoot in San Diego, you’ll know that they could’ve held the event in my living room and it would’ve been better. There was no fish bowl, a.k.a. Beer Garden, to drink in this year, so right there I was happy. Then I looked at the price of beers and thought, “Maybe I’ll just have some lemonade…”

And I know I already mentioned it, but really – these ticket prices are getting harder and harder to justify paying, even with a two-day abundance of bands. It’s my belief, however, that it’ll be a cold day in hell before the folks over at the Hootenanny Planning Committee decide to sell tickets anywhere other than through Ticketmaster.

The Cars:

The Hoots of years past have been known for the bands and the cars. This year…well, was there a car show? I don’t remember. Oh wait, were those half-restored primered things supposed to denote a car show? Hmm, I missed that. Let’s put it this way. The dictionary has a second definition for a hootenanny: “an object or gadget for which the name is not known.” That perfectly describes many of the cars that were put up for show. I saw better rods in the parking lot.

The Vendors:

There was a decent selection of vendors to nose through during those odd times where the bands I wanted to see weren’t on yet and the cars held no fascination whatsoever. However, considering I can find the same or equivalent stuff elsewhere for cheaper, I wasn’t about to do my shopping there.

The Bands:

What schedule is so sacrosanct as to harass the bands to scurry through their sets or worse, to rip bands off the stage before they’re even finished? I realize that the event was only allowed to stay on the Cal State Fullerton campus for a certain amount of time, but cutting Junior Brown’s sound out during his finale was beyond low. For all that trouble, it only added 3 minutes, 5 max, to the schedule. The people who ran this thing should be ashamed. Then, with a bizarre screw-up at the side stage, Deke Dickerson was allowed to play a nearly 45-minute long set, while Jesse Dayton was allowed only 25 minutes – 30 at most. Deke’s great and all, but Jesse was on fire – it’s phenomenal seeing a artist so caught up in playing his music, performing, and having a good ol’ time that he blows over the microphone stand. It was such an energetic and invigorating set, I was peeved it was so short. I should have stayed down in San Diego Saturday night to see him at the Casbah.

Schedules aside, most of the bands were great and saved this event from being a total dog. There was a huge list of performers – maybe too huge for the schedule to allow proper set lengths? Grrr, let it go, Bridget, let it go – and the variety was impressive. Both the main and side stages boasted some incredible talent this year: Original Sinners, James Intveld, Junior Brown, and Lee Rocker on the main stage; Hellbound Hayride, Jesse Dayton, Deke Dickerson, and Los Creepers on the side stage – each was an enormous delight to see and hear.

The three big draws, however, were the Stray Cats on Saturday, Little Richard and Social Distortion on Sunday. The Stray Cats were a little disappointing; it felt like they were simply playing to cash in on the bank roll that comes with regrouping. Their set sounded so perfect it yelped from being over produced. As for Little Richard, how often will people of this generation get to say they saw him? Or heard him play a medley of Hank Williams, Sr. songs? It was classic. Social Distortion was as surprising as they were perplexing. They played the mellowest set ever in their history of performing, but it was actually enjoyable to hear. Let’s face it, at least they’re trying new things with their music and not just churning out the same old schlock all the time. [What confused me, though, was Mike Ness’s comment that “without the Stray Cats there would be no Social Distortion.” Umm, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t they both contemporaries, first evolving into existence in ’79? Some advice for Mike: try not to be profound, stick to playing music.]

Overall, Hootenanny was mediocre at best – but not worth the $93 I shelled out for both days. The only saving grace truly was the selection of bands, but considering how rushed it all felt, I think I’d rather see them all on an individual basis for a higher quality show. Considering the line-up, Hoot could have been fantastic – but leave it to the people who run the show to ruin it. I think it’s sad that the highlight was playing Speed with my cohort-in-crime, Karl. I think it’s even sadder that I felt it necessary to bring the damn cards in the first place.

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Hootenanny 2003
By Wanda

I have been to a lot Hootenannies – perhaps every one but the first one – and for the last three Hootenannies, I have staffed a booth for KUCI 88.9fm, so I consider myself something of a Hootenanny expert. A Hootenanniest. So trust me when I say that the music was great, but the venue was just awful – possibly the worst ever. Now, I am not one that is slavishly devoted to the past and will sit there and tell you how amazing Oak Canyon was and how the Hootenanny has sucked ever since they moved. Every site has merits. And here are a few of this year’s:

1) parking – easy in, easy out. And you were so hot, all you could think about doing was leaving
2) port-a-potties – possibly the cleanest mobile johns I have ever been in. Made you want to flush! And they had disinfectant to wash your hands!
3) the nice door people – yes, they frisked you, but they were nice about it
4) the water – it was only $2.00, which is a bargain considering that everyone was dehydrated. Think volume, not price
5) the horrible layout – a perfect rectangle – made it easy to find your friends
6) the “general store” booth – I needed a lot of aspirin over those two days
7) the sound – someone finally got it right and most of the bands sounded great

Here are a few of the not-so-good things about the whole event:

1) the location – CSUF is my alma mater, and I love it, but really, it’s not a good place to have a show. Too hot, no trees, and whose idea was it to put the main stage facing into the sun?
2) the “shade tents” that turned out to be ez-ups – please, please, please take a cue from the good folks at the Warped Tour and put up a tent that has chairs and tables and beer or margaritas for the over 21 crowd. It might also be a good idea to have some of that “reverse day-care” for dads and moms, too
3) the car show – what happened?
4) the vendors – not nearly enough, and most were gone on Sunday
5) the location – did I mention that there was not one tree in sight? I went to CSUF until 1992 and I remember there being trees – where did they all go?
6) the horrible layout – it felt like we were in a bull pen, herded in and milling around, instead of the more organic space that was Oak Canyon or even Hidden Valley
7) the slavish devotion to the set list that caused them to turn off the sound during Jr. Brown’s encore – what? you say, “they turned off the sound during Jr. Brown?” Yes. I couldn’t believe it either

Now, I know that the good folks who bring us the Hootenanny are not in charge of the weather, and I’ve always said that I’m like a lizard – I lack an internal heating system and have to sit around on hot rocks to get my circulation going. So it stands to reason that I would have loved the sub-Saharan temperatures at this year’s Hootenanny, what with the UV index at about 112 and the humidity ranging from 85-90%. Wrong. It was even too hot for me at this year’s Hootenanny, and at several points I thought I might get sunstroke and die, even though I was fully hydrated (no beer, only water), wearing a cowboy hat, carrying a parasol, and slathered with enough SPF 50 to ostensibly ward off sun exposure for the next millennium.

With the extreme weather, it might have made sense to sit somewhere air conditioned (a library? Denny’s?) and wait until this whole July thing blew over, but I decided it would be a better use of my time to drive out to Riverside to look at drought tolerant gardens. I’m not lying. That’s what I was doing on Saturday and why I didn’t get to the Hootenanny until 2:30 p.m. I know, it doesn’t make any sense to me, either.

I did get there in time to see the end of the Original Sinners set; they were wonderful as always. After that, the Blasters, who sound good, especially in the hot sun, but just aren’t the same without Dave. Doesn’t everyone say that? In the interim, I searched for my friends and found most of them. The Cadillac Tramps were great and looked dapper in their suits (weren’t they hot?) but everyone seemed to be waiting for one thing – the Stray Cats. When they finally took the stage, I was surprised that they looked so good, and that they had opted for the full 1983 Stray Cats regalia – bandannas, leather jackets, big pomps, etc. It’s like time hasn’t touched these guys. Everyone watched to see how they acted and reacted together – were they only on stage together for the money? Was this a put on or a real reunion? I’m not a Stray Cats devotee, and I couldn’t tell you whether or not they hate each other or not, but they were up on stage and they sounded good. They played all the hits and then, in a total aberration, Brian Setzer started thanking our boys who were overseas defending us, and going on about the Fourth of July and then he sang the National fucking Anthem- the Star Spangled Banner. What a buzz killer. Really! Now, I’m as patriotic as the next gal, maybe even a little more so. I lived through the Reagan Years, I’ve been to the Nixon Library, and I’m not that liberal, but that was just plain weird. I’ve thought about it a lot in the ensuing days, and I’m still not sure why he did that. Maybe they didn’t practice that many songs together, so it was a set-filler? Who can say? They sounded good, but that moment really brought me back from my happy 80s reverie and into the present. Or maybe it’s the other way around – maybe that moment should have been a flashback to some Reagan-era weirdness. In either case, I went home.

On Sunday, I was much more prepared for the Hootenanny. I got there earlier, with more sunscreen – the kind that dissolves and is sweat-proof. The door people were nice to me because they recognized me, and I had an entire conversation with a gal who thought the Hootenanny was the most amazing show she had ever been to. Turns out it was the only show she had ever been to. Figures.

While my friends toddled off to see Hellbound Hayrride and Jesse Dayton, I stayed to watch the Paladins. Ordinarily I find their brand of “boozy blues” noodling to be very annoying, but it always seems to sound better when you are kind of far away and in the hot sun. Tex and the Horseheads also sounded good, although I was dismayed that a lot of people around me didn’t know who they were and made fun of Tex’s outfit. I felt old. Manic Hispanic sounded great, as usual, with Gabby proving that he is one part lead singer and two parts comedian. The man can work a crowd. The Nekromantix were also great, although Kim’s attempts to get the crowd to yell and sing along were a little forced (“Is everyone ready to have a good time? I can’t hear you…”) .

During Lee Rocker, I shopped, because I just don’t like Lee Rocker.

But I do like Dave Vanian, so I crept very close to the stage for his set, only to be soundly disappointed. I think that Dave Vanian has an amazing voice, and is pretty easy on the eyes to boot, but his band sounded unrehearsed and at times was visibly confused and disorganized on stage. Additionally, they were about 20 minutes late starting, which would later result in the premature silencing of Jr. Brown. Little Davie Vanian shouldn’t be allowed back until they practice.

In contrast, watching Dave Alvin is like going to church. I consider it as close to a religious experience as one might have during a Hootenanny. After all, the whole thing is a little like a tent-revival, well, if they had tents and no beer and no falafel. But falafel and Philly cheesesteaks aside, Dave Alvin can make a convert out of anyone.

Rocket from the Crypt were up next, and I was excited because I had heard so many good things, but I found this band utterly boring. They were better when they were the Supersuckers. Jr. Brown also was amazing, but as I have said, they cut his set short, which should be punishable by law. It’s also a shame that he wasn’t playing any other gigs around town (can you say “exclusionary clause”?) cuz otherwise I wouldn’t have been so miffed at his shortened set time. Little Richard was a sight to see, and I’m glad that I did see him, but by the time Social Distortion took the stage, I was cooked to a crisp and ready to drop standing.

I thought about the time way back in the mid-80s that I saw Social Distortion play in the Becker Amphitheater to a crowd of considerably less people. Social Distortion had already experienced some fame, and Mike Ness pulled up in this cherry red Jaguar, which everyone said made him a “sellout” to the punk scene. Since then, I’ve seen the band more times than I could probably count. I thought about sellouts, buyouts, and the refreshing shower that was waiting for me at home. So on that note, I left the Hootenany for another year.

Come and discuss Wanda's Hootenanny article at the Barflies.net Message Board!

Hootenanny 2003: Recalling the US Festival 1983 and “Brian Setzer – The Mullet Years”
By Kevin Hillskemper

I’m glad Hootenanny was moved to Cal State Fullerton. Not only because it was closer and more convenient for me, but also because it was on very familiar turf and allowed my brain to play little time-travel tricks on me with the luxury of a safety net.

Not only did I attend CSUF at one time, but also I went to high school across the street. I’ve seen quite a variety of live music on the CSUF campus over the years. I remember travelling en masse from old Troy High to see the Adolescents and the Idle Rich play in a lecture hall for a “History of Rock and Roll” class. There were also some memorable outdoor lunch-time shows in the early 80’s – X, Rank and File, The Red Devils. When I was an actual student, there was stuff like fIREHOSE and Mojo Nixon. Poison played in the little amphitheater to a crowd of about twelve – eleven after I left. Should I mention the Alarm? No? Okay.

I’m drifting. This is exactly what I was referring to.

Back to the Hootenanny.

Like most old-timers, I have already seen most of the featured acts on this year’s bill – who hasn’t – and already have stories and recollections about them.
Opting for only one day of the two-day event, I went on Saturday, July 5th. I just caught the tail end of Crank Williams (figuratively speaking). I have to say that there was not a dull moment in the five minutes of high-speed Hank Williams tribute that I saw. Great logo, but the schtick may have run its course.

I liked James Intveld. He didn’t play “My Heart is Achin’ for You” which is good. It was a good song, but it’s just not him anymore. The Original Sinners were great. It should surprise no one that they sounded a lot like X, since half of X was on stage, but a lot of bands do anyway.

John Doe doesn’t sound like X, except when he sings. I wish he would record a live album. The Blasters were the Blasters, but not “The Original Blasters”. Something didn’t click. Maybe they should only play at night.
The Cadillac Tramps looked sharp in their suits and sounded just as good.

Then it got weird.

It could have been sunstroke. It could have been the overpriced slimy fake amber bock.

The flawless badda-bing, badda-boom pacing of the twin-stage set-up came to a halt as the Stray Cats did not play.

They eventually did play but not until after I started flashing back to 1983.

It could have been the bandannas.

In the summer of 1983 I was working as a peanut boy at Anaheim Stadium. Through this, I got a gig selling soft drinks at the US ’83 Festival in Devore. Several of us at the Stadium went for it. We were promised a campsite and free meals in addition to our commission of so much per tray of sodas.

As it turned out, the “campsite” was a parking space in a shadeless gravel parking lot and the “meals” turned out to be one hot dog a day. The guy who ran the soda concession turned out to be a paranoid freak who had a tendency to foam at the mouth and continuously accuse us of stealing him blind.
It was pretty cool job.

We would simply walk around in the crowd wearing a stupid hat and some kind of hot polyester uniform shirt and sell weak sodas with melted ice. When it was empty we went back for more.
If there was a particular band I wanted to see, I would take off the stupid hat and shirt and not go back for more.

Breaks were numerous and lengthy. Although we were not of legal drinking age, there was a magic ice-chest full of fine cheap beer – 11 ounce bottles with the puzzles on the cap – back at the “campsite.” A big tobacco company was one of the major sponsors of the concert and they were giving out free sample packs of 10 cigarettes. I considered it my duty to collect as many of these freebies as possible and consume them all. At the time, it seemed like the greatest thing. Years later I would curse the man with the bushy, shredded-wheat moustache.

Day one of the US ’83 Festival was “New Wave” day. Headlining that day was the Clash, in what would turn out to be their last show with Mick Jones. I was always a big Clash fan. I had seen them a couple of times before and was not going to miss them here.
Other bands I wanted to see were The (English) Beat and the Stray Cats. Although I liked the first Stray Cats album a couple of years earlier, by then they were considered to be just teeny-bop pretty-boys with no substance.

They were amazing. I wasn’t just because they had followed a bunch of glop like Flock of Seagulls (which they did), but they were really, really good. With nothing more than one guitar, one stand-up bass, a couple of drums, and a mountain of big greasy hair they blasted the fire of rock over the unholy badlands of San Bernardino County. On the strength of that performance, I have been a defender of the Stray Cats to this very day.

Most of the US Fest is a blur. I have a bootleg of the Clash from that show, which was great. I also saw David Bowie, The Pretenders, U2, and a bunch of other people that nobody wants to hear about.

After the Stray Cats broke up for the first time, all of the members put on really stupid clothes and made a bunch of dumb records. However, as goofy as Phantom, Rocker, and Slick looked, I like “Men Without Shame”.
Brian Setzer jumped on the Reagan-era Americana bandwagon with an album called “The Knife Feels Like Justice” in 1986 which should have been credited to “Brian Cougar Mellencamp Setzer. This was followed in 1988 by the Rock-a-billy/80’s metal fusion of “Live Nude Guitars.” There may have been a couple Stray Cats reunions around that time, but I didn’t care and I didn’t pay attention.

If you look at the covers of these two Setzer solo albums you will see pictures of a man in crisis. It’s in the hair. In just a few years, his big fat greasy pompadour had been reduced to a wimpy little poodle of a mullet on the “Knife” album. By 1988, his hair had become a full-on, raging, ozone-depleting, rain forest-eating, monster truck of a mullet.

Future historians will someday refer to the late 80’s as “Brian Setzer – The Mullet Years”.
In the 90’s, Brian Setzer became popular again. Phantom and Rocker have kept working in one form or another and have become respectable.

This brings us back to Hootenanny 2003.

The Stray Cats took the stage after a 20-minute wait. They were very good. They are no longer the teeny-bop pretty boy – that only seems to give them credibility. They are all incredible musicians and played with a looseness and loudness that made their records sound like day-old muffins.

When their set was over, I left. I heard them come back for an encore but I just kept walking. I wanted to get back to the present.

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