The
Hootenanny 2000
Words by Lee Madison
Photos by Ben Croft
So my friends call me and invite me to go to some festival called
the Hootenanny they tell me what bands are going to play, some
of the big boys included Chris Isaak, The Reverend Horton Heat,
Royal Crown Revue, Lee Rocker with Slim Jim Phantom (both from
the Stray Cats), Hank Williams III, and Cadillac Tramps. How
could I say no to that? The only downfall was that it was in
LA and we’d have to drive (from Sacto.). In the big picture
that was a small price to pay!
So we get there and what a sight it was, in the parking lot
there were some cool hot rods, hot chicks, and cold beer, a
combo I think I could/would never turn down! It kinda felt like
I was in American Graffiti, the kittens were hot with tight
pants, hair that you can tell took them hours to do, and bright
red lipstick. The cats with slicked back hair or cowboy hats,
haggard 501’s, and fat-ass chops.
Once we decided to leave the parking lot and embark on our journey
to the time-warp, back packs fully stocked with Pabst of course,
and designated a meeting place for later, there was an even
more magnificent sight. A small stage to the right, a car show
down to the left and the huge stage directly ahead. This event
is on a pretty sizeable piece of land, at least 50 acres, and
quite a few acres were dedicated to a car show. Cars there ranged
from hot rods to classic cars to muscle cars to full-on custom
cars. Growing up around old Lincolns that my dad restored I
could truly appreciate the time, effort, money, and sweat these
people put into these cars. The whole time I’m taking this
in there is great music enveloping me, some of which came from
the Cadillac Tramps, and the Blasters.
Now, down to the stage area we go. We got down there just in
time to see Hank Williams III and to be honest he was not the
main reason I went down there but after his show kicked my ass
I was stoked that I got to see him and his band play! I was
blown away by his show because I was totally expecting just
some standard country music but that was definitely not the
case. The guit-fiddles (guitars) were grinding some burly power
chords, the drummer was killing it with the double bass, the
stand up bass player was flying all over the strings, and the
fiddle player- I don’t know how he kept that bow on the
strings cause he was rocking so hard! Then when I saw the Misfits
shirt Hank was wearing and the punk stickers on the amps, including
NOFX I could understand where a lot of their influence came
from. Something else that stoked me was the amount of autographs
on his guitfiddle. It turns out that a lot of the musicians
had autographed instruments. It’s nice to know that even
though they are well known musicians they still have heroes;
it shows that they are still humble.
One of the highlights of the day was when Lee Rocker got on
the stage. Not only was he joined by his former Stray Cats partner
Slim Jim Phantom but The Rev. Horton Heat, and none other than
the one and only Scotty Moore. This guy used to play guitar
for Elvis and is still rocking! What an ensemble, that one definitely
went down in the history books! And the way the crowd screamed
when they all were out there, they knew it too.
Then there was The Rev., who I originally went to see. It’s
amazing how much energy this band exudes. Every time I see them
they’re exploding with fire and force and that fire and
force and the expressions on their faces prove how much they
love what their doing. What’s even better is that they
are totally regular people, totally approachable. Every time
I watch as they sign autographs I see just how personable each
guy is. If you’re getting something signed by any one of
them you might be a little intimidated but I’ll bet if
you started just talking to them you’d be surprised with
the conversation you might have.
After the show was over there was just enough time to shit,
shower and shave before we were off to the Afternanny. The Afternanny
was a bonus for the folks that weren’t ready to stop yet.
It was at this little place called Linda’s Doll Hut. This
place is sick! It’s this little place (that was a pain
in the ass to find but well worth it) that’s in the basic
shape of the letter U and it also has a patio for those moments
when you “just need some fresh air and you’ll be alright”.
The crowd was definitely a continuation of the Hootenanny with
The Amazing Crowns playing. After the pitchers and shots started
to flow the night started to blend together which was kinda
cool because after we closed the place we were off to our hotel
room to continue the personal mini-hoot. Even by the time we
all passed out around 4am it seemed like it all went by too
fast. Even looking back at it now it still seems like it went
by way too fast, so I’m already making plans for next year’s
Hoot!
So my friends call me and invite me to go to some festival called
the Hootenanny they tell me what bands are going to play, some
of the big boys included Chris Isaak, The Reverend Horton Heat,
Royal Crown Revue, Lee Rocker with Slim Jim Phantom (both from
the Stray Cats), Hank Williams III, and Cadillac Tramps. How
could I say no to that? The only downfall was that it was in
LA and we’d have to drive (from Sacto.). In the big picture
that was a small price to pay!