Hear Them Roar

Once I hopped on the airport shuttle bus — FTX's tour vehicle — I quickly figured out I couldn't just "hang out." I found myself driving, setting up, tech­ing and helping with merch.

At the time, Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 was managing Fenix TX. He had observed me working and handling business throughout my short time on the road with the guys. When we were in Las Vegas at the Joint, he called me into the dressing room.

Back in the punk rock saddle.

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Fitzgerald's

2706 White Oak
Houston, TX 77007

Category: Bars and Clubs

Region: Heights

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Latch Key Kids

With the Buzzkillers, Dead to the World, the Hates, and Llorona. 8 p.m. Saturday, January 14, at Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak Blvd., 713-862-3838 or fitzlivemusic.com.

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He handed me a bunch of contracts and said, "You're the new tour manager."

I really love touring with bands. Getting to see the world and hanging out with people who you look up to as artists is an honor and privilege. It has actually given me more insight to Latch Key Kids over the years, meaning that, for all the hardships we have gone through over the years as a band, I have witnessed the same things with some of the biggest bands I've worked for. There is always some kind of drama going on, technical problem, or someone getting on someone else's nerves. I am now married and have stopped touring full-time. It's time to concentrate on LKK and taking it to the next level.

HP: LKK was always good about getting sweet openers for major headliners, but didn't you guys start out opening for our own Hates?

TG: The Hates were the first band to give us a "real" show. Back in the early '90s, being in a punk band wasn't cool. We were actually turned off a few times in the middle of our sets because we were too loud. I was flyering for a house party show with my buddy Screech who drummed for the Hates at the time when I met Christian. He asked me if LKK wanted to play a show. We were stoked.

HP: As Houston Press's resident band etymologist, we've always wondered...you never hear the term "latch-key kid" anymore, though there still must be millions of them. The phrase conjures up a sense of loneliness and abandonment, at least to us. What did the phrase mean to you when the band was founded, and does it mean the same now?

CW: In my opinion, "latch-key kids" are no longer a subset of kids — lots, if not the majority, of kids are latch-key. This likely points to a shift in society — it's become fairly normal for kids to find themselves a little, or a lot, more on their own these days. The Ward Cleaver family setup is rare these days. I don't believe I know anybody who has a life like that.

MM: I immediately identified with the band's name due to my real-life experience as a latch-key kid growing up. Today, the name still resonates with me in the same sense: I can, in a way, see the band as if they were neighborhood latch-key kids from back in the day — maybe not the lonely and abandoned part, but rather using our "after-school" time for cranking the amps and rocking out.