Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com.
Here are some things that are fascinating: hell, hillbillies, hillbillies from hell, the A&E channel, movies that star hillbillies, movies that star hillbillies that like to kill people, poetry, portmanteaus, aggressive guitars and guys named “Hank.”
Thankfully, The U-Joints, a hard edge country band thing, deal with all of those things. And in addition to that, they’re computer saavy. And they like being interviewed. So when we hit them up to be talk about stuff, they obliged. Lucky day for us.
Hit the jump to hear some of their music, read about hellbillies, hate in one’s heart and Jennifer Lopez’s boobs. Winners all the way around, we suppose.
Rocks Off: First, tell us a bit about your band. Give us a 100-word rundown on the history of The U-Joints.
The U-Joints:
When we started this band
All we needed, needed was a laugh
Years gone by
I’d say we’ve kicked some ass
When I’m enraged
Or hittin’ the stage
Adrenaline rushing
Through my veins
And I’d say we’re still kickin’ ass
RO: Okay. We love this line from your Myspace bio about one of the guys who used to be in your band: “Unfortunately Josh got married…” We trust this is the same way that Ray started his toast at Josh’s wedding?
U: [laughs] That kinda came out wrong. We love Josh’s wife. Their wedding was awesome. Her Grandma hit on me. It was mutual.
RO: Do you watch that show Flip This House on A&E? It seems like something The U-Joints would hate. It makes us laugh to think about you all sitting elbow to elbow on a sofa watching it, making remarks to one another about how better the people on the show could’ve designed the living room or whatever.
U: We always watch A&E together. And yes, we could do everything better. They never put enough bars in people’s houses, on the windows or in the basement. And that show Intervention? We’re way better than those whiners. They just need to buck up and write some songs.
RO: That song
brings to mind a few questions. First, what is a hellbilly? Is it, like, a demon hillbilly? Did you see that movie Wrong Turn? Is a hellbilly what those things were that were chasing Eliza Dushku?
U: Well, we’ve got to give “Hellbilly”‘ to Hank, but it sounded more hardcore than “Hillbilly Holiday Weekend.” We weren’t writing about goin’ to Wal-Mart. I never saw Wrong Turn but in that movie U-Turn you can see Jennifer Lopez’s boobs.
RO: Second question: What are some of the events that one participates in during a Hellbilly Holiday Weekend? And what holiday is it? Flag Day? Probably not, huh? Flag Day is ridiculous.
U: Debauchery goes down on a Hellbilly Holiday Weekend and every weekend is a Hellbilly Holiday Weekend; partying Beaumont style! And yeah, we definitely have a flag!
RO: We really, really like that
It is very open and kind of makes me feel sad. Who are you singing about? A hellbilly vixen of some sort?
U: Chris wrote that song, [the] lyrics and music. Dark bastard is always writing about killin’ someone; himself, strangers, the TV weather girl… He has a lot of hate in his heart. I think it might have started when he heard Pat Green on the radio.
RO: Anything coming up that you want to make sure gets mentioned? New album, shows, things like that? Now’d be the time to do it.
U: This is gonna be a good year for the band. We got a new singer – Ryan Miller of the Dead-End Cowboys – a new album is in the works and it all kicks off May 7th at the Cypress Saloon. We’ll be playing with the guy that gave us our first shot, 850-time Houston Press Award Winner, John Evans.
See The U-Joints online at www.myspace.com/theujoints.
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2010.