The Hellbusters: Hard Blues

Spring Digest of Hellbusteristic Activities

Tue, 11 May 2010 17:23:21 -0700

Checking in, everybody.

So we just finished a run of shows at Harry’s American Bar in Reno. It was pretty fun. Made some money, made some new friends, and played in a very relaxing atmosphere. We took our little “busking rig” down there, first unveiled at the RBS Mash Bash last year, and played. I did three nights solo, and two nights with Jack. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Speaking of the RBS, we also got a chance to play out in the lobby before Shawn Kellerman and the Rick Hammond Blues Band played the RBS Spring Dance party at the Reno Ramada. That was fun too. I gotta tell ya, the Hellbuster busking rig makes us like blues Special Forces… we travel light, set up in seconds, hit hard, and disappear into the night with only blown minds, lighter wallets, and dropped panties to let you know we were there at all.

Speaking of blown minds and dropped panties, this Shawn Kellerman guy… holy crap was he awesome. I had only the faintest idea of who he was before he played, but I’ll never forget him now. Terrific show. High energy, great songs, excellent technical player and he also had a lot of charisma… especially for a Canadian. :) And our old friend Rick Hammond did his usual awesome job, playing a great set to open the show for Kellerman. I even got sent back by my wife to the show to buy a Kellerman t-shirt!

We’re messing around with some new wrinkles to the act and getting ready for the “Taking It To The Streets” part of the 2010 Taking It To The Streets tour… be looking for short-notice announcements of street gigs in and around the Truckee Meadows starting in June. We’re picking out spots now, and assuming the cops don’t get us, it should be a lot of fun.

We’ll be in touch.

Hellbuster Unleashed On Innocent Elementary School Children, Teachers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:34:00 -0800

So, there I was, walking into the cool-ass hippy school my kids go to, carrying a suitcase with my Pignose amp in it, and with Master Chief, my black Traveler electric guitar AND my new as-yet-unnamed Little Martin acoustic travel guitar on my back. The lady at the front desk looked suspicious. She’s seen me before, but not looking like this. I had my Doc Martens on, and my Harley-Davidson of Reno shirt, and my beanie cap that makes me look like a vaguely annoyed longshoreman. I wasn’t there to pick up my kids or drop my kids off.

I was there to hellbust.

It’s not like they shouldn’t have known what was coming. They asked me to be there. Specifically, Mr. Kurt, who is a blues fan who heard I played and that I’d played in my son’s little-kid “lower elementary” class before, asked me. Kurt’s the kind of guy who plays Howlin’ Wolf for the kids in his class sometimes. He’s good people, you know? So when he asked, well… I said sure. But I told him, we got to do this correct. See, Kurt’s kids are what they call in the hippy school “upper elementary”, 4th thru 6th graders. It’s the big kids. So I insisted they were gonna get the full effect Hellbusters Blues-In-The-School program. There would be no quarter asked or given.

I asked after Kurt coming to fetch me, and he soon did so. Kurt’s looks like what I would look like if I was tall, in shape, and better looking. He marched me in to the room, and I unpacked my stuff, sat down on my suitcase and assessed the audience.

It was about… sixty… 9 to 11 year olds. After lunch.

I ain’t scairt. I’ve been in rougher rooms. Not much rougher, but rougher for sure.

Kurt (and it may be spelled “Curt”, I don’t really know) introduced me and told everybody to behave while I played.

I told everybody to not behave while I played. They looked at me, and I looked at them. I didn’t unleash my customary introduction on them, because it was clear they understood. They were gonna Obey the Hellbusters (well, Hellbuster, since Jack wasn’t available) and that would include interrupting me with questions, because I love that (I really do), clapping, stomping, dancing around, asking more questions etc.

And then I blistered them with an acoustic version of “Shake ‘em On Down”, just to warm ‘em up.

After they quit clapping, I said, “Some say the blues is a depressing music, children! Is anybody sad after that?”

There were many loud squeals that indicated there were, in fact, not.

And then we got into it. We talked about where the blues came from, the African rhythms, the one one-chord songs and the diddy bow, the Delta blues sound, and how it moved up through the south and on to Chicago, were Muddy Waters “invented ‘lectricity” and him and Howlin’ Wolf rivaled each other. And when we reached Chicago, I put down my new acoustic, and picked up Master Chief, and started playing electric. We talked about the various styles, Texas and St. Louis and Detroit and it’s influence on Elvis and the Rolling Stones. And I played song after song that represented each stop along the way. And they asked question after question, about the artists and about the equipment I was using. And they made lots of noise and made the teachers nervous, and they clapped and danced and laughed and so did I and it was a seriously deep spiritual experience being with them.

About an hour later, I switched back to acoustic, and we decided to make up our own blues song, just to show how easy it is to do in the blues, if you tell the truth.

“Somebody gimmie something they don’t like!” I said.

They screamed and shouted and I finally made out somebody yelling “Math!”

“And what are we gonna do about it?” I said.

They screamed and shouted some more, and I finally heard somebody say “Run away!”

“And where are we gonna go?” I said.

And somebody screaming louder than the rest said “Taco Bell!”

So I said “ok, we got our song” and over a little 12-bar Delta style boogie, 1-4-5 in the key of D, I sang our song that we wrote, which went something like:

“I hate math, I hate math… I hate math, I hate math… I ain’t doin’ math no more, gonna run off to Taco Bell…”

And the place erupted.

Oh, it was fun.

But the best part, after we were done, every kid in there wanted an autograph.

I highly recommend, if you ever need an ego boost, go to an elementary school and do something cool and fun for the kids, and then sign autographs for 20 minutes. :)

Yes, this Hellbuster does Blues-In-The-Schools by invitation. If you want some good music and good information dropped on the childrens in your school, contact me. I ain’t scairt. I ain’t even scairt of high schoolers. Gimme 30 minutes, they won’t know what hit ‘em. :)

Tavo

We’re doing a show on Friday 2/5 at the Studio on 4th...

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:47:31 -0800

We’re doing a show on Friday 2/5 at the Studio on 4th Street (corner of 4th and Valley) @ 7pm with the guy above… Noah Engh! As you can see, his music and our music should go together like gasoline and matches! Please come out and see the show!

Here’s what we look like:

Come on and see the show!

Todd Mauldin profiled by Good Men Project (click here to read)

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:30:29 -0800

Todd Mauldin profiled by Good Men Project (click here to read):

How about that?

Thanks for a great 2009 everybody!

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:11:45 -0800

Thanks for a great 2009 everybody!

It's 2010, and the air is right for Hellbusting

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:50:25 -0800

Happy New Year, everybody!

Which is also a great song by Todd Snider…

Anyway, welcome to 2010, friends. Yes, I’ll get around to changing the graphics on the home page one of these days, but not today. Today I’m sitting in the cold and snow of Reno and thinking about the year to come. The year past, while very good in Hellbusting, was pretty sucky in general overall for just about everybody, so I’m just saying so long to it with a minimum of fuss, and moving on down the road.

We have new and interesting plans for 2010. Let’s call them New Year’s Resolutions.

If everything goes according to the general plan we will:

1. Record at least one album. We have tons of demos done. I know I’ve been saying a new record is coming for months if not a year… but we resolve to record the new one in 2010 and maybe even release it.

2. We’re taking our music to the streets. I enjoy playing clubs and festivals, yet I feel like we don’t get to do either of them enough. So rather than focus on what I can’t control, the overall state of the economy and the seeming shortage of venues willing or able to book the Hellbusters, we’re going outlaw. We did a fair bit of busking and playing outdoors in 2009, starting with the TV deal at Reno-Tahoe Blues Fest, then continuing with the solo show at Black Tangerine and the really great time we had playing outside the RBS Mash Bash, we’re gonna get on it for serious. Look for a schedule, with dates starting in the spring, of street shows. We’re just gonna start going out and playing. We’ve developed a really great rig for playing music on the streets and I’m satisfied with the sound and I love the extra interaaction we get with listeners doing it like that. So standby for more info.

Thanks to all our fans and friends for all the support over the last year, and for all the love and support since we started. It makes us feel great. We wish you all a prosperous 2010. God bless.

Tavo

Man, That Went By Quick

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:22:06 -0700

Hi everybody!

I don’t know what happned, the last couple of months BLEW by and it’s been forever since I posted anything here on hellbusters.net.

I can report the summer was really great Hellbusting… The highlights of Burning Girl, Taylorsville Solar Cookoff and the Reno-Tahoe Blues Fest are now behind us but we’ll never forget them. Playing music on a ranch by the Walker River… Hanging out with all the cool folks up at Taylorsville (especially getting to hang out with Guitar Shorty as well as all our old friends like Blue Haven and Whiskey Haulers and Rick Hammond), and then playing in front of a few thousand folks at Rancho for the RTBF (and also being on TV) were awesome.

The Cardboard Box City fundraiser was great too. We finally had good weather, and your friends the Hellbusters got contributions from all over the world (via PayPal) to play and stay all night. We continue to really enjoy this event and are proud to be part of it.

We have a couple of short-notice gigs coming up. We’re going to busk outside of the Reno Blues Society’s annual MASH bash this year so come see us on your way in or your way out. And I’m going to make a solo appearance (unless Jack can suddenly make it) at the Black Tangerine, a cool little venue way down in South Reno (behind the mobile home lot across from the Winco on South Virginia).

We have enough material written for nearly two records now. The plan was and sort of still remains to record the record this winter. We had selected a recording engineer and producer but the guy has moved out of town so looks like we’ll have to go on the road to get the thing tracked. We’ll keep you informed (hopefully more frequently than the last couple of months.)

Have a great Halloween (or as we call it here in Nevada, “Nevada Day”… Nevada entered the union on Oct. 31, 1864).

"SEE US RIDE OUT OF THE SUNRISE ON YOUR COLOR TV SCREEN..." HELLBUSTERS TO APPEAR ON TV MORNING SHOWS TO SUPPORT RENO TAHOE BLUES FEST

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:10:00 -0700

…with apologies to Bon Scott and AC/DC…

Folks, we just got word that we’ll be appearing on KOLO and KRNV’s morning shows on Friday 8/14 in support of the Reno Tahoe Blues Festival! We’re very excited to be a part of it. Both stations will be doing live remotes from Rancho San Rafel park from 5 to 7 am and we’ll be playing music and talking about the festival. *Do* tune in won’t you? And then as soon as you’re done tuning in, buy tickets to the festival and come see us, along with all the other wonderful acts on Saturday and Sunday at the RTBF! You can get more information here.

So, here’s your Hellbusters schedule:

8/14 5 am to 7 am: Hellbusters on KOLO and KRNV (ch. 8 and ch. 4)… I know it’s early, set your Tivo or something. Or half of you will be just getting home at that time so turn on your tube!

8/15 11 am and 4 pm: Hellbusters at Reno Tahoe Blues Fest on the second stage

Yes yes yes… HAIL yes…

Hellbusters get a hard working man through the day, digits

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:23:13 -0700

I’ve been saying this for years, and you know I’m right: Obeying the Hellbusters is good for you and can make all kinds of miracles happen. Here’s what Hellbuster Associate Steve in Ohio emailed me just now, about a miraculous encounter with that powerful Hellbustery music:

“Funny story, Todd. I’m in one of my stores today, got my headphones on, Zune set to shuffle. Low and behold, Guilty Blues pops up in the rotation. I’m bobbin my head, in my own little world, singin along under my breath. A lady taps me on the shoulder and says “No, but I wouldn’t mind.” And then gives me her phone number…”

There you have it, world-wide blues fans. More proof that the high-energy, stripped-down powerful sound of the Hellbusters makes you stronger, more attractive, make the day go faster, and maybe even get you laid.

Hot damn, I love my job.

GREETINGS RENO-TAHOE BLUES FEST FANS!

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:21:08 -0700

The Reno-Tahoe Blues Fest just posted links from facebook for all the second-stage bands at the 2009 RTBF, and so the Hellbusters would like to welcome you all to our little site. You can learn (almost) everything you need to know about us by clicking around in that big box over there on the left side of your screen. We’ll see you August 15th!

Hellbusters Back At Cardboard Box City 9/25

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:03:16 -0700

We’ve been invited back to Cardboard Box City on September 25th and are very happy about it! Cardboard Box City is an annual event to raise awareness of the challenges homeless people and families face and funds raised benefit Family Promise of Reno. It’s our third time playing at this event and this year I’m planning to stay all night (I haven’t made it all night since 2006 for one reason or another…) and if you’d like to support the event please consider renting a box for the night and we’ll make us a Hellbusters camp! For more information contact Cardboard Box City, or me.

Here’s a little front-porch Hellbusting, (actually as I...

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:41:22 -0700

Here’s a little front-porch Hellbusting, (actually as I recall, I recorded it in my motorhome, actually)… a solo version of our famous illicit-substance song “Heat”… remember, you can’t be arrested without an x-ray, kids!

HELLBUSTERS TATTOO LOOKS, HURTS GREAT Courtesy of his better...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

HELLBUSTERS TATTOO LOOKS, HURTS GREAT

Courtesy of his better half, and Jared and his Seven Needle Sermon at Ace’s Tattoo in Reno, Hellbusters geetar-torturer Todd Mauldin’s right calf is going to obey the hellbusters forever. :)

We play so nice, they want us twice

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:42:55 -0700

What’s up, Hellbuster Associates? We just got word that the Reno Tahoe Blues Fest folks liked what I did over at Spring Vibrations the other day enough to move the Hellbusters down (and that’s a good thing) in the rotation of local bands on the side stage, to 2:45p on Saturday August 15. Which is super cool, but then they went and decided to have us play our originally-scheduled 11am set! So we get to play the RTBF *twice* in one day and we’re really excited about it. Look for the Hellbusters at 11a and 2:45p!

Get your tickets now. I got a special code that’ll get you 20% off your ticket if you use it when you book through ticketmaster. Call me, email me, write me or see me at a show and I’ll hook you up!

...And Thus, An Unlikely Battle Of The Bands Ensued

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:17:54 -0700

Here’s part of an email I got the other day… I thought you guys might enjoy it:

“It all started when my co-worker Dawn showed me a website featuring a band she claims to know personally. Bear in mind I’m not making this stuff up…they’re a Gay punk rock band called Pansy Division (I swear this is all true) and they have a documentary in release that discusses the travails and hardships of being A) Gay, and B) Punk Rockers. Dawn is a cutie, middle-aged like us, and I think was probably following the Grateful Dead around throughout the 80’s, selling tie-dyed T-shirts out of her car’s trunk. She’s that kind of gal.

So…I bring up your website and show her the Hellbusters, w/ your sampled concert et cetera et al…Dawn tells me she hates Blues Music but loves Punk…I respond wittily with “Wha???”

And then we start bringing people into her cubicle, taking a straw poll, real man-on-the-street hard hitting investigative journalism, and it pleases me to inform you that Hellbusters downed Pansy Division decisively, 8-3. We’d have polled more people but my boss popped into the hall and wanted to know what he was paying us for. Like selling a few more cases of fizzy drinks could be more important than deciding which musical group known to our fizzy-drink company employees is superior. Ha!”

So there you have it. We’re more popular in an 11 (or so) person office somewhere in the American Southwest than a gay punk band is. Obey the Hellbusters!

Tavo

Associate Hellbuster Rev. Joey Cummings left Mississippi and...

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:28:46 -0700

Associate Hellbuster Rev. Joey Cummings left Mississippi and moved to American Samoa a few years ago, to talk on the radio and have adventures in the South Pacific. Now he’s an American Samoa media superstar and he’s turned his great song “Monkey On My Back” into a great video. He’s a good friend of the Hellbusters and I think you will enjoy this here video and song a great deal.

All is well for Burning Girl; Come And See The Spring Vibes/RTBF Set

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:18:00 -0700

Hi everybody,

Just a quick update: everything is cool at Burning Girl, we’re still going to appear there on July 4th. More details and instructions to follow. It’s more of a private party down there now but you’re all still invited.

Also, please do drop by tomorrow Friday 6/5 over in Victorian Square in Sparks to see me bust a little hell from the Reno/Tahoe Blues Fest stage. I’ll start making noise at 11 am.

New Gigs Announced, And A Spot of Trouble

Thu, 28 May 2009 23:41:00 -0700

Hi Hellbuster Associates,

Just found out I will be playing a solo set at Spring Vibrations, the springtime biker freakout in Sparks, on Friday June 5. I’ll be the first act going on the side stage somewhere at Victorian Square that has been generously given to the Reno Tahoe Blues Festival people, starting at 11 am. After me, Terrapin Road will play a couple of sets, and then the Pickled Beets. Please do stop by and check me out (and stay for TR and the Beets) if you’re looking for something to do on Friday other than work. Spring Vibrations is a great event, lots of stuff to see and do and there’s beautiful motorcycles and interesting people everywhere.

On another front, we’ve been advised by the organizers of Burning Girl that Lyon County has sent them a notice saying they can’t have any bands at Burning Girl without a special use permit (despite the event being held on private property). I think the orgainzers are pushing back and trying to work something out, but right now the Hellbusters appearance (and everybody else’s appearances) are in jeapordy. We’ll let you know if the gig sticks. Just wanted you all to have a heads up. Once again, it’s an example of the Man trying to keep us down.

ACOUSTIC HELLBUSTERY - “One Bad Stud” More lo-fi...

Wed, 20 May 2009 13:12:00 -0700

ACOUSTIC HELLBUSTERY - “One Bad Stud”

More lo-fi front-porch hellbustin’, solo. “One Bad Stud”… first guys I ever heard do it were the Blasters, on the “Streets of Fire” soundtrack. It was from the cool part where there was this awesome chick dancing around (I forget her name, should look it up on imdb.com… but she was the same dancer who doubled for whats-her-face in “Flashdance”) in the Bomber’s hideout while Raven (Wilem DaFoe) was upstairs menacing Diane Lane and the Blasters were wailing downstairs. I’ve since found out that the song certainly pre-dates the Blasters, but my version is based on theirs. Anyway, Happy Wednesday.

Fan screen capture… apparently there’s a guy who has...

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:15:34 -0700

Fan screen capture… apparently there’s a guy who has LED signs, with webcams pointed at them… and what is displayed on the LED signs is controllable from the Internet. So one of our fans put our message on there, and for a few seconds, the Internet LED sign was preaching for us. :) Thanks!