Asked to name the biggest bands to come out of the 817 over the past 10 or 15 years, most folks would probably first say, “The Toadies.” Fine. The second? Probably Pantera. The third? Is there even a third to name?
Absolutely, IMHO: Flickerstick, a band that started out around the same time as the two aforementioned but that until recently had never broken up and had never gone more than a year or two between albums; a band that weathered years of bad press, thanks in no small measure to the ill-fated VH1 reality TV show, Bands on the Run, in which Flick and bands from all over the country competed to earn not even a record deal but the mere satisfaction of winning based on viewers’ votes. (Flick won, BTW.) Never mind that every other popular local band at the time, including hipster-approved acts Doosu and Tripping Daisy, also applied to get on the show (but weren’t picked). Never mind that Flick — and the other contestants — had been duped into believing the show was a documentary of sorts and not a competition. Never mind that Flickerstick managed to capitalize on its popularity and create a sizable fan base that still came out by the hundreds for shows. Never mind that all of the other contestants broke up not long after the show was canceled. Never mind that Flickerstick only got better with time. Chances are that if you don’t plan on going to see Flick’s final show in North Texas on Saturday at House of Blues (2200 N. Lamar St., 214-373-8000), nothing I say here will change your mind. But if you’ll grant me just a moment of your time: Go to YouTube, key in “Flickerstick,” and click on the first video that comes up, “Beautiful,” and tell me it’s not in the top five pop-rock songs of all time to come out of our neck of the woods. (Also in my top five is another Flick song, “Coke.”) Why Flickerstick never became a Top-40 band, I’ll never know. But maybe if they’d gotten big, they would have burned out, leaving us with only one album and a couple of great songs. Bands that do that are just rude. … Two concert notes: Filling in for co-founder and bassist Fletcher Lea, who’s off serving his country, will be Aden Bubeck, who also plays in Bertha Coolidge and Grammy-nominee Miranda Lambert’s band. And I don’t mean to be tellin’ tales outta school, but if you keep your ears peeled, you might catch word of a Fort Worth Flick show performed under an assumed identity. Who says that lovers who dare not speak their names are things of the past? Visit www.myspace.com/flickersticktarantula. … Friends of dearly departed alt-country singer-songwriter Cadillac Fraf (né Chad Percy) are invited to attend his memorial service on Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, 2700 McPherson Ave., Fort Worth, and a celebration of his life at Lola’s Saloon, 2736 W. 6th St., from 2:30 p.m. ’til whenever. … Congratulations to jazz pianist Jhon Kahsen (né Johnny Case), who will be inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be part of a Texas Swing festival that takes place every spring in San Marcos. Visit www.myspace.com/johnnycase.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
