THE HICKMEN: California Dreamin'

The Hickmen

California Dreamin'

© 2004 The Hickmen (677357012927)

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A tuneful helping of populist whup-ass, delivered as only the pissed-off can.

notes

Energized by the songwriting on their first CD, Welcome Home, as well as regular live dates in Southern California, The Hickmen turned to political themes for this, their second CD . Though they take shots at second amendment rights as well as red vs. blue America, these rockin' guitar tunes find their softest target in the ever-expanding homogenization of the Southern California landscape known as sprawl.

And just when you thought it couldn't get better, the third CD is almost done--Spring 08 for sure. Check out their live show as well as their website and myspace for previews of the new songs.

Perhaps no other region of the country is as connected with sprawl as Southern California, but as the popularity of this "land-use" spreads across the nation, it occurred to The Hickmen that the American Dream may need a re-write. From the opening salvo of "Hills of California," to the textural depth of "Fever," through the big-box asphalt desertification of "Costco Socks," to the rave-up of "Envy," the majority of these tunes are a sprawl-aholic's nightmare. Think Joe Strummer meets James Howard Kunstler.

The Hickmen proudly take their name from Johnny Hickman of Cracker. Years ago, Johnny and members of The Hickmen released a record on Elektra and toured the country. They also grew an appreciation of Johnny's songwriting skills. After playing an entire set of Hickman songs at a Gram Parsons festival in Joshua Tree, California, the band could think of no finer homage to their hero than to name the band after him. In addition to covering one of Hickman's songs here (Father Winter), The Hickmen also got Johnny to play lead guitar on three songs.

And the result won't let you down. If you feel that a meal of rock and roll isn't balanced without helpings of anger, passion, and angst, then The Hickmen have supper ready. If you feel that the American comb-over known as sprawl needs a stiff wind, then The Hickmen are jet-powered. If you feel our leader's vision of "real America" leaves you out, then The Hickmen see the truth. If you...

Ah, you get the idea. This is a masterful collection of populist whup-ass.

Buy it.

reviews

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  • outstanding
    author: johnson

    Heard these guys at Pioneertown, outside room #4. That made me buy the CD, especially to hear the San Bernardino County Blues & Costco Socks. Great, imaginative songs.

  • The hickmen are "THE SHIT"
    author: Big Dave

    Great melodies, Excellent songs , Good ol' Rock n Roll .... this disc never leaves the changer!...... I GOT A GUN, in those HILLS OF CALIFORINA, wearing my COSTCO SOCKS .... thx Dudes ...

  • You lads make Uncle Johnny proud.
    author: Johnny Hickman

    I liked the first album but this one surpases it...and not just because they dragged their high falootin, relocated to Los Angeles, college degree holdin asses 80 odd miles out to my house in chicken ranch central to ply me with whiskey and have me play some guitar on it. It's a strangely compelling experience to listen to such fine music that makes you this angry about the state of your state and I'll TAKE it. I think I'm going to have to start doing some of THEIR tunes at my solo shows.The songs are smart,the playing is rough and passionate. "The Last Train Tonight" is astoundingly good. If Bob Dylan and Mark Knopler were punks from Corona California they would have written this song. Congratulations fellas. Well done.

  • The Hickmen take a soap box stance on the ills of the Golden State.
    author: Randy Fuller

    California has seen massive changes since the Gold Rush days, but one constant has run through all those years - the Golden State has always been the land of sunshine and opportunity for gold miners and gold diggers alike. Now, though, California is just another place where people stand in the unemployment line and wonder where the hell all the jobs went. The Hickmen remember California, in particular Southern California, the way it was before urban sprawl changed the landscape from hiking trails to housing developments. These guys are pissed off about what has happened to their Golden State, and they mean to let us know about it. California Dreamin' is an earthy, down-home album with plenty of heartfelt passion about the real SoCal; not the Beach Boys' vision of surfboards and Woodies, but a simple time that really existed. It may surprise some recent transplants to learn there was a time when the Inland Empire was known for fruit orchards, not meth labs, but it's true. The songs reveal the pain of watching a neighborhood grocer give way to a "big-ass faux Spanish shopping mall" and seeing the sprawl creep closer and closer until the billboards block the view of the snow on Mount Baldy. From the orange-crate cover art to the songs themselves, California Dreamin' is nostalgic without turning down Wistful Vista Lane. The disc opens with "Hills of California", a history lesson that takes us from Sutter's Mill to Disneyland. "Hungry City" gets in a few good-natured jabs at L.A. and the sarcastic tone keeps popping up in titles like "Costco Socks", "True Blue Red American" and "I Gotta Gun". "San Bernardino County Blues" and "In A Fever" contain perhaps the most heartfelt lyrics on the disc. The pain of watching your hometown be consumed by sprawl, rednecks, drugs and bulldozers comes through loud and clear while the haunting "Last Train Tonight" and the mean and twangy "Father Winter" add a dark, menacing edge. The disc closes with a pair of more uplifting tunes, "Envy" (the man whose pleasures are free) and the "a kiss is still a kiss" sentimentality of "Let's Remember". The musicianship is top-notch, with the basic guitar-bass-drums Americana framework abetted by some very nice mandolin and steel guitar with just a dash of harmonica and violin for flavor. These guys didn't just fall off the citrus truck, and their professionalism shows in every well-placed lick and drumbeat. If you were born in Southern California, California Dreamin' will remind you that it really was that way once upon a time. If you aren't a native SoCal, one listen will let you know you really missed something. -- Randy Fuller

  • The Hickmen have produced an album that's alternately rockin', satirical, folksy
    author: Jeff Pott--Eastside Records

    Am I the only person left breathing who remembers the old Mothers' song, you, know, the one with the lyric that went something like "Early in the morning, Daddy Dinky goes to work, selling lamps and chairs, to San Ber'dino squares, and I still remember mama, with her apron and her pad, feeding all the boys at Ed's Cafe"? Well, Inland Empire expats The Hickmen have taken up the gantlet and gone to the country-rockin mattresses in defense of their home turf and against the homogenized Wal-Martization of smaller-town USA. Their new album (or would that be cd, I never know which is the better term to use), California Dreamin', is a set-long rant against the proliferation of guns, against the ugliness of urban sprawl, against Costco socks, with all that they imply, oh yeah, and in fond remembrance of growing up in a place with the mountains at your back and where you might actually know the guys at Ed's Cafe. Lest you think this could be a tired tirade, take it from me, it's not. The Hickmen (the assorted Mikes-Finn and Jones, along with compatriots Tim Allyn and Alan Waddington, joined by guests blues crooner Billy Sheets on harmonica and band namesake/mentor Johnny Hickman on guitar) have produced an album that's alternately rockin', satirical, folksy, nostalgic, and dead-on angry. For those who want good music, regardless of what the songs say, and for those who actually like to listen to the lyrics, this one's a winner. Check it out.

  • Tantalizing, toe tapping, satirical, diverse - the Hickmen nailed it!
    author: Bob Grakel

    From the retro album cover to the shit-kicking “Envy,” The Hickmen have put together a tasty compilation of tantalizing, toe-tapping tunes. This new CD, California Dreamin, shows the diversity and satirical wit of their songwriting abilities, taking pot shots at Middle America in “I Got A Gun” and their anthemic ode to blue collar culture in “Costco Socks.” Yet they find time to show their folksy side in the Band-like “Hills Of California” and their homage to Los Angeles in “Hungry City.” There is something for everyone in their music, from country rock to hard driving folk, cutting satire and melodious melodies. All in all The Hickmen have proven themselves to be a multi-dimensional group of musicians and songwriters. They have put together a winner. California Dreamin is becoming a reality. - Bob Grakel, Aardvark Music

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