Hickey (band)

Hickey was a "melodic" punk band from San Francisco's Mission District, the band recorded, released and distributed their own music. Elaborate and very personal artwork was the style used for the band's records.

Founding members

Founding members Matty Luv (guitar, vocals) and Aesop (drums) were members of the Florida punk rock band Fuckboyz. Bass player Chubby had previously been in the band Schleprock.

History

Hickey recorded their first 7" EP, "Us vs. Them" within a month of forming, and released it soon there after. The band quickly became a part of the Probe Records/zine scene. Probe included them on a few compilations. Later, Hickey made 7" records with bands such as All You Can Eat, Fuckface and V.B.F.

Bass player Chubby left Hickey in 1997, and was replaced by Dwight Trash. The band went on to record another LP, as well as the "Hickey/Voodoo Glow Skulls" split 7", both for Probe Records. Hickey called it quits in 1998, refusing to contribute any new material for a proposed split with Screeching Weasel, and handing their last recording, "Robots Never Cry," over to trend is dead! records for the "Worse Than Alternative It's Another Punk Comp" CD.

The original Hickey line-up of Matty, Chubby and Aesop re-united and soon began recording a plethora of new material as Yogurt, almost all of which remains unreleased. Yogurt was essentially an experimental recording outlet for the band, and dissolved after Matty Luv's death on October 5, 2002. 9 Yogurt songs appear on the "All Seeing Monotony" split CD (Nothing Enterprises).

Matty Luv died of a heroin overdose on October 5 2002.

Aesop currently plays drums with Ludicra and Agalloch.

Before Matty's death he played guitar in the bands Miami and Unit Breed.

1-2-3-4 Go! Records (http://www.1234gorecords.com) is re-releasing the two out-of-print full length CDs the band released; the S/T full length (originally on Probe Records) and Various States of Disrepair (singles and comp track compilation, re-released once before in 2002 on defunct independent S.P.A.M. Records). 1-2-3-4 Go! will also be releasing a second volume of Various States of Disrepair that includes the tracks left off the previous volume.

Voodoo Glow Skulls controversy

Probe records released a 7" which was made to look as if it were a split between Hickey and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. On one side of the 7" was the Hickey song "Food Stamps and Drink Tickets" and the other side members of Hickey played the trumpet that was stolen from Voodoo Glow Skulls over the answering machine messages left by Voodoo Glow Skulls members and Epitaph Records employees demanding the return of the instrument. The 7" also falsely had the Epitaph Records logo on the back as Epitaph had no official part in the release.

According to the zine included with the 7" the two bands played together at the now closed Nile Theater in Mesa, Arizona. Matty Luv, singer of Hickey, made disparaging remarks about Epitaph Records and the commercialization of punk. After members of both bands had a confrontation, the Voodoo Glow Skulls convinced the venue owner to eject Hickey without pay. In response, Hickey stole the trumpet in question out of the Voodoo Glow Skulls van.

After receiving threatening messages on their answering machine, Hickey filled the trumpet with pudding Fact|date=January 2008 and returned it. Fact|date=January 2008

External links

* [http://www.mattyluv.com] Matty Luv R.I.P. site, includes Hickey info
* [http://www.1234gorecords.com] 123 Go Records-reissuing Hickey records
* [http://www.sfweekly.com/2002-10-23/music/make-sure-there-aren-t-any-squares-at-my-funeral/] Eulogy for Matty Luv in SF Weekly, October 2002
* [http://17dots.com/2007/03/30/hickey-the-best-album-youve-never-heard/] Hickey article on eMusic's 17dots.com
* [http://media.www.thetraveleronline.com/media/storage/paper688/news/2006/10/23/LifeStyle/Memories.Of.The.Naked.Cult.Of.Hickey-2380810.shtml] The Arkansas Traveler writes about Hickey, October 2006
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSE/is_285/ai_n6143217] Mike Wiebe of Riverboat Gamblers talks about Hickey in a Thrasher Magazine interview, 2004
* [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-112984542.html] Matty Luv listed as first of five notable 2003 musician obituaries in Thrasher Magazine, January 2004, despite the fact that he died in 2002