Texas Hippie Coalition played Count’s Vamp’d on Thursday, March 30, 2023, with support acts Gravel and John Zito Band. Vamp’d continues to bring the rock from local, national, and international artists alike. Last Thursday saw an epic evening with not one, not two, but three fantastic sets of music!
I arrived at the venue around the time the doors were just opening, and Texas Hippie Coalition Joey Mandigo was hanging out, fraternizing with patrons of the venue while they were waiting to go inside. In a day and age where growing numbers of artists want nothing to do with listeners before and after gigs, this was a breath of fresh air, and certainly a welcomed change from how many artists are. Truly hoping more artists follow his example!
Opening the night of rock and roll was the John Zito Band. While Zito these days is probably best known for playing guitar in Vamp’d owner/COUNTING CARS star Dany “The Count” Koker’s band Count’s 77 (actually previously called Zito 77), Mr. Zito has recorded no shortage of excellent songs of his own. Having seen Zito rock the stage more times than I can count, I can say the guy always delivered.
For the evening, Zito was joined by his Count’s 77 bandmate Barry Barnes on bass. It was a solid set of original songs and a handful of covers as well, all blending together seamlessly. Due to the Gravel and Texas Hippie Coalition bringing their own drum kits, John Zito Band used Gravel’s drum kit, which of course made for considerably less room to maneuver on stage, but that didn’t stop Zito and company from doing what they do best. Let’s hope we get some new music from the guy soon.
The second act of the evening was Gravel, who I had not heard of prior to this night. With their style of dress and brand of hard rock, they certainly seemed like an appropriate band to be touring with Texas Hippie Coalition. The cluttered stage due to the presence of space occupied by Gravel’s drum kit and the one that would eventually used by the headliner was even more noticeable during the Gravel set due to them having more members than the trio who opened the evening. But it didn’t stop these guys from giving a spirited and energetic performance, moving around the stage regardless of a lack of room.
The group made the stage their own, complete with a microphone stand that looked cobbled together from chains and other objects, which also had the ability to shoot mist, making for something quite interesting and atmospheric. Of course, THC member Joey Mandigo made a few surprise appearances during the set as well, both on the stage and in the audience’s standing area. My familiarity with Gravel was basically nonexistent prior to this performance, but after seeing these guys rock the Vamp’d stage, I’ll certainly be looking into their catalogue and future performances!
Of course, the headliner for the evening was Texas Hippie Coalition. While I’ve heard of these guys before and they’ve certainly played Vamp’d on a few occasions over the years, it was my first time seeing them live in concert. The band’s first album came out in 2008, and there have been substantial lineup changes over the years, with frontman Big Dad Ritch being the band’s one constant member. The current lineup features guitarists Cord Pool and Nevada Romo, bassist Larado Romo, and drummer Joey Mandigo. The newest release from the band, THE NAME LIVES ON, will be out this month.
The Texas Hippie Coalition certainly has an image and a sound all their own, largely due to the presence of frontman Big Dad Ritch, who essentially is an amalgamation of every cowboy, biker, and Southern rocker rolled into one. He’s definitely not the typical rock frontman, but it’s an aspect that helps the band to stand apart, whether he’s belting out the tunes with a set of pipes you’d never expect, or delivering humorous anecdotes between tracks. The rest of the band proved themselves to be exceptional musicians, sharing a chemistry and plenty of entertaining members. We got a solid setlist that combined tracks from the band’s discography, as well as their forthcoming studio effort. Much like Gravel before them, this is a group I wholly intend to explore the catalogue of deeper in the coming weeks; and I’ll certainly be first in line to get the new album.
Texas Hippie Coalition, Gravel, and John Zito Band all delivered a killer night of rock and roll on this Thursday night, satisfying a crowd of rockers present in the venue to bang their heads and have a great time. All are artists well worth checking out and giving your time to.