Live music’s hiatus has been a long one and isn’t exactly over in most parts of the country leaving most concert/show goers with an enormous gurgling stomach for live music and while live streaming performances might help with the live music munchies, it certainly does not stop the rumbling. However this past week Brandon Hardesty of a genre defying band, Bumpin Uglies, and Josh Lewis of Joint Operation, both bands based out of Maryland. Together, Hardesty and Lewis dusted the cobwebs off the tour van and embarked on the aptly titled “Stupid Hat Covid Tour”.
The covid part is self explanatory, but what’s the deal with the stupid hat? Well according to Hardesty it stems purely from the desire to find a stupid hat. “I just wanted stupid hat, man…” He said while laughing, “I just love the Americana, Western shit and my journey into it started a few years ago when I started wearing cowboy boots.” But the it goes much deeper than Hardesty’s love for Western culture, but instead it stems from something closer to what the bootleggers endured way back when. “Anything about blazing a trail has interested me and I’ve really felt that this past summer and year with having my whole lively-hood disappear but [I’m] kind of pivoting and figuring out a way to adapt,” He said while going further into detail on how he feels how the music touring industry will have to find a way to adapt to the times we are living in. “Playing backyards is work and it’s my gig right now, and there’s plenty of other people doing it, and it feels new and unregulated and what I imagined what it felt like going down looking for gold or running booze. It was basically people trying to take a chance to make money.”
If gold is what Hardesty and Lewis were searching for, they definitely struck it. Lewis opened up each show with not only great tunes but funny jokes as well. Lewis was thrilled to be back on the road he told me while discussing some of his backstory at the merch table “It’s been a very fun run,” “It’s been cool to try and make new fans every night,” He said. Albeit he misses the rest of the guys in his band. Hardesty headlined with an impromptu setlist each night, but made sure to play Florida’s unofficial anthem “Florida Showers” among other fan favorites like “Beast From The East” off Bumpin Uglies’s 2018 album by the same name. He even brought Logan Rex from Artikal Sound System on stage at the tour’s final stop in Boca Raton. Together they performed a song they wrote together right before the world went askew.
Both sets that I got to witness were a pleasure to the ears and an escape from the mind. It was an amazing feeling to hear a guitar strumming and bodies buzzing around all around. That feeling of you are alone in the room despite everyone around you was something that had definitely been missed for the past ten or so months. For Hardesty he described the past ten months, as a “total mind fuck” and understandably so, he explains that things were in the upswing for he and Bumpin Uglies over the past couple of years. “But it always could be worse,” He told me while describing the struggles many people have gone through over the past year and continue to go through.
Hardesty definitely spoiled Florida with the sprinter tour because Hardesty will probably be done doing small shows until at least spring with the hopes of not only the return of live music in which a full band can perform but also would like to see vaccine for COVID-19. Hardesty admitted that it was a bit sketchy to come and tour but also has learned about people and fans of live music. “This has been the sketchiest shit I’ve done since this has all started for sure, but I think live music is important, but doing it safely is also important,” “One thing I’ve learned over the past year is that people are very resourceful with making events happen and it all comes from needing music in their lives,” His line echoes true because the relief was certainly felt, through the smiles on faces, the sounds of an amplifier flickering on or even witnessing a guitar string break right before a set.
As for those who were unable to make it out to a show, fret not because Hardesty told me that Bumpin Uglies has recorded plenty of during the absence of live music and intends to drop singles over time so be sure to listen to the band’s latest single “Underinsured” set to release on Friday, November 13, 2020.
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