Peace In Rest, Dave Hlubek

My obligatory Dave Hlubek Peace in Rest post. Hlubek was one of my first guitar heroes and I was way into Molly Hatchet circa 1979-80 before I discovered NWOBHM. I loved Southern Rock as a kid because it was all about guitars, guitars, guitars. Yes, this suburban California Chinese kid was into Redneck Rock.

I saw Hatchet twice on the 'Flirtin' with Disaster' and the 'Beatin' the Odds' tours. Hlubek became one of my faves, not only because he shredded, but in a Guitar Player magazine interview he revealed how he had lived in Sunnyvale, California (my hometown!) for a short time as a kid when his Navy dad was based at nearby Moffett Field in Mountain View. That tripped my teenage mind out; a rock star had lived HERE!? 

Not long after all of this I became obsessed with the European Metal bands. I traded my 'Flirtin' with Disaster' tour jersey to a penpal in Newcastle, England for, if I remember correctly, a Black Sabbath 'Heaven And Hell' 1980 U.K. Tour shirt.

Anyway, I loved Hatchet for a time and their concerts were great. Here is some Molly Hatchet and Dave Hlubek detritus from my teenage scrapbook. Photo by the teenage me from the July 27, 1980 Day On The Green show. The 1981 Oakland Auditorium show would have been even better if Whitesnake had not cancelled and replaced by Les Dudek (who was joined onstage by Neal Schon that night) instead. 

Peace in rest, Dave Hlubek. Your talent and music meant a lot to me as a pimply-faced teenager. 

"I'm flirtin' with disaster every day.."

Molly Hatchet

Last night Umlaut stumbled on the news that Danny Joe Brown, the original singer of Molly Hatchet, passed away on March 10th.

Umlaut was into Hatchet during his formative Music Geek years. He saw them twice on the Flirtin' With Disaster and Beatin' The Odds Tours.


It was a profound moment back then when I read in Guitar Player magazine that Hatchet's guitarist, Dave Hlubek, spent part of his childhood in MY hometown (Sunnyvale, Silicon Valley, CA) when his military dad was based at nearby Moffett Field. A Rock Star "from" Sunnyvale?! Wow. I felt the same civic pride when I learned Atari was based in Sunnyvale and when Sunnyvale was mentioned in the movie War Games.

When I saw Hatchet in 1981 I remember thinking to myself "The singer looked different when I saw them last Summer.." It wasn't until later that I found out that Danny Joe Brown had left the band and it WAS a different singer.

DUH!

Kids these days have it WAY too fucking easy getting information on the Internet. Circus magazine just couldn't give you that kind of up-to-the-minute Rock news.

Anyway, I don't really know where I'm going with this. Yeah, there was a brief time when I was into Molly Hatchet, but they didn't change my life as other bands have. I wore a Hatchet 3/4 sleeve tour shirt for awhile, but I ended up trading it with a penpal in England for some of his Black Sabbath stuff.

I guess I'm just sending out props to Danny Joe. No Rock Star should die forgotten. I put on my old vinyl copy of the Flirtin' With Disaster album while typing this. Oh, to be 16 years old again. Was I ever this redneck?

(The answer is "Yes" and it only got worse before it got better.. believe me.. as the ring on my left hand will attest to...)

Last year the Eagles of Death Metal designed their logo in Molly Hatchet-style.. and it made me laugh out loud.

"Flirtin' with disaster, y'all damn sure know what I mean..."