Bexar County Bastards – Slow Burnin’ Till It’s Just Right
by Tammy Moore

The spirit of Rock n Roll has claimed legions for itself. And for some, like the line in the song says, you can check out anytime you like… but you can never leave. For Andy Bastard, singer and bassist for ATX sleaze crew, The Bexar County Bastards, innocence was shattered at the age of 5 when a cousin from Mexico gave him a Spanish version of the self-titled KISS record. He couldn’t read the foreign language on the sleeve… just saw “a bunch of assholes in makeup.” But when his parents let him spin it and the first licks rang through in mono, he knew even then that this was what he was supposed to be a part of… there was never really another option and he’s embraced the life all the way to the hardened core of his being.

Stand next to Andy Bastard and you can feel it – danger. This rocker has survived himself and, admittedly, that’s been no easy feat. There isn’t much he hasn’t done. Think of a crime and, odds are, he might have committed it. Think of things you wish you “could’ve, would’ve, should’ve” and bet money that he’s done it. Stealin’? Check. Dealin’? Check. Riding out freak storms of nature with nothing but the van you’re living in to protect you? Check. Courted by record labels? Check. Touring with rock legends? Check. A starring role in the most aired episode of MTV’s ‘Cribs’, sitting in a blow up pool surrounded by wet babes? Check. A-list Hollywood types providing in-through-the-out-door-velvet-rope-treatment because they heard you were that cool to hang with? Check. Getting crucified in the wrist in a knife fight and told you’d never play your instrument again only to confound medical experts by regaining the full use of your hand with a self-designed rehab plan? Check. Crashing parties at the Playboy Mansion? Check. Screaming “fuck you, Bitch” at the taunts of actress Thora Birch while being tossed out of said party? CHECK. Choosing to leave a signed band that, for all outward appearances, had everything going for it… but the music itself just didn’t move you? CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.

That’s just the tip of a massive iceberg and when the defining moments of your life are as such, where do you go from there and what could possibly bring satisfaction? Bastard’s prescription for a return to sanity (and we’ll use that term loosely because he’s far from finished living at full speed) turned out to be taking a year off from music and when he resurfaced he found himself in San Antonio, Texas. As anyone would, he had loved the bells and whistles of life with previous bands he’d played guitar for but, artistically, all the provocative perks still left a gaping hole. That’s when he decided to form a new band, do it his way because that’s the only way, and christened the new beast the Bexar County Bastards. He spent a year developing the band in the Alamo City but, the truth was, he hated it there and thought self-destruction was imminent if he didn’t get out soon. A relationship with a Red River regular brought him to Austin in the nick of time and set the stage for him to join the ranks of some of the more iconic figures within the scene. He tried relocating the band here but the hassles that came with that particular endeavor (the band went through no less than TWENTY SEVEN member changes which translates to time lost and more time lost) left him thinking that maybe the band was cursed Spinal Tap style.

But that was before guitarist Shea McCoy blazed into Bastard’s world. He’s not an anchor for Andy. That job belongs to drummer Dickie James and he brings an organic kind of balance to both Bastard and McCoy. McCoy, though, is more like a distorted mirror image. While Bastard can come off as calculating, McCoy’s brain ping pongs relentlessly. McCoy can get through to Bastard and they have their own unique way of communicating. They can talk or yell, as both are inclined to do pretty often, at each other, at the same time, process it all effortlessly and chalk it up to another bonding experience. To the people that surround them, it looks a lot like a fight. One big ongoing fight and while they both accept it simply as the dynamic between them, to others it’s nerve-wracking at best. Combine that with their unwavering dedication to living and breathing the rock n roll lifestyle 24/7 and one can guess the reasons for the outrageous turnover in players.

It also explains their mutual gratitude for James’ easy and open nature that helps keep both grounded, musically at least… in as much as that’s even possible. James came into the band when Billy Milano brought him in to play on BCB’s demo. While everyone contributes to the songwriting process, James’ biggest strength lies in arrangements and that’s been a tremendous help in molding the signature sound that is still developing for Bexar County. While Bastard, influenced in a big way by the likes of Zeke, Supersuckers and the Helicopters, brings a punk paced urgency to their material, McCoy was spoonfed arena rock and his 70’s blues infused guitar style provides a stellar counter effect. And though he’s downsized his kit and stripped it of most of its’ excess, James’ drumming has evolved into something akin to rolling thunder and it all combines into one kinetic show.

In Austin BCB is a scene band. It’s “hip” to be at their shows and the scenesters rarely disappoint. They come out in force religiously. And when a band is embraced as BCB has been by the Red River elite, a culture that is literally immersed in bands and a lifestyle that it nurtures and supports, it’s not always easy to tell if that kind of band is really doing something extraordinary musically or if they’re just such cool cats that all their friends want to be party with them. With Bexar County Bastards, though, the proof lies in the followings they’re developing in other cities throughout Texas. Houston, Dallas, San Angelo and San Antonio have all become second homes to the band and will serve as great launching points when they start touring this Fall in support of ‘COME AND TAKE IT’, their new release through Cutthroat Records.

The completion of the cd, the first full length from Bexar County, marks a pivotal period in the life of this band. First, it serves as a kind of introduction into who they really are…sleazy dirty rockers. The record is brutally raw and that’s exactly how they intended it because that’s what the last few years have been on many fronts. More importantly, for all the “let’s get fucked up” mentality that seems to shroud them, they are self-actualized enough to know that this record represents the beginning of what they will be as artists. They are completely aware that the foundation of what they create together is being laid right now and while they’ve already moved past that stage as their live shows will attest, they’ll happily allow us to witness the bare naked truth of where it all began. Some would call that a ballsy move. They would call it “honest ass rock n roll” and that’s exactly what they bring to every unpredictable Bexar County show. See, for these guys, their rock n roll is their therapy. They’re hoping you like what they do because, like all musicians, they want to make their money makin’ rock. But they don’t care so much that they’d ever cater to someone else’s idea of what their music is supposed to be. It’s a “fuck off if you don’t like it” mindset and they play it well because they live it well and as they grow…so will their music in its’ own time. And therein lies the key… their music and the way they create it fulfills them. And that’s enough for them. For now.

This Saturday, June 11, is the official cd release party at the Hole In The Wall. Off the beaten path from all the ROT Rally insanity, the band will be celebrating more than just a record. Not only can Andy Bastard finally delight in the solidarity of his relationship with his crew, on Saturday he’ll get to witness his own influence in yet another’s life. Aiden Edward Elvis Escalante, Bastard’s 16 year old son, will debut his band, Dream In Static, at the show. Rounding out the bill will be the Hell City Kings and more rock we’ve yet to see in Adam Steven’s new Southbound Saints. It’s absolutely a show worth braving the motorcycles for so come out and rock till you drop, people… that’s exactly what The Bexar County Bastards are gonna do!

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