More hot live memories

For the new issue of The Uniter, on newsstands now, I interviewed acclaimed Winnipeg band Hot Live Guys about their plans to disband after one last show on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Here are some things that didn’t make the article.

Guitarist Joe Warkentin jokes about why it’s probably a good thing the band is breaking up:
“I was planning on moving us into some pretty dark artistic territory.”

Warkentin on what the band would be doing if singer-guitarist Julian Bargen hadn’t quit:
“We were just going to keep being Hot Live Guys in the exact same way until someone quit or died.”

Bassist Kurtis Wittmier on his approach to playing bass on the new HLG album, External Culture for Internal Barbarians:
“I wanted to write the bitchingest bass parts and have fun and play something with soul in it. At the time [we were recording], it was about what Hot Live Guys is: Having fun and rocking out and overall just bitchin’.”

Bargen on the possibility of a reunion show at some point in the future:
“To plan a reunion show at this point, I’d feel like I was in KISS.”

Warkentin sums up 10 years:
“HLG on a whole was an extremely good time.”

Lastly, here is a Hot Live Guys memory from Royal Albert artistic director Sam Smith:

“During the WCMAs their old drummer White Dog [Michael Johnson] came out from behind his kit to ham it up a bit. He wound up falling down on stage [and] unfortunately a draft glass broke his fall. It ripped a mighty gash in his back that required a great deal of medical attention, and a great deal of cleaning up blood after they finished. It’s probably the only time I’ve seen Joe get upstaged by anyone else in the band, but man…what a price to pay. That band took on more bruises during any given set than your average prize fighter.”

And some memories from local musician and HLG fan Fat Johnny Campbell (Honest John, The Fabulous Kildonans):

“Joe yelled at me once when I fell off the stage and got concussed at the Albert. He told me to ‘get up and not act like a pussy!’  AND:  Julian once made a fort on the roof of Brandon University when we played a show there together. Then he played in it for awhile until we got into the building to load in the gear. Those are my two favourite Hot Live Guys memories.”