editor’s note: Occasionally, at the end of summer vacations, copy gets “mislaid” here at the Pencil Storm offices, especially in election years when we add a political desk (actually a card table in the corner by the water cooler) to the mix. This JCE piece about The Hangmen actually somehow wound up in Sports editor Jeff Hassler’s in-box, and it took him OVER A MONTH to figure out that The Hangmen were not a team in either the NFL or Major League Baseball and forward it to the music department. (Personally, I have never been certain that that “medical marijuana” card Hassler is always flashing around the office is legit, since it seems to be printed on the back of an old Van Halen press release, from when Sammy Hagar was still in the band.)

Our apologies to JCE and to The Hangmen for the delay.

I was sitting at the bar in a club called The Broadberry in Richmond, VA all the way back in May.  I was with two friends waiting for a band called The Dirty Nil, who would be followed by the excellent Glorious Sons.  Behind the bar, there they have a big video screen showing food items and upcoming shows.  I glanced up and saw an announcement for a double bill of the Supersuckers with The Hangmen.  I almost jumped out of my skin.  I bought the self-titled debut record by The Hangmen (Capitol Records) in 1989.  I thought then, and still believe, it is one of the best records on the planet.  I have religiously followed the band’s career ever since, which is no small feat given their ups and downs.  They are pure rock n roll through and through.

The Hangmen were dropped by Capitol and picked up by Geffen, but their second record, which would have been called Suicide Doors, was never released.  Finally, a good ten years later we got the sophomore release called Metallic IOU.  Good God it was worth the wait.  The line-up went through changes but has been pretty stable since that 10-year layoff.  The constant is Bryan Small, one of my all-time rock n roll heroes.  Loteria followed in 2004, In The City was 2007, East of Western was 2012 and finally, the brand-new 2019 release called Cactusville.  Every one of them is absolutely stellar.  I had never seen The Hangmen play live.  I had never seen them come to a city anywhere near me.  I was like a kid waiting for Christmas from that night in May right up until the show on September 10th.

So I bought tickets and waited with anticipation.  In the week leading up to the show I told my amazing wife over and over that I wanted to meet Bryan Small and get a picture with him.  I am not normally such a super-fan, but I had been waiting 30 years to see this band.  I should digress for a minute and say that I also love The Supersuckers.  I had never seen them before either, but they were second fiddle on this bill for me, even though they were the headliners.

September 10th was a Tuesday. The show was going to be at a tiny club called The Camel (sister club to the larger Broadberry). I left work early and my wife and I headed for Richmond, which is a two hour trip. There were not many people in attendance, so I immediately met Eddie Spaghetti, main Supersucker.

JCE & Eddie

It wasn’t long after that I got to meet Bryan Small and talk with him for awhile. During our conversation I learned that Suicide Doors was not really the lost treasure I always figured it would be. It was a bad time for Bryan and he said the best songs on it made it onto Metallic IOU anyway. He was disappointed that the vinyl version of Cactusville had been delayed so they didn’t have any to sell. We talked about the set-list that was coming and the hairs stood up on my neck: it was perfect. I told him I had no idea how they had eluded me for 30 years, and if I understood him correctly, he said they had never played the East coast. He was extremely nice. They hit the stage soon after we talked, and I was in rock n roll heaven for 45 minutes. The set-list covered all of the records and every song was so f**k’n great that I won’t bother picking highlights.

JCE & Bryan

The Hangmen rocking The Camel Club in Richmond, VA.

signed set-list

We watched The Supersuckers of course, but after The Hangmen, well….  I had grabbed a set-list so I got Bryan to sign it for me and we headed for home.  A two-hour drive after a show like that one is no problem at all.  Shows like that can keep me energized and happy for days. 

The next night, still sizzling from an amazing show and so happy to have met one of my heroes, my beautiful & amazing wife and I hatched a plan to go see the same bill a few days later, Saturday, September 14th in Harrisonburg, VA at the Golden Pony. Our friend Kim came along to be indoctrinated into the rock n roll nirvana that is The Hangmen. We arrived to a similar, very small club with a small crowd. As I had hoped, the Cactusville vinyl had finally caught up with the band, so I bought one right away, ripped it open and got it signed by everyone. Bryan remembered us and was super gracious again. We also met the rest of the band: Angelique on bass, Jimmy James playing some smoking guitar and Jorge Disguster pounding the drums. The setlist was the same, which was fine with me. The Hangmen blew the roof off again and - for me at least - should have been the headliners.

Signed cover of green vinyl Cactusville record, Bryan’s guitar pick from the Harrisonburg show.

JCE w/ Angelique and Jimmy

I was so happy to get to see The Hangmen twice while I had the chance, so happy to get to meet some heroes, so happy to get the vinyl record, so happy----you get the picture.  These two nights were bucket list material for me.  Thanks for reading and letting me share my joy, and if you don’t know The Hangmen, check them out!

Bryan Small at The Golden Pony Club: JCE, JCE’s beer, and JCE’s wife stand front and center.

HELL YEAH.