The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
November Issue 109
by Kyle Penn for The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
Keeping Rock &
Roll Alive
It was a frosty, foggy night, and my headlights just
barely cut through the swirling brume as I pulled into Crossfield. I parked in
front of the Jack’ n’ the Throttle Bar and made my way inside. Soon enough,
Blakkstone Hexx took to the stage, and the entire atmosphere changed. The dark,
damp chill of the night was pushed aside as guitars wailed and drums rang out. The
oppressiveness of the evening made way for good, fun rock & roll.
“You kind of get picked up by the music and carried
along for a ride together.” That’s lead guitarist Lemmy Hangslong, talking
about playing on stage with Blakkstone Hexx. “Really, it’s a lot of fun. And
when you’ve got an audience in front of you enjoying it, it’s that much
better.” After seeing them play together, it’s clear that this type of
sentiment is one of the defining elements of the band. Blakkstone Hexx isn’t
here to save the world, stir up a revolution, or even necessarily get radio
airtime; they just want to keep rock & roll alive.
The origins of the band couldn’t be any humbler. After
moving to Calgary and starting a family and a career, Hangslong put out an ad
on Kijiji in 2011 looking for band members, and Blakkstone Hexx was born. Some
members have come and gone since then, but the current lineup features
Hangslong on lead guitar, Al X on lead vocals and guitar, Stacey Vasaline on
bass and Les Talent on drums. “It’s all about the personality,” Hangslong
mentions when chatting about the members of the band. “A lot of people can play
music but…it’s a lot of work, there’s not a lot of money, and you’ve gotta love
it.”
And Blakkstone Hexx definitely loves it. The entire
night during their 3+ hour-long set, the band never stopped having fun. They
joked among themselves, engaged with the audience, and performed with a level
of energy and passion you don’t often see. Moreover, this was their first gig
since Hangslong had been out for surgery! Sporting 9-inch scars on both of his
arms from a procedure to alleviate pain and numbness associated with cubital
tunnel syndrome, Hangslong was up on stage all evening, shredding riffs without
a care in the world.
Where does that energy and drive come from? In a
moment of introspection, Hangslong takes a moment to break it down for me:
“We’re kind of the last of a breed of real rock bands – the hard-working, the
still-hungry. We’re not doing it to be mega-rock-stars, we already know that.
We’re doing this because we truly love it. We’re the last of a breed of true
rock bands that are out there doing it for the love it. It’s still about the
true connection amongst each other in the band and with the people we’re
playing for.”
It’s that love of rock – that passion to play and
entertain and connect – that I felt in Crossfield watching Blakkstone Hexx on
stage. It was palpable – I imagined at moments that I could reach out and pluck
it from the air. I didn’t know what it was that night, but after speaking to
Hangslong, it couldn’t have been more obvious.
“We truly believe in entertaining and connecting with
the audience we play to,” Hangslong summarizes for me. “We’re a rock band, and
we don’t make any bones about that.” Truer words have never been spoken. Catch Blakkstone
Hexx live when they play Legends in Strathmore, on November 25 and 26.
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