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Hoyt and the Hotheads is a rock 'n' roll band from
Gainesville, Fla., showcasing the
songwriting of Hoyt Walston.
Hoyt began writing songs in 1996, inspired largely by the success his
older brother, Charles Walston, had achieved as a
songwriter and as leader of Atlanta alt-country
band The Vidalias. Hoyt started playing his songs
out in public as a “solo acoustic” performer in the
summer of 2000.
The Hotheads were formed in 2002, when Hoyt
was invited to perform as opening act for national
recording artist/singer/songwriter Dan Bern. Hoyt
put together a rhythm section for that show, and
the performance was so much fun and so well-
received, the decision was made to continue the
band as a permanent project under the Hotheads
name.
Since the band's formation, the Hotheads have
played numerous gigs in and around Gainesville.
More noteworthy performances include playing at
the 2002 Florida Music Harvest (at the Spirit of the
Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida), at the
2004 Santa Fe Community College Spring Arts
Festival, and at the 2004 Alachua County Fair as
one of the finalists in the inaugural Gainesville
Sun/gainesville.com "Battle of the Bands."
The
Hotheads have also participated in the 2002,2003,
and 2004 Gainesville Summer Music Showcases
(“Moefest”) and benefits for the Civic Media
Center and local homeless charities, as well as
performing at most of the Gainesville local music
venues.
In 2004, the Hotheads recorded an 8-song debut CD
entitled “Kill the Pain,” and also contributed a track
to the compilation H.O.M.E. CD released by
Signalpath Records.
Members of the band are:
Hoyt Walston - vocals/harmonica/rhythm guitar
Brian Krashpad - bass, lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Bruce Barkwill - drums
Chet Honeycutt - lead guitar
While the Hotheads is the first and only rock band
of which Hoyt has been a part, all of the other
Hotheads are, or have been, members of other
bands.
Brian has played in numerous bands on
the Gainesville scene. They include The Atomics, Band
of Fools, Tycho, Camp 7, Allen Wrench, Smart Bomb, Sick Dick & the Volkswagons, Dynamite Charade and Crash Pad, a punk rock band for which Brian is frontman, and which currently is one of Gainesville's longest-standing bands.
Bruce has been the drummer for Life on Mars and
Chasing Birds as well as the Hotheads. He is also
experienced as an agent and publicist in the music
business, and was the manager for late-80's/early-
90s local group Zombie Birdhouse, and presently
is involved in assembling and managing a backup
band for young vocalist Sarah Hoffman. Bruce
also is a long time friend of members of legendary
rock band Cheap Trick. This has allowed Bruce to
have the kind of experiences most of us mere
mortals merely dream about. On the band's official
Web site you can find pics of Bruce (and maybe
even the other Hotheads too) hamming it up with
some "big names" in rock music.
Chet, our newest member, came aboard in 2007. He has played in several Gainesville bands, including Future Urban Zoo and the Sarah Hoffman Band. In addition to playing in bands, Chet teaches guitar.
You can also find Hoyt, Brian and Dan on gainesvillebands.com.
Below is a CD review published in The Gainesville Sun:
Hoyt and the Hotheads
Kill The Pain
 Hoyt Walston has been a fixture on the Gainesville open-mic scene for years. With tight, smart songs owing much to '60s folk, Hoyt sounds great alone with his Ovation guitar and harmonica.
A couple of years ago, Hoyt put together a full band, Hoyt & the Hotheads. The group's debut CD, "Kill the Pain," is an eight-song collection heavy on mid-tempo folk rock, not to mention a trip through some of the best original music coming out of Gainesville.
Hoyt's nasal, snarling vocals reside somewhere between Dylan and the Smithereens' Pat DiNizio, but it doesn't ring of imitation. Some people just sing that way; Hoyt is one of them.
From the Feelies-like opening cut "My Girl," to the angry "Selfish Little Bitch," to the beautiful closing ballad "Just What I Need," every song on the album is built on a solid hook, and the production is top-notch for a locally recorded CD.
The third cut, "The Fundamentalist Song," is a crowd favorite that asks "Who took the fun out of fundamentalism?" as it jabs at the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Fundamentalists, Hoyt also laments, "Don't believe in smoking or drinking or sex."
Brian Krashpad's tasty lead guitar work perfectly complements Hoyt's driving strum style, and Krashpad also deftly handles the bottom end playing bass. In fact, when the group performs live, Krashpad alternates between the two instruments, depending on the personnel. Bruce Barkwill's drumming is solid and doesn't overwhelm the beautiful simplicity of the music.
I gotta give this one five out of five stars. It's that good.
- Douglas Jordan
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