I knew the other 2/3 of the Karl Hendricks Trio—but who exactly was Karl? Drummer Tom Hoffman was a great pal from English classes at CMU; bassist Tim Parker was a really nice guy who I knew from WRCT. But Karl… hmmm…. Sure, I had the 7″ from his band Sludgehammer. Yet I don’t think I met him till I was a couple of years out of Pittsburgh, in 1993, and the Trio slept on the floor of my basement apartment in Plainsboro, New Jersey. (I think they played an eating club at Princeton that night.) And if Tom and Tim were OK with Karl, then by golly he was OK by me too.
I saw the band pretty often in those early days, including my second-ever show at Maxwell’s (they opened for the Mekons), Brownies in the East Village, the Knitting Factory for a Merge Records showcase (with the Magnetic Fields, Butterglory, and Neutral Milk Hotel), and a sparsely attended show in St. Louis that I drove to from a business trip in Jefferson City.
I’d like to say that I got to know Karl really well, but, he is kind of quiet and I am kind of shy, and besides, he’s an indie-rock guitar god fer crissakes. (No wonder he’s been misspelled a time or two.)
But I liked Karl right away. He was calm and kind and had a sly sense of humor. Could say an awful lot with a closed-lip smile and slight nod. And then he’d get on stage and my god, he’d rock like a motherfucker.
Oh and those records. I couldn’t wait for a new Karl Hendricks Trio album to come out. His lyrics are so smart, clever, spare—little details revealing so much truth. And the music matches the words perfectly: tough, tuneful, lean. Sure, Karl will break out a wild solo but it’s never a note longer than it needs to be.
Years went by, changes happen, and by the last couple of times the band stayed at my place in Hoboken, Karl was the only person I still knew in the Trio.
More years went by, and the band didn’t come around as much, but it was as exciting as ever when a new record came out. (And I still loved wearing my Karl Hendricks Trio t-shirt.) And how cool was it when I noticed that his daughter had won a Scholastic Art & Writing Award (from the company where I was then employed)? I emailed Karl and you can imagine what a proud papa he was. A lot of creativity in that family.
2012 was a big year for Karl: He bought the Pittsburgh record store Paul’s CDs (which was once Jim’s Records, where I’d bought that Sludgehammer single) and renamed the shop Sound Cat, and he also released a terrific new album by the Trio. A good year for me too, because the Karl Hendricks Trio came to Manhattan and I got to see them play live again. Focus, precision, and power, as always.
This year, not so good. Karl is recovering from oral cancer. As you can certainly imagine, in addition to being a physical and emotional ordeal, it’s been a big financial strain on Karl, his family, and his business. WPRB legend, Comedy Minus One label honcho, and all-around mensch Jon Solomon started an online fundraising campaign for Karl through the GiveForward site. Please consider clicking on the link and making a contribution of any size. Karl is not the sort of fellow who would ask for your sympathy, so don’t get out your hankies for this one. But if you can make a donation, even a little bit, it would definitely be appreciated. Thanks.
which English classes did you take with Tom?
Lots. Modern Drama for sure.
I’ll ask Tom, I think he may have a better memory than you.
Just found my transcript, “Makers of Modern Drama” FALL 1990 was the title for the course. Eek, got a C minus. Don’t understand, i dug the Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, and Shaw. Too much drinking and smoking pot during college to maintain good GPA.
I have no regrets. But I was a bumpkin compared to a lot of peeps during college. I remember the Wimps had an interview question about what we expected coming to college. Frank said ‘College Radio” and I said “Animal House.” Again, no regrets, but my answer was more idiotic.
On a final note, Oral Cancer sounds horrible. I exchanged messages with Karl after I saw the news. He’s always been such a great great stand-up person from my view. Except when I heard he moved in with my ex-girlfriend during college. Argh! He didn’t stay long with the slut though. Give what you can to help him out through these times.