Hodads

Formation

The Hodads were founded in 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia, and were active through the mid 1990's. Original members — all western North Carolina transplants to Atlanta — were Philip Buchanan (vocals), Steve "Crawdaddy" Crawford (drums), Robbie Hensley (guitar), Steve Hensley (bass), and Eric "Zipper" Wilson (guitar, keyboards). (This is when Crawdaddy got his nickname since there was already a Steve in the band.) Without Crawdaddy, the other four had played together previously with a different drummer as Curious George in North Carolina before relocating to Georgia. A chance meeting at a Del Fuegos concert at the Moonshadow Saloon in Atlanta led to the formation of the Hodads. Crawdaddy: "I ran into Steve & Philip, who I knew from Cullowhee, at the Del Fuegos show and invited them to come to a party at my friend Glenn's house, where my punk cover band, the Pukes, were playing. After the party, the Hodads were born, and many good times followed."

Sound

The Hodads played a brand of southern rock influenced by AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, punk rock, and classic country music. They had all grown up on similar musical diets of country, bluegrass, classic rock, hard rock, and punk. One Atlanta music critic for Creative Loafing said the Hodads sounded like the Georgia Satellites with Rob Halford (Judas Priest). During their time, the Hodads were too twangy for the metalheads and too metal for the country folks. Later, they probably would have fit right in with what's considered Americana or Alt Country. Below are a few reviews from Creative Loafing.

Recordings

The Hodads focused on writing and recording original songs. As bass player Steve Hensley said, "it was easier to play your own songs". Many of the originals can be found on the releases discussed below and listed on the Music page. Many others were lost or never recorded at all.

In 2022, the Hodads released studio versions of original songs plus one cover recorded in the 1980's on an album titled Revenge Of The Hodads.  All songs on the album were recorded at Digitrax in Buford, Georgia, with Randall Roop and featured the original five band members (Philip Buchanan, Steve "Crawdaddy" Crawford, Robbie Hensley, Steve Hensley, and Eric "Zipper" Wilson).  The album includes "Maggie" and "Motel Six", which received airplay on WRAS Album 88 and WKLS 96 Rock, respectively, but were never actually released.  It also includes the country-ish fan favorite "Fool's Gold" and a rockin' cover of Terry Fell's "Truck Driving Man".  In addition to streaming and downloads, the album is also available as a limited edition physical CD at some favorite record stores in Atlanta (Decatur CD, Wax ’N’ Facts, Wuxtry) and Sylva (In Your Ear Music).

In 2023, the Hodads released Revenge Of The Hodads, Part 2, which contains songs recorded later with various drummers (Todd Johnston, Randy Daniels, JD Hart) and some additional guitarists (Dale Ritchey, Jim Wright).  It includes several fan favorites like "One More Night", "Shake Shake Shake", "Georgia Sun", and "Rain On My Parade".

Also in 2023, the Hodads released Live At The White Dot, which was recorded in 1988 with the original band members.  It’s raw and rocking, and it captures what the Hodads sounded like at that time.  It contains live versions of some popular originals, along with two songs never recorded in the studio — “The White Dot” and “Trailer Park”.  It also includes covers of Jerry Lee Lewis, ZZ Top, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Rolling Stones, and the Dead Boys.  Crawddady: "Yes, that’s our friend Garth yelling for “Trailer Park”!"

In 2024, the Hodads released Live At Avondale Towne Cinema, which was recorded in the early 90's with the J. D. Hard on drums. It includes a cover of Johnny Horton's "The Battle Of New Orleans", two songs never recorded in the studio ("Show Time", "Run With It"), and rockin' versions of many early and mid-era fan favorites. 

Top Songs

Below are the most played Hodads songs on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music; updated 6/4/2024. Also below are the most played songs across multiple platforms, based on the data we have available. (We don't have access to data from all streaming services.)

Spotify

Apple Music

Amazon Music

Multiple Platforms

I've aggregated data from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other streaming services to see the top 10 most played Hodads songs of all time across multiple platforms. (I don't have data from all of them.) The #1 song, "Willie", recently surpassed "Shattered Dreams".

Members

The Hodads original lineup is featured on Revenge Of The Hodads and Live At The White Dot, while Revenge Of The Hodads, Part 2 features songs recorded by various other lineups. Below is list of all the band members over time, even though some stints were brief or temporary.

• Philip Buchanan - Vocals. (Also: Road Hawgs, Buckofive, Dangleleros.)
• Robbie Hensley - Guitar. (Also: Fontanels.)
• Steve Hensley - Bass. (Also: Buckofive.)
• Eric "Zipper" Wilson - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals. (Also: Buckofive.)
• Steve "Crawdaddy" Crawford - Drums. (Also: Fontanels, Crawdad Crash.)
• J. D. Hart - Drums.
• Randy Daniels - Drums.
• Todd Johnston - Drums. (Also: Road Hawgs, Buckofive, Georgia Satellites.)
• Dale Ritchey - Guitar. (Also: Buckofive, Dangleleros.)
• Jim Wright - Guitar. (Also: Road Hawgs, Buckofive, Evils, Asphalt Blaster, Bigfoot, Elzig, Pepper Kitty Experience.)
• Greg Smalley - Bass. (Also: Diggers. Founded Bubbapalooza.)
• Kevin “Snit” Fitzpatrick - Drums. (Also: Snit's Dog & Pony Show.)
• Freddie Griffith - Drums.
• Mark Dillingham - Drums.

96 Rock Peach Jam

In the late 1980's, the Hodads were a finalist in the 96 Rock Peach Jam battle of the bands held at the Cotton Club. As a result, the Hodads got to record 1 song for inclusion on a compilation CD. They re-recorded "Motel Six" with Brendan O'Brien (who would later produce AC/DC, Blackberry Smoke, Offspring, Bruce Springsteen, Stone Temple Pilots, Matthew Sweet, etc.), and the song was eventually included in the soundtrack to the movie Fast Food, featuring Jim Varney. Below are a few pictures from the show, and there's a video of the entire Hodads Peach Jam show on YouTube.

Artwork & Flyers

Crawdaddy: "In the early days, we had a lot of fun making goofy flyers for our shows. At some point, I received a card from my sculptor cousin Jerry Monteith who was doing an art show. On the card was picture of the "Knottyhead" ( 1986), which I thought was really cool-looking. So, I photocopied it and put it on a flyer. We got so many comments about it that I appropriated it for many more flyers — all unbeknownst to my cousin! I didn't even know how to contact him back then. When I got ready to put out the Hodads albums, I contacted Jerry, and he graciously permitted us to use the Knottyhead likeness in our artwork. My daughter Margaret did a pop art version of the Knottyhead that we used on album covers." Below are the Knottyhead and a few flyers from that early period.

Repertoire

Although the Hodads focused on originals, they also had an extensive repetoire of covers and could play for hours — which was needed for getting gigs as an up-and-coming band. Below are a few that they played regularly — which says a lot about their influences.

• AC/DC - T.N.T.
• AC/DC - Sin City
• Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
• Chuck Berry - Memphis, Tennessee
• Black Sabbath - Paranoid
• Boxtops - The Letter
• Johnny Burnette - Lonesome Train
• Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
• Alice Cooper - Be My Lover
• Elvis Costello - Mystery Dance
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
• Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
• Eagles - Already Gone
• Terry Fell - Truck Drivin' Man
• Johnny Horton - The Battle Of New Orleans
• Judas Priest - Breaking The Law
• Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Coming
• Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Shakin' All Over
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Rockin' My Life Away
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - The Needle And The Spoon
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
• Elvis Presley - Little Sister
• Rolling Stones - All Over Now
• Rolling Stones - Dead Flowers
• Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
• Who - I Can't Explain
• Hank Williams - Kaw-Liga
• Link Wray - Jack The Ripper
• Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Like A Hurricane
• ZZ Top - Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers

Contact

Contact the Hodads via Crawdad Crash (see Contact page) or via the Hodads Facebook page, which has more stories and pictures.