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TRASH ROCKETSoriginates from the South Central Texas regionmulti-generational in approachoriginal high energy butt-shakin’ TeXXXas flamethrower rock in a blender for your drinking and dining pleasure. Players: Louis "Buckaroo Lou" Siedlecki (vocals) Leon "Psychodaddy" Oehlers (drums)Lee Oehlers (guitars) Matthew Oehlers (bass)and occasional stray coyotes.
(See below for the TRASH ROCKETS sordid bio details, tantalizing trivia tidbits and Homeland Security warnings.)
History, Tidbits and Multi-Generational Sonic Mayhem
Louis "Buckaroo Lou" Siedlecki – Vocals.
Original vocalist for The Hangmen and The Five Canadians in the mid 60s. Songwriting and recordings including the single “Writing on the Wall” – 1966 which hit the “top ten” in Canada and Los Angeles airplay markets. (TIDBITS: “Writing on the Wall” is featured on a number of album compilations such as the Pebbles LP/CD and Leaf Records of early garage/punk recordings considered premier musical samples of this style music. Currently considered one of the most sought after singles for collectors/enthusiasts and featured on numerous download websites. Group was featured in the periodical Brown Sack (1997) as one of the prime innovators of the garage/punk sound with featured article references to Louis as one of the premier vocalists and songwriters.) Louis has been referred to as the “grandfather of grunge” on many websites dedicated to collecting this genre of music. Press web reviews of The Five Canadians include the review quotes “…punk in the original sense of the word.” – RECORD COLLECTOR and “Writing on the Wall” is reason enough for The Five Canadians to be enshrined in the Sundazded Garage of Fame.” –
Louis moves on to become lead vocalist for the Texas group Trans Continental Mercy Flight and a appeared in national concerts featuring Canned Heat, The Zombies, and Blues Image. In 1969 Louis teamed up with Leon "Psychodaddy" Oehlers and together were original founding members of the Texas regional psychedelic rock group TOUCHSTONE. Played throughout the region and appeared in concert with such artists as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, MC5, ZZ TOP, Blue Cheer and many other national acts. Louis also ran point as the lead vocalist for the TOUCHSTONE acoustic “spin-off” group The Coyote Brothers.
In 1972 he was chosen as the lead singer for the regional/national touring production of the Tommy Opera by The Who. With a head and ears full of sonic mayhem, Louis decided to "move to Montana and be a dental floss tycoon" and to pursue interests in “non-traditional Bluegrass” music and vocal styling. While farming dental floss in Montana he became the lead vocalist for The Seldom Heard Band playing “non-traditional torqued-up bluegrass” music throughout the U.S. Northern states, Canada and Ireland. The Seldom Heard toured with The Chris Hillman Band and Gene Clark (former co-founders of the Bryds) as well as sharing the stage with such legendary notables as Peter Rowan (The Flying Burrito Brothers).
After touring with Seldom Heard, Louis moved back to Texas, reconnected with Leon for songwriting and recording, sang with blues group T.T. Thunderbeard as well as providing lead recording vocals for Free Flow Production Company production of Three For All. Along with with Leon, his two sons Lee and Matthew, they formed TRASH ROCKETS in 2002 and built their Leapin’ Lizards Recording Studio and Music Emporium in the backwoods of South Central TeXXXas. "It's all about the music."
Leon “Psychodaddy” Oehlers – drums.
Leon began playing the steel guitar, guitar and drums at age eleven. By age thirteen he had established an “in demand” reputation as a dance drummer in the South Central Texas region country dancehalls and the legendary “Ice House” country music circuit in San Antonio and other South Central Texas cities.
In addition to consistently playing the country dancehalls, Leon continued formal instruction and education in symphonic, stage band swing/jazz/rock performance and contest drumming. From these experiences he developed an eclectic style of drumming that mirrored the musical influences of the region, i.e., classic dancehall/Tex-Mex C & W, Latin, rock n’ roll, blues and soul.
Leon co-founded the popular Texas country dancehall group The Mavericks which later joined forces with the future award winning country music star Moe Bandy. They recorded and released four singles and reached the Texas country radio play lists. The group was highly sought after as a back-up dancehall band for many of the touring stars of the Grand Old Opry. Leon gained many years of valuable professional experience backing such notables as Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, Rusty and Doug, Doug Kershaw, David Houston, Little Jimmy Dickens, Johnny Bush, Wynn Stewart and many others. After many years with The Mavericks, he joined the New Breed Soul Review show band on the R&B club circuits in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The New Breeds gained popularity as a top show group within this regional circuit and performed in many of the legendary R&B venues of the day. After terminating road work in with the New Breed Soul Review his interest in rock music lead him to meet Louis Siedlecki. They co-founded the psychedelic rock group Touchstone. Leon also partnered with the respected Texas sound engineer/producer Jack Bond in the building and establishing Orion Recording Studios. Together Louis and Leon played throughout the region and appeared in concert with “national status” groups such as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, MC5, ZZ TOP, Blue Cheer and many other national acts in addition to playing in and with the now legendary psychedelic rock venues and musicians in the Austin-San Antonio-Houston, Texas area. After Touchstone, Leon met and introduced the blues/jazz singer Lorena Mackey to a group of fellow blues and rock musicians. Together, they formed the jazz/rock/blues night club act Moonstone. After Moonstone, Leon was approached to assist in the founding of a “classic country dancehall” group which later became known as Hot N’ Dusty featuring Rhonda Ester and John Callentine on vocals.
After many years of performance, Leon concentrated his efforts on personal studio recording as well as re-connecting with his old friend Louis. Together they rekindled a creative musical relationship for songwriting, recording and production….all for the sake of the MUSIC.
Leon provides the sound recording/engineering for TRASH ROCKETS. Other interests are collecting vinyl LPs with a focus on rare recordings of the psychedelic rock era and vintage Austin, Texas music/concert posters from the psychedelic rock era of the late 60s to mid 70s
Lee Oehlers – guitars
Began displaying a unique aptitude for music at an early age and developed a keen "eclectic" interest in progressive music and electric guitar. Lee’s open attitude, approach to rock guitar, early exposure to "crazy ass" musicians, and a family collection of vintage rock/jazz/world music LPs, has yielded a unique personal style that blends the elements of rock, jazz, rockabilly/psychobilly and progressive modal scaling with army surplus flamethrowers into the sonic mayhem of the TRASH ROCKETS.
In addition, Lee is considered a “technician extraordinaire” in the areas of collecting, building and repairing vintage amplification equipment such as Marshall, Hiwatt, Fender amps and vintage outboard gear to power his ever increasing arsenal of Gibson, Gretsch, Dan Electro, etc. guitars
Matt "Mo" Oehlers – bass
Provides the thunder bottom for TRASH ROCKETS via his “open style” approach to the four and five string bass, slap bass, and the occasional baritone guitar. After a several year stint in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex “jam band” scene, he was lured with a case of Shiner Bock, kidnapped, and forced to move to Austin to perform, write and record his big bottom madness as a member of the TRASH ROCKETS' family of sonic pranksters.
Jennifer Hicks – vocals
A true vocal gift from the "badlands" of West Texas to the Trash Rockets family of sonic pranksters, Jennifer melts the hearts and faces of all who witness the pristine quality of her vocal stylewhether it be a heartfelt ballad to the rawness of a jackhammer on max powerher voice leads the charge. Reared in the West Texas vocal & harmony singing tradition of Gospel & Cathedral Choir, Jennifer has been singing and lyric writing since age 14covering styles from gospel,blues,swing and country to "out on the sonic edge" rock, punk and techno. As the newest member of Trash Rockets she has craved out a unique stylistic niche on lead vocal as well as razor sharp harmoniesall in all, Jennifer is simply "a natural" at the mic. She "floats like a butterfly, and stings like a bee" show after show.
