Flickerstick plays final shows ever at House of Blues and Aardvark starting Saturday

by Erin Rice

Having played no local shows in something like a year, one thought that Flickerstick was going to just fade into oblivion. And they will, but not until they blow it out a few more times at the Dallas House of Blues and The Aardvark in Fort Worth.

If by this point you're asking the question, "who is Flickerstick," it's probably best to let sleeping bygones lie. Those who've been following the band for years, however, know that the Fort Worth rock quintet gained nationwide fame when they were discovered by VH1 after Billboard included them on their Best Unsigned Bands in the Country sampler. Flickerstick tried out for the music network's show, Bands on the Run, in 2001 and were not only chosen for the show, but won. In the process, however, their antics were probably better known than their music to most viewers, no doubt as the result of crafty editing.

After landing a deal with Epic Records, Flickerstick re-released its debut album, Welcoming Home the Astronauts, but the sales were disappointing taking into account their residual fame from the show. The band lost drummer Dominic Weir shortly after leaving Epic Records. Eventually they signed with Dallas-based Idol Records (Black Tie Dynasty, Chomsky) to release their sophomore studio album, Tarantula, in 2004.

In 2005, the group was hit with another loss, as founding guitarist Cory Kreig left. Despite replacing lost members and releasing a second live album in 2007, the band has been ebbing slowly from the scene.

On Saturday night they'll give fans the first of three final shows before calling it quits (as one can only glean from the show's title on the HOB website, since there are no statements on the band's MySpace, while their official site appears to have expired or been taken down). Sharing the bill will be Stella Rose, Holy Moly, and Calhoun. Calhoun lead singer Tim Locke also happens to have been Kreig's replacement on the guitar.

The doors open at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, and as of Friday at 1 a.m., tickets for all sections (general admission - $13.50; balcony - $20; box - $50) were still available.

The two final shows will be on consecutive nights more than a month later in the band's hometown of Fort Worth. On February 27 they'll share the Aardvark stage with The Orbans (formerly Lifters and a bunch of other names) and Jefferson Colby. The following night they'll play once again with Stella Rose and Dove Hunter. Tickets to both Aardvark shows are available at frontgatetickets.com.

Background information about Flickerstick from PegNews band page and wikipedia.