Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Film Trailer puts the Focus on Hocus

They call it “48 Hour Freak Out.” It’s a film short of the band Hocus performing whirlwind gigs over the space of one weekend in San Diego. “I thought,” says singer/guitarist Lando Martinez, “wouldn’t it be cool if we filmed these?” Reason enough. In the opening scene Hocus bassist Lolita is sitting in a car for lack of a dressing room, putting on makeup. The trio otherwise appears to be lost somewhere in the vicinity of Mission Bay, the setting for the first of their three shows: on the big stage at the Powerboat Races.

“Later that same evening, we played in Lemon Grove at a tiny biker bar called the Good Guys Tavern,” says Martinez. “It’s been there since the 1940s.” By comparison to the 50-foot outdoor Powerboat stage, the bandstand inside Good Guys is absurdly small and potentially lethal. By the looks of things, there is hardly enough room for a drum kit, let alone a pair of punks with electric guitars thrashing about in the confinement.

Martinez, 41, aka Fat Lando is ex Navy and a student at Southwestern College. He lives in nearby Imperial Beach. He describes Hocus’ music as being what the Ramones would have sounded like if they’d had a fifth member named Noel Gallagher. Punk, in other words, with much in the way of melodic hooks. In addition to Lolita, the other member is a drummer who goes by the name of Rhino. Hocus, by the way, is actually the name of Martinez’ cat. “It’s a user-friendly name. Not derogatory, and good for metal and punk.”

Hocus the band is two years old, having played their first engagement at the former O’Connell’s in 2009. “We’ve been working hard ever since,” says Martinez. But critics, and some venue owners, say they’re working a bit too hard. “We are guilty of doing a lot of shows, but we travel around the county. There’s at least a 20 mile distance between venues.”

The final segment of “48 Hour Freak Out” has Hocus on the stage at the Casbah, grinding it out as openers for the Bloody Hollies. It is a plum gig. By now in the film chronology the members of Hocus, tired as they may be, are firing on pure adrenaline. “The Bloody Hollies,” says Martinez, “thought we were cool.”

“Freak Out,” as it turns out, is a slice of the performer’s life. It documents, if inadvertently, the reality of what it means to be a regional band engaged in the low-paying and highly variable job of music. But why make this film? It turns out the clip will find use as a virtual resume. And why not? On its surface “48 Hour Freak Out” is as funny as one of those Monkee’s TV adventures of old and Hocus’ performances are full-throttle. “We made this as our calling card,” says Martinez. “People like it, but it’s also a promo piece.” In other words, you’ll likely see the movie, instead of a show poster, on Facebook in advertisement of coming shows. “By the end of a day,” says Martinez, “it’s a commercial.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Half Hour Late lives up to their name at the Template

Deadhead-inflected band right at home in Ocean Beach

They call it “48 Hour Freak Out.” It’s a film short of the band Hocus performing whirlwind gigs over the space of one weekend in San Diego. “I thought,” says singer/guitarist Lando Martinez, “wouldn’t it be cool if we filmed these?” Reason enough. In the opening scene Hocus bassist Lolita is sitting in a car for lack of a dressing room, putting on makeup. The trio otherwise appears to be lost somewhere in the vicinity of Mission Bay, the setting for the first of their three shows: on the big stage at the Powerboat Races.

“Later that same evening, we played in Lemon Grove at a tiny biker bar called the Good Guys Tavern,” says Martinez. “It’s been there since the 1940s.” By comparison to the 50-foot outdoor Powerboat stage, the bandstand inside Good Guys is absurdly small and potentially lethal. By the looks of things, there is hardly enough room for a drum kit, let alone a pair of punks with electric guitars thrashing about in the confinement.

Martinez, 41, aka Fat Lando is ex Navy and a student at Southwestern College. He lives in nearby Imperial Beach. He describes Hocus’ music as being what the Ramones would have sounded like if they’d had a fifth member named Noel Gallagher. Punk, in other words, with much in the way of melodic hooks. In addition to Lolita, the other member is a drummer who goes by the name of Rhino. Hocus, by the way, is actually the name of Martinez’ cat. “It’s a user-friendly name. Not derogatory, and good for metal and punk.”

Hocus the band is two years old, having played their first engagement at the former O’Connell’s in 2009. “We’ve been working hard ever since,” says Martinez. But critics, and some venue owners, say they’re working a bit too hard. “We are guilty of doing a lot of shows, but we travel around the county. There’s at least a 20 mile distance between venues.”

The final segment of “48 Hour Freak Out” has Hocus on the stage at the Casbah, grinding it out as openers for the Bloody Hollies. It is a plum gig. By now in the film chronology the members of Hocus, tired as they may be, are firing on pure adrenaline. “The Bloody Hollies,” says Martinez, “thought we were cool.”

“Freak Out,” as it turns out, is a slice of the performer’s life. It documents, if inadvertently, the reality of what it means to be a regional band engaged in the low-paying and highly variable job of music. But why make this film? It turns out the clip will find use as a virtual resume. And why not? On its surface “48 Hour Freak Out” is as funny as one of those Monkee’s TV adventures of old and Hocus’ performances are full-throttle. “We made this as our calling card,” says Martinez. “People like it, but it’s also a promo piece.” In other words, you’ll likely see the movie, instead of a show poster, on Facebook in advertisement of coming shows. “By the end of a day,” says Martinez, “it’s a commercial.”

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Break from Tradition

Next Article

Record Release Roundup

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.