Everything Else is Really Lame

One of the singularly most annoying things I've heard in years, Video Games was released in 2006 by the Black Out Band (aka the Black Out Kids). Not to be confused with the Welsh post-hardcore (whatever that is) oufit, this Black Out were three precocious, middle-class boys from Virginia: Hunter Watson on vocals and lead guitar, Tug Hunter on bass and drummer Matthew Salutillo. Hunter and best friend Matthew were 11 years old when they recorded Video Games; Tug was the old man of the group at 12.

Sounding exactly like you'd expect a trio of whiney pre-teens to sound, apparently this ghastly racket started life when the boy's music coach Dennis Decreny (not a teacher you understand; daddy had the money for a private coach) found that the boys would rather be playing with their X Boxes than learning the chord sequence to Three Blind Mice. Coach, as he was known to the youngsters, told Hunter he ought to write a song about his obsession. The following week, with assistance from his bandmates, Hunter had the chorus and first verse.

The three boys worked out the basic melody but it was left to Mrs. Watson to come up with the rest of the words. The boys recorded several more songs - including the original compositions Graffiti, 6th Grade King and Recess Blues - lined up some low-key local gigs during their summer vacation and set up their website - which laughably compares the tiresome threesome to Neil Young. Mr. Watson founded up his own record label, Chapman Records, and started to push their merchandise onto an eager public. Matthew's mum Wendy organised a video shoot, with 30 local schoolkids and lots of free pizza, and it looked like Black Out Band were on their way to the big time.

Only the public were not quite as eager as Jerry and Judy Watson had hoped. Hunter's parents might have thought that the Black Out Band were going to be the next big thing, but the rest of the world disagreed. Outside of a few random radio and TV appearances by 2008 it was all over.

Hunter, Tag and Matthew are around 17 or 18 now and, no doubt, embarrassed as hell for having produced this miserable diatribe. Or maybe not; for, when all is said and done, these three young men have written and recorded their own music and have performed it in front of hundreds of people. Which is a damn sight more than most of us. If you want more, the band's MySpace page is still up and running.

Enjoy!

UPDATE, June 22 2016:  It appears that Hunter Watson, singer and guitarist with the Black Out Band, was killed in an automobile accident on Saturday, June 18: 'Hunter B. Watson, 20, of McLean, Virginia, died after the passenger side of a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee in which he was traveling was struck by a pickup truck, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier, a spokesman of the Delaware State Police. Watson, and the Jeep's driver, 20-year-old Rod Zarafshar, of McLean, Virginia, were in Delaware for the Firefly Music Festival in Dover.

About 6:20 p.m. the Jeep was northbound on Lewis Drive approaching Dyke Branch Road, Fournier said. At the same time, Robert J. Falcone, 37, of Dover, was operating a 2008 Ford F250 pickup truck westbound on Dyke Branch Road and was approaching the same intersection, Fournier said. Police noted that the intersection is controlled by a stop sign for the northbound and southbound traffic on Lewis Drive and that Dyke Branch Road has the right of way.

Zarafshar's Jeep failed to stop, Fournier said, entering into the path of the Falcone's pickup truck. The pickup truck then struck the passenger side of the Jeep. Watson, a front-seat passenger of the Jeep, was pronounced dead at the scene.' Delaware News Journal, June 20, 2016.

Hunter, a Syracuse University sophomore, will be greatly missed by his family and friends. My condolences to all who knew him.