Frequent flyers and MetalTalk favourites Hillbilly Vegas have left Oklahoma and are now in the UK and braced to bring their trademark exuberant shows, unadulterated charm and storytelling skills to cheer up our Winter. With Winterstorm and Planet Rockstock Festival dates, they also play shows in Portsmouth and Newcastle. However, this triumphant return follows a period of immense hardship for the band.
Last September, the band experienced a devastating fire at the Hillbilly Hangar, their practice and storage space in Oklahoma. A falling power connection started the fire, which spread throughout the structure and destroyed more than 60 antique guitars and amplifiers, as well as other priceless items.
The loss was huge for guitarist Stacy Thornburg, who had collected these objects his whole life. Luckily, the building was empty at the time. “The fire was beyond devastating,” Singer Steve Harris said. “When you lose everything, it takes time to figure out what to do next. Next for us has always been fighting our way out of whatever we are faced with and coming out stronger.”
A late running lunch meant Hillbilly Vegas were not in the building when an overhead power cable snapped and fell onto the roof of Hillbilly Hangar. An almost instant inferno engulfed the building with such ferocity that the metal doors were welded to the frames. 
While working through the process of insurance and rebuilding their base and tools of the trade, Hillbilly Vegas kept on fighting. Let It Ride, the first single from their next album, has climbed high in the US Billboard Rock charts and sits in the Top 20 after charting for 10 weeks now. The single is released in the UK this week to coincide with their shows here.
It would have been easy to cancel the dates and lick their wounds, but thanks to the tenacity of the band and incredible support from companies like Orange Amps, Cambridge Drums, Dualist Pedals and Murat Diril, they are back, equipped and fighting to deliver their trademark, amazing performances.
“Everyone suffers tragedy and loss,” Harris said. “We aren’t special because this happened to us. It won’t define us, and it won’t be the ending to our story.
“The famous Oklahoman Will Rogers once said don’t let yesterday use up too much of today. Those are still great words to live by.”
They do breed them tough in Oklahoma.
