Punk Rockers, The Hormones, Perform at the Kraken Lounge Saturday Night

by Diego Lee Rot

Diego Lee Rot, Music Reporter
for the Brownsville Observer

Brownsville may not be a punk rock mecca, but a smattering of the hardcore gathered at the Kraken Lounge last night to witness Tim "Napalm" Stegall's latest configuration of "The Hormones," punkers, now based in Austin with roots in Corpus Christi.

Stegall, lead singer and guitarist, overcame a weak microphone to lead his group in one of the best live offerings in recent memory, doing "Sell Out Young," "No Fun in the Modern World" among others.

The Kraken Lounge, at 1123 E. Adams Street, known for pizza, tacos, craft beer and live music, has something other local music venues lack; great acoustics.  It's a long, skinny building with the stage located in back, as if down a long hallway. Customers walk along one side of the stage to access the restrooms and an outdoor area for imbibing(and smoking?).

Tim Stegall, Fronting the Hormones at Kraken

Stegall, now 51, felt like a fish out-of-water in Alice, Texas, but, at the age of 12, discovered the Sex Pistols.  He now states:  "I honestly believe that if I hadn't heard the Sex Pistols, I probably would've ended up in jail or something."

The Kraken Lounge, an eclectically decorated nightspot, has a love seat directly in front of the stage.  Last night, a middle aged, somewhat inebriated groupie curled up on the couch.  She would "arise" between songs to talk over Stegall's introduction of the next anthem.  Patient to a point, Stegall finally had enough:

"Lady, would you please let me introduce my own songs?"

Mr Tim left this message for his Brownsville fans:

If we get a head's up on The Hormones' next appearance, we will share it on this blog.  

"Listen, you know this: If there's not a rebellious youth culture, there's no culture at all. It's absolutely essential. It is the future. This is what we're supposed to do as a species, is advance ideas."

John Lydon AKA 

                                               Johnny Rotten