Hank Schyma

Hank Schyma, also known as Pecos Hank, is a musician, songwriter, filmmaker and professional storm chaser based in Houston, Texas. He has fronted the rock group Southern Backtones for over fifteen years. During the same period, he has directed, produced and starred in a full-length independent film, several music videos, and a catalogue of storm and nature documentation. He served as storm consultant on a major motion picture, and is credited with the discovery of a transient luminous weather event called a ghost.[1]

Pecos Hank
Photo by Jay Dryden
Photo by Jay Dryden
Background information
Born (1982-04-01) 1 April 1982
United States
OriginHouston, Texas
GenresAmericana, gypsy jazz, roots rock
Years active1998 (1998)–current
LabelsZenhill Records, Splice Records
Websitepecoshank.com

Early life

Hank Schyma was born and raised in Houston, and spent most of his youth in the Pecos River Valley. Schyma stated that he is unsure exactly how storm chasing first began to appeal to him, though he admits an early fascination with the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz.[2]

Career

Music career

Schyma relocated briefly to Huntington Beach, California in the early 1990s, aiming "to be a rock star", but instead he spent his time in California "just surfing and delivering pizza". By 1994, he had returned to Texas, capturing severe weather footage on his own and beginning the music for what would later become Southern Backtones.[3]

Schyma eventually left the usual rock band format in favor of mostly acoustic performances, often as a duet with violinist Jo Bird of Two Star Symphony. The new format in turn informed his recording format, which culminated in the release of the solo album El Reno Blues in 2015.[4] El Reno Blues was met with much praise among aficionados of southwestern American culture.[5]

Schyma collaborated with the Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire on the music video for "The Lightning I, II".[6] He was included in the Special Thanks section.

Storm chasing career

In 1995, Schyma joined KHOU-TV's news team working as a camera operator, which gave him the opportunity to work under their head meteorologist, Dr. Neil Frank.[7] Schyma is regarded to have gained professional storm chaser status in 2007, when he was appointed as KRIV's exclusive in-house storm chaser. He launched an ongoing project to photograph the complete body of snakes native to North America (though he feels the project is moving slowly).[8] Multiple music videos were produced during this period as well, including one which features a return to his home in the Pecos River Valley. 2011 saw the release of his first full-length independent feature film, Honky Tonk Blood. The soundtrack to the film was released separately, featuring a wealth of regional talent and long time collaborators, including Johnny Falstaff, Craig Kinsey, and Two Star Symphony.[9]

Schyma was present in El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013, to witness and capture the widest tornado ever recorded.[10] He recounted witnessing an 18-wheeler grounded by the tornado on the outskirts of town, though he later found that its driver survived the ordeal in the truck cabin unharmed.[8] The driver's brush with mortality and the location of the incident were later commemorated on the album.[11][12]

Schyma continues to contribute lightning and storm coverage to a variety of national and international outlets.[13] He also maintains a YouTube channel called "Pecos Hank" Where he documents his storm chasing around Tornado Alley. As of June 23, 2022, the channel had over one million subscribers.

In 2014, Schyma served as Storm Consultant for the film The Last Witch Hunter. Most of the tornado and lightning footages at 2023 Supercell (film) are by Schyma.[14]

Contributions to science

On May 25, 2019, Schyma is credited with the discovery of a new transient luminous event called a ghost. They are faint, green glows that appear after red sprites. The name "ghost" is an acronym for Green emissions from excited Oxygen in Sprite Tops. Schyma explains, the name ghost also maintains the theme of other transient luminous events such as sprites, trolls, elves and pixies.[15]

Schyma has been working with University of Wisconsin atmospheric scientist Dr. Leigh Orf validating supercomputer simulations of destructive tornadoes.  “Schyma’s high-quality videos of supercells and tornadoes enable Orf to directly compare his models with what Schyma has experienced in real life, helping the research group demonstrate the validity of the model.”[16] 

Schyma is also part of atmospheric scientist Dr. Anton Seimon's research team,[17] employing photogrammetry to estimate tornadic wind speeds and putting together a 3-D visual representation of a storm.[18]

References
  1. Schyma, Hank (May 25, 2019). "Red sprites and blue jets explained - New discovery!". YouTube.
  2. Wray, Dianna (August 28, 2013). "Local Musician Chases Storms For Fun and Profit". Houston Press. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. Cobb, David A. (June 25, 2010). "Behind The Scenes of Pale's "Catastrophic Skies" Video". Houston Press. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  4. Jones, Jaimy (January 12, 2017). "Bowie Elvis Fest celebrates the King and passing of rock innovator, David Bowie". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  5. "Pecos Hank's Album Release Featuring Mikey and the Drags and the Suspects". Time Out (magazine). Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  6. Arcade Fire – The Lightning I, II. YouTube.
  7. Hlavaty, Craig (August 21, 2015). "Houston lightning strike lights up dark sky". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  8. Dansby, Andrew (August 26, 2015). "Musician Hank Schyma keeps chasing the storm". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  9. Gray, Chris (February 25, 2011). "Honky Tonk Blood A Macabrely Nice Surprise". Houston Press. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  10. "Central Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding – May 31, 2013". National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 1, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  11. Hlavaty, Craig (August 21, 2015). "Houston lightning strike lights up dark sky". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  12. Hill, Doug. "Pecos Hank a force of nature with a new storm brewing". The Norman Transcript. October 2015.
  13. Batista, Nino. "Close Up Photo of Lightning Strike in Texas". fStoppers. August 2015.
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IsZgVs2lBU MAKING "SUPERCELL" the Movie
  15. Phillips, Dr. Tony (May 2020). "Introducing, the Green Ghost". Space Weather Archive.
  16. Miller, Patrick C. (August 2019). "A New Paradigm for Forecasting Tornadoes". UND Today.
  17. Braun, David (July 2020). "Anton Seimon: Chasing New Tornado Science". Exploration Connections.
  18. Cappucci, Matthew (June 2019). "This beastly tornado left behind captivating images and an incredible set of data". The Washington Post.
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