Big Rock Candy Mountain

Yellow Bubbles

2009-11-06T08:30:00.001-06:00

Hooh, doggy, we got us a good 'un today. Yep, it's Deep Blues Friday. And we have an World-Premier Exclusive a the bottom! Hold on to your wigs.

But first, in keeping with our inspiration, The Deep Blues Festival, we'd like to draw your attention to the upcoming Deep Blues Film Festival. It's going to run from January 23rd-January 30th, and it's got a killer list of films already in the can: - "Can't Take It With You", "The Hand Of Fatima", "The Folksinger", "It Came From Detroit", and "Wayne County Rambling". More info on the films and the Fest can be found at the Myspace Page. If you're planning to be in the Minneapolis area, or have the time, it's well worth checking out.

Now then.

We can't even pretend to be objective when it comes to Pure Country Gold. They're one of our favorite bands, a two-man (drums, guitar, vocals) force of raw nature, all desperation and booze-fueled rock'n'fuckin'roll.

We finally got to see 'em play live at last summer's Deep Blues Fest, and they exceeded every expectation, a sweaty barrel-house blast of amped-up sound and wail.

We wrote about 'em way back when. Here's part of what we said:

"Pure Country Gold is pure trash. Tasty, nasty and loud. And sleazy. Sleazy like the barroom floor at last call, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here, and who're you gonna pick up to take home for a quick rut just to say your weekend wasn't a total waste, burning sensation be damned...Yeah, it's that good. ...It's complete (glorious, sonic) junk masquerading with a name designed to confuse. But, they've got that sensibility, if you know what we mean...Imagine some urban cowboy wandering into a local jukejoint only to be faced with this glorious racket, shit-amped guitars through busted speakers, some guy hollerin' wounded goat over the bluescowpunk mess. Feller would probably crap his Lee's...Hyper-amped, garage-fuelled, amphetamine muckity muck."

'Course, that barely covers the band and their sound. But, we figger, why listen to us blather on, when you can hear direct from the band?

Singer and guitar fucker Patrick Foss (aka Petey, aka Pure Cunt) was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

A Big Rock Candy Mountain Interview With Pure Country Gold
(In which we learn the value of bubbles)

Big Rock Candy Mountain: Who is Pure Country Gold and how did you come to be?

Patrick Foss: Patrick & Jake or Petey & Beefjake or Pure Cunt & Tree Gold. We'll answer to any of those names. One night we were both drinking in a bar called Club 21 and decided to start playing together.

BRCM: Where did the name Pure Country Gold come from, and how pure are you?

PF: The name came out of my desire to pick something happy and hippie sounding. I like to think we play feel-good music and thought the band-name should put warm and happy images into people's heads. Sunflowers & sunshine are the images that popped in my head and I felt that that aesthetic was the antithesis to the Jack Daniel's t-shirt and devil-doll rawk stuff which I find kinda dumb. We never considered that having the word 'country' in our name would confuse people, but sometimes we don't think things through too good. Pure? Uh...probably not so much.

BRCM: Are you a Blues band with Punk roots, a Punk band with Blues roots, none of the above, all of the above, or something else entirely?

PF: I've never thought of us as a "blues" band, but there's definitely a strong blues and R&B influence. Punk and blues music is how we learned to play our instruments so those influences inform how we perform the songs I write. I think we play rock & roll, but that doesn't mean anything anymore so I'll just let the journalist-types like you decide what we play.

BRCM: Who are your influences, if any? What infernal sounds inform the Pure Country Gold aesthetic?

PF: 50's and 60's rock and pop are heavy influences on my songwriting, as is later power-pop and punk rock. I'm a huge nerdy Beatles fan. Discovering Crypt Records sometime in the mid-90's was pretty big for me. I also love early hardcore and Greg Ginn is probably my favorite guitar player. Jake and I are also the world's only 2-piece Bad Brains tribute band if that says anything about us.

BRCM: Whiskey or beer?

PF: Beer. Mostly Vodka for me, but I don't discriminate too much.

BRCM: Yellow Bubbles. Discuss.

PF: We were in a bar on tour and I ordered a Pabst and the bartender said they didn't have Pabst, so I tried Hamm's, Olympia, Rainier, etc and they didn't have none of those either. Finally I asked for anything yellow with bubbles in it. Some drunk at the bar was amused by that and said he was gonna write a song called 'Yellow Bubbles'. I think I yelled back at him, "Not if I write it first! I'll see you on the pop-charts motherfucker!"
I don't remember what beer I ended up being served, but it had yellow bubbles in it. Anyway, I ended up writing a silly pop song about domestic beer and the apocalypse. I'm proudest of the line "have a magic moment sometimes" which is a backronym for Hamm's that I made up. Anyway, Big Legal Mess still has some of the 7 inchers lying around so people need to buy them puppies up! They’re on yellow-gold vinyl!

BRCM: Has there ever been a situation where one of you had to play a solo gig due to, ahem, unforeseen circumstances? If so, how did that work out, and what important lessons about life did you learn?

PF: Just about everybody who was at the Deep Blues Fest 08 knows this story, but we've never told our side. We were at the Holiday Inn lounge with many other DBF performers and I wanted some tequila. When I asked how much the Patron cost the bartender told me $4. That's really fucking cheap and probably a mistake, so I ordered 15 shots! I drank 2 or 3 of em, gave away several and left Jake with the rest when I headed up to my room to go to bed.
At some point Jake went outside and sat down to make a phone call and fell asleep. The hotel security couldn't roust him so they called the cops. The next morning I get a call from our buddy Jay to inform me that Jake's in the drunk-tank. We were slotted to play at noon and I got the call around 10:30. Jay and I drove into St Paul, tracked down the detox center and found out there was no way Jake was making the gig.
There was nothing else we could do so we headed towards Lake Elmo to the festival and I jotted down a list of songs I thought I could pull off solo. All I was thinking was that I needed to pull something off because we needed to get paid! We arrived at the festival at a quarter to noon and I set up on stage. I played 8 or so songs and it went great - I wrote those songs alone on my acoustic so there was no reason they wouldn't work this time. Thankfully Chris was kind enough to make room for us the next day so we were able to get a set in with the whole band.
Life lesson? For me: don't leave your already-drunk drummer in the bar with 4 or 5 shots of tequila in front of him when you have a gig at noon the next day. For Jake: don't drunk-dial your friends outside of hotels in Ramsey County, MN.

BRCM: Louder, Faster or Out of Control?

PF: Out of control.

BRCM: As a duo, how does your dynamic work? Do you find yourselves limited or freed by the drum 'n' guitar format? And how do you get so damned loud? Is there a volume above 11?

PF: I write song ideas on my acoustic at home and then bring Jake and some amplification in to flesh things out. We're definitely limited, but I think the limitation is a good thing - it's a fun challenge to make things work with just the two of us. Maybe someday we'll run out of ideas and we'll add instruments or members to open things up, but I think we'll be ok for a while with the setup we have now. I've always been a pretty "busy" guitar player and combined with Jake's bombastic drumming I think it works out well. Yes, we're loud too, but because Jake's a loud fucking drummer and I turn up to be heard!

BRCM:You're based out of Portland, Oregon, a city known for a great music scene. How does the band fit into the city? Where are the best clubs to play? Is beer at Club 21 still just a buck on Wednesday night?

PF: Everyone says how Portland has this great scene but I don't really see it. There’s no unified Portland scene at all - it's all fractured and cliquey like everywhere else. There are too many venues and bands here and everyone just goes to see their friends' bands play and ignore everything else. That being said, we have many great friends in many great bands and we play lots of great shows with our friends. I love that, but I don't feel that we're part of any greater Portland music scene and I don't think any of our friends do either. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining - we really love playing in this town and have played with many bands of many genres at many venues - but all this talk of a Portland scene doesn't really make sense to me.
There are some great venues here - the Kenton Club, the East End and Slabtown treat us well and we love playing those places. Club 21 is not really a club - meaning there are no bands or strippers there - but we spend lots of time there drinking even though beer is no longer a buck on Wednesday nights. As much as we love the place, it's a pretty shitty bar and I love to imagine that people may someday go in there just because of that song we wrote about it, but think it sucks and leave and never come back.

BRCM: Your favorite t-shirt?

PF: Probably my shirt that says "I'd rather be over the hill than under it", but I don't wear the shirt for the statement so much as because it's comfy and blue. I like blue.

BRCM: Obligatory Deep Blues Festival question: How did you come to play at the Fest, and what are your best memories of the Fest

PF: Jay Martin (aka DJ Hwy 7) is a close friend of ours and is friends with Chris Johnson and Rick Saunders and many other folks involved with the Deep Blues community. He recommended us and Chris contacted us to play the 2nd fest in 2008. We had a great time, met some great folks and Chris invited us to play again at the DBF09. Chris has a great thing going with this fest and I hope he can continue to build it to what it deserves to be. We’re certainly proud to have been a part of it!
There were many great bands at the fest last year, but I think Chooglin’ was my fave (ed note: Chooglin' did indeed kick much ass). My best memory of DBF09 though is hanging out with Jay on Thursday afternoon before the fest. He was so drunk by 3pm that he passed out and missed the whole Thursday night show. Maybe that's a silly thing to choose as a highlight, but I'd never seen him so drunk before and he made me laugh a lot.

BRCM: God or Satan?

PF: Satan

BRCM: In a perfect world, Pure Country Gold has the number one single in the world. How do you celebrate?

PF: With drugs and girls I'm guessin.

BRCM: What's next for the band? Rumor has it you've completed a new record and are shopping it. Anything you can tell us about the album? Tour in the works?

PF: New record is done and yes, we're talking to labels now. We're real proud of this record - I think it sounds great, has a good variety of tunes and represents our live sound well. We have plans to tour the US and Europe in 2010. We'd love that record out before we hit the road so we're concentrating on that first, but we'll hit the road regardless. We promise.

Thanks, Patrick.

Now, for that promised World Premiere Exclusive. The following track, "I'm The End" is a song from the aforementioned, upcoming new record from Pure Country Gold, "Tough Tuesday". The band were kind enough to share the record with us, and we can testify, hallelujah, that the album is a prime slab of pounding rawk, full of piss'n'vinegar, primal shout'n'howl. Tell your local record label to release this record now.

The other two tunes are from their 7"'s "Yellow Bubbles" and "Setting Sun".

Rock over America, rock over Portland!

Pure Country Gold: I'm The End (mp3)

Pure Country Gold: Yellow Bubbles (mp3)

Pure Country Gold: Setting Sun (mp3)

Please support your local, independent K-Tel distribution center.

Crash The Party

2009-11-04T08:30:00.001-06:00

Damn Yankees! Ah well, fingers crossed. Two games to go. Go Phillies!

Glad I got that off my chest.

It's always a good year when god's favorite sock-hop destruction-ists The A-Bones grace us with a new record. When it's been over 13 years, it's a cause for twitterpated revelry!

Formed by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna (who also are the guiding forces behind the essential Norton Records), The A-Bones are a swinging, shimmying, stompin' stew of sax-skronkin' sin and sleaze. Taking the tropes of 50's teen dance euphoria, mixing in the danger of black sunglasses, devil-driven rock'n'billy, and opening up the garage doors onto suburban streets, The A-Bones recognize the similarity of the sock hop and the strip club, barely controlled sex urge grunting yeah, baby yeah. It's milkshake-shakin' rumble, tribal poundin', guitar frenzy, finger poppin' rebellion, with the needle on the record, and go,caveman,go.

On some deserted stretch of highway outside of Anytown, USA, a 1956 Chevy Belair lies smoking and crumpled, the front end smashed against a telephone pole. There's glass everywhere, like diamonds in the moonlight. Inside the car are two bloodied corpses, teenage lovers fresh from the prom, caught by tragedy in a death grip of love and lust, the end of the world in a tux and gown. The radio (AM, of course) still plays in rhythm to the spinning wheels, and the band crackling out of the tinny speakers is The A-Bones.

The A-Bones' new record, Not Now!, is out now on Norton (and some guy named Ira Kaplan plays on the record, too. You might have heard of him). It's well worth your time. Honest. You'll be rockin'n'boppin the night away.

The A-Bones: Shallow Grave (mp3)

The A-Bones: Daddy Wants A Cold Beer (mp3)

The A-Bones: Shanty Tramp (mp3)

The A-Bones: Monkey's Uncle (mp3)

The A-Bones: Hully Gully (mp3)

Please support your local, independent corsage shop.

Bow Down

2009-10-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ulp. So much for "daily". We'll save the daily posts for the upcoming Xmas extravaganza.

But...we'll finish up with our "all new" stuff over the next couple of posts, and then kick it back to the usual stuff y'all know and love.

Not sure if there's much to say about the new Almighty Defenders sooper-groop that hasn't already been said, but just in case you missed it, The Almighty Defenders is one-off (sadly) project featuring Mountain fave King Khan, BBQ (Mark Sultan), and The Black Lips. If that aint enough to git yr panties in a bundle, then consider the fact that it's a gospel album. Well, not really, kinda, but as close as a group of celebrated hedonists can get. Actually, nevermind, it really is a gospel record.

The album was recorded in a rumored booze-fueled few days, while the 'Lips were in exile at King Khan's house in Germany (while hiding from Indian authorities due to bad behaviour). Whether the details are true, or the stuff of myth'n'legend, doesn't matter much, since the record is a swirling mess of deep soul handclaps, hootenanny stomp, gristle-encrusted guitar sleaze, praise-god-hallelujah-let's fuck hollerin' goodness. It sounds like there's a party going on in god's pants, and the boys are the band at the end of the world.

Is this the best record of the year? You'll have to wait and see, but it's real contender, praise jesus.

The record is out now. So, there you are. Start yr fanzine now. As a bonus, we're gonna throw in a King Khan tune and a Mark Sultan/BBQ tune, just for kicks. We're saving tunes from The King Khan and BBQ Show for later.

The Almighty Defenders: All My Loving (mp3)

The Almighty Defenders: Bow Down and Die (mp3)

King Khan and His Sensational Shrines: Kukamonga Boogaloo (mp3)

BBQ: Shake Real Low (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent satyr of choice.

World To Come

2009-10-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

'Nuther day, 'nuther new record.

The Mountain Goats is, essentially, John Darnielle. Of late, he's been playing with a full(ish) band, but he first made his bones and name with a lengthy discography of simple recordings, some done on a boombox. A hyper-literate lyricist, Darnielle nevertheless couches his observations on heartbreak, joy, and life lived in moments with melting melody and a (mostly acoustic) guitar style that feeds and veers with each song, an instrument on par with Darnielle's voice.

The Mountain Goats have a new record out, The Life of the World to Come, and, like many of their albums, it's a themed work. And that theme is...The Bible. Yup, Darnielle takes on the Good Book. But, like all his work, it's a theme that takes on a life of it's own, using verses from the Bible as springboards into his head. Not a religious tract, and certainly not a Jesus album, it's a cycle of lost and found, the beating heart and the downcast eye.

It's a starkly beautiful record of confession, loss, and tiny joy.

The first song, "Romans 10:9", is taken from the new Mountain Goats' record, "The Life of the World to Come". It's our favorite tune on the album. It's impossible to give a full overview of Darnielle's work in a few songs, so for the rest, we selected a couple of our current favorites. Every Mountain Goats fan probably has a list that differs widely.

Sit back and dream.

The Mountain Goats: Romans 10:9 (mp3)

The Mountain Goats: Cubs In 5 (mp3)

The Mountain Goats: Elijah (mp3)

The Mountain Goats: Mess Inside (mp3)

Please support your local, independent goat farmer.

Not All Right

2009-10-13T08:30:00.001-05:00

Continuing our week of "new" stuff.

The new record from Cococoma, "Things Are Not All Right" (on Goner!) arrived at my door last week on pink vinyl. Pink vinyl, god love 'em!

From the mean streets of Chicago, Cococoma is Bill and Lisa Roe with a revolving cast of bassists. What they play is a slobberbone style of our old favorite garage-trash punk. No reinventing the wheel here, but they do it better than anyone else. Sorta like the glory days of New Bomb Turks and the Oblivians, when all other bands sounded like pretenders to the throne, Cococoma takes their sound to dizzying heights of surging organ, caveman stomp drums, and shattered, savage guitar. With Bill Roe's vocals howling and sniping over the proceedings, it's like the second coming of The Stooges. Yeah, really.

Bill and Lisa Roe also run a fledgling record label, Trouble In Mind, which has put out some killer singles over the last few months. Y'all should check it out.

It's rock'n'roll, kids, and I like it!

From vinyl, suckas!

Cococoma: It Won't Be Long (mp3)

Cococoma: I Swear (mp3)

Cococoma: Keep That Volume Down (mp3)

Please support your local, independent emergency room attendants.

Big Day Coming

2009-10-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

We're realizing more and more how hard it is to post something that hasn't been covered ad nauseum somewhere else. So many other websites, so many other specialized websites. We're not a "full album" site, and we're not a "breaking news" site. We're just a guy with a computer who sees too many shows and has too many albums. There's no point in trying to compete, and we've been doing this a very long time in "blogger years", whatever that is. Our first focus round these parts was Country, with a little Blues and Garage/Trash/Rawk'n'Roll thrown into the mix. Our bread and butter, then. We've seen a ton of sites spring up over the years that cover these things, to varying degrees of longevity and effectiveness. And yet, here we are, still. We've been excited by a variety of new releases over the years, and this year is no exception. We still feel that there's a wealth of great "old" music that's worth exploring. And the Deep Blues Fest that we keep rambling on and on and on about has rejuvenated our love of the Blues in all it's mutations.

We think there's more to say, and more to post. We'd like to believe we at least offer a hint of context in a world of quick-grab gratification and PR "one-sheet" cut and pasting. So, we soldier on, we'll be here. No crisis of purpose, just an evaluation of what we represent.

I think over the next couple of weeks, we're gonna focus on them what brought us to the dance, returning our focus mainly to the Country and Western and Deep Blues music. We'll still throw in the ramdom trash-fest, Six pack vinyl love, and whatnot, of course. And, naturally, y'all can't miss our annual Xmas extravaganza. But first, and first and first...

All that said, this week we're gonna go daily with a batch of new releases that we think are super-neato. Let's get on with it then.

Yo La Tengo have a new record out, "Popular Songs" on Matador.

In our humble estimation Yo La Tengo are a national treasure. The duo of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley (with James McNew becoming an essential member back in the 90's) have been very quietly making masterpiece after masterpiece for almost 25 years. A perennial "indie" band that has arguably done more to legitimize the "movement" (whatever that is) than any other band labeled as such, Yo La Tengo craft symphonies of sound and silence, from the delicacy of strummed ruminations to the ragged sheets of guitar-distorted rev and drone. When folks point to a certain Liverpool band as the beginning and end of great music, we've been know to point to Yo La Tengo as an example of the continuing evolution of the pop'n'rock now, a band forging it's own singular hum in the back of the head, un-beholden to, yet fully appreciative of, the wealth of tumbled tune, tone, and tempo that tapestries a history told through tape'n'wax'n'plastic'n'oral tradition.

Singer/Guitarist Ira Kaplan can be the most nimble of guitarists, on par with Dean Wareham. Or he can take Neil Young on a race down the electric shredded highway. Sometimes in the same song. His voice, from a shout to a whisper, works best in conjunction with drummer Georgia Hubley's, the two of them intertwining the smallness of time, the carefully observed and fretfully fraught moments in between life lived. Hubley, when she takes the mic solo, could be mistakenly referred to as a modern-day Mo Tucker, if it weren't for the fact that her gorgeous and plaintive voice soars over the proceedings. Hers is the integral voice, both written and sung, to Yo La Tengo's sound, the ground and the angel. Oh, and she kicks your ass as a drummer. And then there's their adopted son, bassist James McNew (I may have made that up), a solo musician in his own right, who acts as foil and everyman, the link between Ira and Georgia, both musically and in presence. He's the throb in the heartbeat of the band. And he tells the best jokes. Really, I've seen them a dozen times, and he actually does have the best jokes. That's important.

Yo La Tengo's records veer stylistically from song to song, displaying their encyclopedic knowledge of the world of sound, but each individual tune serves the greater purpose of each album, pulling and tugging the strings of expectation, taking you on a journey through morning to morning, all points between, the stuff of life.

The following is not a Yo La Tengo "greatest hits", otherwise we would have started the proceedings with "From A Motel Six" (which you need). It's a selection of some of their more sublime moments, songs captured in the dappled land of twilight and Autumnal reverie. The band can kick some seriously fuzzy distorted ravers, but for our purposes today, we want to highlight the quieter moments, the interplay between Ira and Georgia (and James) at their most intimate. We'll start with a track off their new record, "Popular Songs" and stretch back to "Painful" (in no particular order). We're leaving out representatives from some of their earlier albums, which are equally great, but, well, that's just how it goes.

Yo La Tengo: I'm On My Way (mp3)

Yo La Tengo: Autumn Sweater (mp3)

Yo La Tengo: Big Day Coming (mp3)

Yo La Tengo: Our Way To Fall (mp3)

Yo La Tengo: The Hour Grows Late (mp3)

Yo La Tengo: I Feel Like Going Home (mp3)

Please support your local Mets fans (too obscure?).

Bring Yo Ass

2009-10-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, so that means Deep Blues Friday, and, folks, you aint nohow gonna wanna miss this one. Trust us. Interview and tunes below.

But first, an announcement that actually pertains to our Deep Blues Friday posts. We are currently working on a limited edition Big Rock Candy Mountain t-shirt. Design will be up shortly, in plenty of time for the Holidays, and will be available at a very special discount for folks who have supported (by buying a record or checking out a show) any of the bands we've covered or will cover on our Deep Blues Thursday/Friday posts. More info to come, of course, so save your receipts, kids!

How exciting is that?

Now then, a little something about Left Lane Cruiser. They fuckin' rawk, and that aint no shoutin' at the wind.

A two-man groop, Left Lane Cruiser kicks up a howling fuzz of dirt road holler, a hard-scrabble blues-punk blast created by messrs. Freddy J IV (Guitar, Vocals) and Brenn "Sausage Paw" Beck (Drums, Trash, Hollerin'), straight outta Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Somethin' aint right with these boys, and that's good. Mmmm mmmm good.

Somewhere there's a world where Left Lane Cruiser is blasting out of every '72 Chevy Nova and broke-ass VW van, the road a bleared smudge in the rear view mirror. Drums that burn down bridges full of oil and fire, a guitar fucked into submission with god shining his face across six strings of hillstomptrash skull-fuckery. Above it all a voice all cracker-ass kick and wail..."feed me, baby, and I'm yours".

It's filthy Delta swamp debris,washed ashore and hitchhiking it's way to the heart of last night's ramble.

But enough of what I have to say. Brenn from Left Lane Cruiser was kind enough to respond to an interview request, and here's what he has to say:

A Deep Blues Friday Interview With Left Lane Cruiser (In which we discuss pork'n'beans, and slabs of wax)

1. First things first, and most generically, tell us who you are, why you are, and what you do. Where are you from, and why are you from there?

We are Left Lane Cruiser from Fort Wayne, In. I was born and raised here, and Joe is from Michigan. He moved all over the place, and finally settled here with his wife about 10 years ago. I knew his wife from high school, we kept in touch. She told me her boyfriend played a mean guitar, and that we needed to get together. So we did. First time the two of us met was really our first band practice. We wrote a song that day, and just kept getting together. Eventually we became good enough friends to ride thousands of miles in a van together, and then here we are now.

2. Two-man bands have been around since cavemen first picked up sticks and rocks, but they seem to be more prevalent these days. Are there more or less challenges to playing in a 2-piece?

Both really. With 2 guys the traveling is easier, the money split is better, and there is a lot less drama. But at the same time, with only 2 people, your level of creativity has to be high. It takes a lot sometimes to fill the space. With people tuning their guitars down, and drummers expanding to other instruments, I think people are realizing how much fun a two-piece can really be.

3. Your music is a glorious mix of Hill Blues, Hillbilly, and Trash/Punk, least ways to these ears. How did you come to this style? Is any one form of music more influential to y'all, or is it the whole spectrum that hums in yr ears and through you?

When we first started playin, we were pretty straight ahead Hill Country Blues (Fat Possum style). But Joe and I have always been rockers. I have a tendency to beat the ever living shit out of the drums, and Joe loves the distortion. So as we started to really find our sound, I think we just got more comfortable with our natural playing, and adapted our styles to the songs we were writing. Joe grew up on a lot of Classic Rock, particularly ACDC and ZZ Top. I have always liked classic rock, but deep down been drawn to something a little heavier…Clutch being a huge influence. We also both discovered Fat Possum around the same time, and knew that that was the sound we had been trying to find for a long time. We have never been afraid to wear our influences on our sleeves. We consider it paying tribute to the people that have made us what we are today.

4. Have you ever "hollered goat"?

We aint no holler back boys.

5. What is the "significance" of pork 'n' beans, and why is it so goddamn good?

Joe is a vegetarian, and his mother in law doesn’t cater well to this. Every time she cooks dinner, Joe is stuck eatin' Pork and Beans. Plus it is a good cheap road food. If ya listen close to the lyrics, you will discover that about 90% of our songs are about food. We love to eat….just look at my belly.

6. We spoke briefly, when I last saw you, about the importance of vinyl records. Do you feel that Left Lane Cruiser sounds better on a big ol' platter of wax, or does it matter as long as folks are listening? What is the optimal way to hear Left Lane Cruiser?

Shit, everything sounds better on vinyl. I would love it if everybody listening to us was spinning it on vinyl, but that just aint the case. As long as their listenin, we don’t care if its cd, vinyl, digital, 8 track , or tape.

7. Cruise control or pedal to the metal?

Cruise control….gotta save gas. We're broke brother.

8. You rocked the Deep Blues Festival this past summer. How did you come to be involved, and do you have any favorite moments from the Festival?

Ah, Chris fuckin Johnson! We owe that man a lot. Chris found us on myspace a long time ago, and we started an online friendship. One weekend, he made the drive from Wisconsin to Indiana (about 10 hours) and caught one of our shows. He recorded it, and sent it to Alive records for us. Well long story short he got Alive to pick us up. Ever since then, if Chris comes callin, we answer. He has brought us up to Minneapolis a number of times, including DBF. Everytime has been amazing for us. DBF is like a big family reunion for us every year.
Most memorable moments would be meeting our now good friends The Black Diamond Heavies for the first time. Seeing those guys play the first time really gave us a lot to strive for. Also, this year I broke my hand about 5 songs into the set. It hurt like hell, so that was pretty memorable.

9. Which deity blesses Left Lane Cruiser (god, satan, Bacchus, Eros, etc.)?

I think the deity that is The Black Diamond Heavies is the one that overlooks our sins.

10. You've got a new record out, "All You Can Eat". Tell us about it. Is it edible?

I wouldn’t recommend eatin it, but I sure as hell would recommend pickin it up. We put a lot into this album, and we really proud of the finished product. We have started to evolve into a slightly new direction, one that puts us out there a little more. We opened up and let a little bit of our anger and frustrations out on this one. Also, we had legendary producer Jim Diamond in our corner for this one, and he really found the sound that we were looking for.

11. What's next for Left Lane Cruiser?

Definitely a lot of touring. We have always enjoyed hittin the road, so you can expect a lot of that this year. Otherwise, I don't know, I guess whatever comes our way.

Thanks Brenn, and if that's not enough, check out these tunes, pulled from their three records, All You Can Eat, Bring Yo Ass To The Table, and Gettin' Down On It. Every goddamned song by the band will send your hips a-swivellin' and yr fists a-pumpin' fuck yeah! Take a drive with this shit bouncing our yr wound-down window and yr the talk of the neighborhood.

The new album, All You Can Eat, is out now on Alive Records.

Left Lane Cruiser: Ol' Fashioned (mp3)

Left Lane Cruiser: Crackalacka (mp3)

Left Lane Cruiser: Pork'n'Beans (mp3)

Left Lane Cruiser: Truck Song (mp3)

Please support yr local independent cb caller and left lane speed demon.

Lonely Night

2009-10-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Howdy neighbor!

Switchin' things up round here. Instead of Deep Blues Thursdays, we're gonna change it Deep Blues Fridays. Yup, a significant and world-rattling change. Just figgered Friday was a better day to give everyone the whole weekend to get to know the artist. So, there you are.

As ever, we wouldn't be doing this without the influence of Chris from the Deep Blues Festival, Rick from The Real Deep Blues, and the cats from Nine Bullets. All praise to them for keeping the flame alive.

Today's Deep Blues feature is a feller the aforementioned Chris from the Deep Blues Fest turned us on to. Serious Sam Barrett comes from the other side of the pond from our own little corner of the globe, but he's got the soul of Mississippi blues-man. Bringing a punk attitude/DIY aesthetic to a table set by tradition and "hard times come again no more", Barrett melds a folk/Blues/punk/English/Celtic melange of influences into a singular vision, wide-eyed and hardened.

Barrett's guitar work is transcendent and his voice evokes a time of whiskey and lager in equal measure, a timeless jig
n'jag along the confluence of the Mississippi and the Thames. His lyrics are older than the mud we toil and more relevant than tomorrow's news.

Barrett's part of a collective label, YaDig? , which is putting out some seriously great stuff. Y'all should check it out.

But enough of my blathering. Serious Sam Barrett was kind enough to do a short email interview with us. Everything you need to know is below.

A Serious Sam Barrett Interview (in which we take a skateboard from Leeds to Natchez)

1. First off, tell us who you are, where you're from, and what you do.

I’m Sam Barrett, I’m from Yorkshire in the North of England. I write songs and sing traditional songs too.

2. Your songs present an interesting amalgamation of traditional English/Celtic folk mixed with a Mississippi Blues influence. Tell us how you came to this approach, and how do these seemingly disparate styles work together in such a successful way.

I was brought up in a house where traditional music as well as blues and Rock n Roll were being played constantly. All the influences in my songs come from music my parents introduced me to. Traditional Irish, Scottish, American and English music all have a big influence on what I do. Rock n’ Roll is a big part of me and Blues was the first music I truly fell in love with. I don’t know how successful I am at bringing all these things together but I’m trying my best.

3. There is also a strain of punk/DIY aesthetic to your work. This seems to carry from your work with the co-op label you're part of, YaDig? Records. Tell us about this record label/collective and your role within it.

I’ve been into punk music since the age of about 14 when I first started getting into skateboarding and stuff. I’m not preachy about the whole DIY thing but basically if me and the other people who are involved didn’t do the label then I can’t see who else would document the Yorkshire folk scene in a way that I’d be happy with. It’s just about putting music out there and doing it in a way that we all feel represents what the music is truly about. We are trying to keep everything in-house as far as possible. My friend has screen printed all the covers for my record in the basement of our house, we have our own in-house designers, sound engineers and someone who is doing great artwork for us too. It’s basically a bunch of friends coming together to document great music. At the moment we are concentrating our output on the Yorkshire folk/roots blues scene but we don’t want to limit ourselves too much either.

4. We're struck by your guitar method, which, to our ears, has a "travelling'" quality to it. Tell our readers about your guitars, and your approach to musical composition.

I really only play one guitar nowadays and that’s the Stella 12 string I bought in Jackson Tennessee 3 years ago. That guitar changed my life and made me play much better. I find writing songs really hard but all my songs are based on an idea that comes to me quickly, usually one line or riff that comes into my head will form the basis of a whole song. If I spent too long trying to put a song together it usually starts to sound bad.

5. Does your lyrical sensibility come from personal experience? Or is it "observed" and/or pulled from a long tradition of dialectical tropes?

All the lyrics I write are about my life and my experiences but the way I put it all into a song is definitely influenced by all the records I have spend my life being obsessed with. I write about things that I really care about. Otherwise there isn’t really much point. I’ve written a lot of songs about heartbreak, one about the place I grew up in and one about people that come to gigs just to show off their clothes. More recently I’ve gone back to heartbreak.

6. The British Isles have a reputation for an appreciation of the Blues/Country/Folk traditions that extends beyond the United State's tendency to compartmentalize these "styles/genres" into outlying rural phenomenons. Do you think this is true? And if so, why? And if not, why not?

I think there are a lot of people in the UK and Ireland who are totally fascinated with American music. I am definitely one of them. If you are a bit of a dreamer American records are perfect for you. There’s just something exiting and real and full of life about American music that is really mind-blowing if you are brought up over here.

7. How "Serious" are you? What are you serious about?

I have been a skateboarder since about 1995 and that was a nickname I got from other skaters. When I was younger I used to turn up to the skate parks and look really serious. The name just stuck. I am very very serious about my music and about other important things like racism and poverty but I also talk a lot of crap and joke around a lot of the time.

8. Where are your favorite places to play? Tell us about your ideal live performance experience.

There is a great pub in Leeds called the Grove. It has a great folk club that been running for probably 30 years or so. That’s a great place to play. I like playing anywhere where people are there for the music and to enjoy hearing songs and singing along.

9. Drink of choice?

I love bitters from Yorkshire especially the ones from the Yorkshire Dales but I’m very partial to a good Bourbon. I’ve also sunk a lot of cans of Coors in my time.

10. What's next? Tour? More recording? Etc. How can we hear more about Serious Sam Barrett?

The next things for YaDig? is a sampler that will feature the best roots/folk artist from Leeds and West Yorkshire. Also we will be putting out a record by Tom Attah who is a mindblowing UK blues artist. He’s making a massive impact right now and worth looking out for. We have a UK YaDig? Tour in the pipeline and I’m working on coming out to play South By Southwest next year. The best thing is for people to go to www.myspace.com/sambarrett also check out the YaDig? Records blog for events and new releases. www.yadigrecords.blogspot.com Thanks.

The Female Drummer

You can hear more of Barrett's songs here. We'd like to particularly recommend the song "Lullaby of Leeds"

If you can, send some dough Barrett's way for his excellent new CD, "Close To Home". You won't regret it. Hell, we'll give you your money back if you're disappointed. We don't think you will be. But how's that for an offer?

Constant Hitmaker

2009-09-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

Thank god that's over. Summer, that is. We're more of an Autumn. Winter, even. But Summer's just a smeary, bleary blur of heat, sun, and muggy humidity. Good riddance, we say, and realize we're in the vast minority. So be it.

Before we hit up today's musical guest, we have a request. We need to fix up our links to the left, along with an eventual site re-design, and figger we're missing some mighty fine sites, musical or otherwise. Anyone got some recommendations of websites we should be pimpin'? It could be your own, of course, or someone you're following. Let us know, and we'll get it up.

Now we got a feller who we think is super duper, and perfect for an Autumn afternoon.

Kurt Vile (yes, it's a pun) is a slightly cracked egg, at least on wax (we don't know him personally). He plays in a band called The War On Drugs, which is a fine band, but not our concern for today's post. We're interested in Vile's fascinating solo work.

We don't know much about Vile, really. We've got four records by the man, all released within the last 12 months, and each one a tiny bedsit jewel of strummed melancholy, looped languidness, chug-a-lug ramble, urban psych, and keen lyrical observation. He's called "Philly's Constant Hitmaker", for what it's worth.

Vile takes the pre-supposed nature of the bedroom auteur and transforms it into something revelatory, stripping away the self-involved excess and creating, nay, crafting records full of the richness of the everyman. More tuneful and accessible than Jandek, less bombast than Neil Young and somewhere in between the twilight and the morning.

Sensory reflection, then, a spillage of foilage with darkness at the edge of town, and the drop the needle, the intake of breath and a hiss of tape, a voice in the void of summer speeding and winter hibernation, a warm drink taken bitter and sweet.

The following songs were taken from, in order, his brand spankin' new record "Childish Prodigy", his previous long player "Constant Hitmaker", the limited vinyl "God Is Saying This To You" LP, and the EP "Hunchback". Check 'em all out!

Perfect music for watching the leaves change and the evening comin' on.

Kurt Vile: Freak Train(mp3)

Kurt Vile: Freeway(mp3)

Kurt Vile: My Sympathy(mp3)

Kurt Vile: Good Lookin' Out(mp3)

Please support your local, independent Cider vendor.

Six Pack None The Richer

2009-09-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Took a short break, but we're back again. Honestly we have no idea how folks find the time to post every day.

We're waiting on permissions for our next couple of posts, so what better way to bide our time, and entertain you, our blessed readers, than with another installment in our world-renowned Six Pack Series! Six fantabulous tracks pulled randomly, or not so much,from our bulging collection of vinyl long and short players! No edits, no noise reduction or fiddlin' of any sort. Just music the way the good lord intended. We might even throw in some pops and crackles as a bonus!

First up is the infamous Michael Hurley with a filthy little ode to...well, you can guess. It's off his classic record, "Armchair Boogie", recently re-issued on vinyl by our fave rave record label, Mississippi Records. After that, we've got a hoedown from the Willis Brothers, replete with Mariachi horns, by gum. And just when think it can't get any better, we've got a slice deep greasy god-lovin'funk from the record Good God! put out by The Numero Group.

At the halfway point, we've got Mr. Gorie/Dirtbomb Mick Collin's one-off The King Sound Quartet weighing in with a menacing little tune off their record "The Get-Down Imperative" on In The Red. We couldn't follow that up any better than with Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet with a Texas-style hillbilly ode to life in the big, big city, pulled from their record "Mendocino", which should be an essential record in any music fan's collection.

We couldn't finish this up any better than with a tune from one-man-crackpot-band extraordinaire, Abner Jay. We pulled the song "I'm So Depressed" from the album "The True Story of Abner Jay" put out by...wait for it...Mississippi Records. Yeah, there's two tracks from records by them. Deal with it, they're the best label around, swear to god.

All songs are arranged in a mix-tapers order, and their placement in no way reflects any attempt to order the songs in terms of importance or quality. Check 'em all out!

Michael Hurley: Open Up (Eternal Lips) (mp3)

Willis Brothers: Bob (mp3)

LaVice and Company: Thoughs (sic) Were The Days (mp3)

King Sound Quartet: I Wouldn't Put It Past You (mp3)

Sir Douglas Quintet: Lawd I'm Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City (mp3)

Abner Jay: I'm So Depressed (mp3)

Please support your local, independent anything.

Odelay

2009-09-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

First thing y'all should do is check out Barstool Mountain for our post about our namesake. Is it essential reading/listening? Yep. But we're precocious that way.

And then, and then, and then, a new band for all y'all to check out. Interview to follow below.

Dixie Whiskey were kind enough to send us a link to their new record, and we think it's one of the best honky tonk records of the year. All y'all who, like us, lament the slow erosion of great Outlaw Country in favor of safe, mass-produced pap we hear on the radio these days, Dixie Whiskey are your salvation. Perfectly distilled.

Dixie Whiskey are dangerous. Their songs will lay you out flat on the hardwood floor with an aggressive hoe-down choog'n'stomp, then break your heart with a lonesome keen, all back porch lonesome me.

From their press release:

"There’s a growing phenomenon ruining dive bars across the United States. This problem is that the jukeboxes are running dry of great drinking songs, while metrosexual pop music is finding its way into filthy saloons. On their self-titled release, the boys Dixie Whiskey intend on being the brown jug remedy to the bar-room predicament."

Amen.

Band member Jon Decious was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

1. First off, tell our readers who you are, where you come from and where you're going. What do you sound like?

Howdy all, this is Jon Decious from Dixie Whiskey. We're a country-ish rock-ish band from Nashville that's only going as far as folks that hear us let us go.

2. You mention Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers as influences. Given that Gram and the boys were bringing Country to a rock audience, do you feel that you are continuing their mission? With "alt-country" (whatever the hell that ever was) slipping into blandness, and pop Country losing all traces of its roots, do you feel the time is right for artists such yourselves and folks like James Hand and Hayes Carll to take back the Honky Tonk to its rightful relevance?

I've never felt like we were "attempting" to carry forth any mission of Gram's but, when I take a step back and look at our band for what it is maybe that's exactly what we're doing. If folks like Hand, Carll, and ourselves can pump air back into the flat tires of honky tonk music, so much the better. Whether that time is now or not, I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.

3. On a related note, tell us about the current Nashville scene. Do you find receptive audiences at your shows? What are the bars one should hit to see y'all play?

The Nashville circuit is a tough one to tackle. With so many bands in one town, I guess it's not hard to see why. We've been pretty fortunate, though. We're a pretty new band and have been able to draw good crowds on a regular basis at bars like; the 5 Spot, the End, FooBar, and a little joint outside of town called the Pond.

4. Did you really sell your soul to the Honky Tonk? And if so, who is the patron saint/demon of Honky Tonks?

I, and fellow Dixie Whiskey-ers Dillon Napier and Bob Ferrari, came damn close a few years ago. The patron was some white girl named Jack that we couldn't out-run for the life of us.

5. Dean Dillon is a hell of a songwriter and singer. How did you get him to guest on your record?

I'm actually a farmhand at Tenorado Ranch, which is Dean's farm. Crazy story, if you can indulge me. The day I started working for Dean, cleaning out the barn, when I stumbled across this demo tape. I begrudgingly put it back because I know how some folks get about worktape demos. Well, 'bout 2 weeks later, curiosity killed my cat, and I took it home and listened to it. Fell in love with this tune called, "Some Days It Takes All Night". A week later I asked if we could cut it as a duet and he said, "Hell yeah! Let's fire it up!". That's the short story of how it went down.

6. On your record, "Dixie Whiskey", you mix back porch, autumnal ruminations (most strikingly on "Odelay", and "Welcome Home, Kentucky") with rowdy, honky tonk bootstompers like "Ride With the Devil" and "This Barstool's My Tombstone". How do you approach such varying styles, or do you feel that there's no variance,and it's all part of the organic whole? In other words, tell us about y'all's approach to songwriting both lyrically and musically.

Our songwriting style involves everyone in the band in one way or another. For instance, Dillon and I will generally write the songs and make a guitar/vocal worktape of them and then give the songs to the other fellas. If everyone loves it, we'll keep it, if they don't, we scrap it. On this record, we'd written a song with a riff that Bob really dug, but didn't like the song. He said, "Ya'll go back and write a song around that riff." So the next day Dillon and I sat down and wrote "Wheels On The Wind", which is a song that made the record. Lyrically, I honestly have no idea how some songs come out. Dillon and I will knock things back and forth til we like how it sounds. Sometimes it makes a whole lotta' sense and other times it doesn't. We try to record the ones that DO make sense! haha

7. What is a "dixie whiskey", and will we go blind if we drink it? Is it similar to a, ahem, "whiskey dixie"?

I read that a 'dixie whiskey' is a mixed drink. I couldn't tell ya what's in it, nor can I confirm whether or not it'll make you go blind. I'm not sure what a 'whiskey dixie' is either. They'll probably both kill you eventually.

8. You're on the road at 3 in the morning, and all you have is the radio. AM or FM on the dial?

At 3 am I'm more likely to turn the AM dials. It's a strange feeling to be up at 3 am driving through the middle of nowhere. When I'm feeling faded from a long day or still got a good buzz goin' on, nothing makes for a better soundtrack than "Coast To Coast" or some static-y music from the 1930's.

9. Speaking of being on the road, and as a transition to the next question, what can one expect from a Dixie Whiskey show? How different are the band live versus on CD/Record?

We're gonna make you feel at home and we're gonna give you your hard-earned money's worth. For instance, at our recent cd release show, we greeted everyone at the door with a free cd and, just before our set, we bought everyone in the crowd a shot of whiskey. We barely broke even after the tab that night, but I feel like everyone there knew how much we appreciated them coming out and watching us sing. That's hard to get across in a song, so I 'spose that's how the live show is different.

10. What's next for Dixie Whiskey? Tour? More recording? What does the future hold?

Like I said at the top, we'll go as far as the folks listening will let us go. If they want us to tour or record more, they'll let us know.

Thanks to Dixie Whiskey for answering a few of our questions. If you're interested in the band, and if you're a fan of what we post here, you should be, you can actually download the full album at this here site, free and legally! How's that for a bargain? If you like what you hear, either here or at the aforementioned site, please consider supporting the band on their upcoming tour or by word of mouth. Just sayin'!

The following are two of our favorite tracks from the new rekkid. Don't take our word for it...check 'em out yrselves!

Whiskey Dixie: This Barstool's My Tombstone (mp3)

Whiskey Dixie: Odelay (mp3)

Please support yr local, independent, beer swillin' honky tonk!

My Own Kick

2009-09-02T08:08:00.000-05:00

Here we go.

'Round these here parts we've got a little beatnik, bop-a-billy hoedown courtesy of Ronnie Self.

Coming from farming and railroadin' stock, Self displays a rebellious quality in his music, both against authority and against the conventions of so-called "common' or "small" life. His music is restless and wild, untamed to the point of punk-precedence, but wrapped in a hybrid Country, rockabilly, R&B, goin' nowhere, man, surge of desperation and rhythmic menace. One is almost forced to see a touch of Hasil Adkins(or, more appropriately, vice versa) in Self's style, hiccuped backwoods drawl forced into a strumming wild man on the loose.

To avoid repetition, we would very highly recommend checking out his bio over at Rockabilly Hall for a well-done overview of Self's life. Cat led an interesting life.

Some speculation exists as to why Self didn't make the big time in his lifetime, but we're,frankly, not surprised as sadly sad we must acknowledge that some visionaries can only be recognized in context and as a full body, And Self was a visionary, if only in that the sounds in his head, forced out through booze-fueled blasts of Honky scrawl, presaged an outlaw approach, years away and shaped in different tones of beer tavern tumble.

Two observations, then.

First, it would be be irresponsible of us not to note a similarity between Self and Roger Miller, a least in terms of vocal delivery, with their rapid-fire, trailer-beat, stung-out brand of hipster stream-of-consciousness. I wouldn't like to speculate if there was any influence one way or the other, but if you like Roger Miller, than Ronnie Self is right up your alley.

Second, Ronnie Self is probably more relevant today than he was in his lifetime. As our ears demand a more distinctive voice over time, Self's brand of hillbilly boogie junk seem revelatory, out of time and place and waiting for a new generation to discover. Maybe we're the ones.

We'd recommend any damn song by Ronnie Self, but we'll try to limit ourselves to four, since we're not one of those "full album" sites. "My Own Kick Going" is a frequent visitor in our ever-changing "top ten fave rave songs of all time". It's about a groover, man. "Go Go the Cannibal" is a trash rock masterpiece, well before it's time, and the Cramps and Hasil Adkins would have been proud to call this their own (maybe they have, I dunno). "About Cured" is the closest kin to Roger Miller, but it's got it's own twisted hillybilly bomp, and damn we love this song. And "Here Comes Authority" is big ol' fuck ya to the man. Amen.

Sing along! "The boat's on the river, the train's on the track, an' I'm without you, I guess you aint comin' back..."

Ronnie Self: My Own Kick Going (mp3)

Ronnie Self: Go Go The Cannibal (mp3)

Ronnie Self: About Cured (mp3)

Ronnie Self: Here Comes Authority (mp3)

While it's super keen that the world-wide internets, and it's system of tubes and wires provide us with a wealth of free music, please consider visiting your local, independent record store for some kick ass records you may or may not have heard.

Keep Ta Boogie

2009-08-27T08:30:00.006-05:00

Well, if it's Thursday, it must be Deep Blues Thursday, where we strip away the glossy sheen and wankery of soccer mom blues and give you a shot of hot swamp-stringed, mud-crusted Blues goodness.

As ever, this wouldn't exist without the loving hand of The Deep Blues Festival. Keep yr ears and eyes peeled for more info on that venture.

Today we've got the legendary Illinois John Fever. Why legendary? Well that's for you to determine when you check out the interview and tunes to follow. Oh, and they played with a feller you all know and love in a moment us non-Mississippians will rarely if ever experience again. Read on for more info on that.

Illinois John Fever play a kickin'n'stompin' brand of Hill Country Blues, all rhythm and loose-string, dead fish thwacked trap kit howl, whiskey soaked and soul saturated. We really dug these cats in the two instances we got to check 'out. They're a band you're gonna hear more about in the coming days, guaranteed.

So.

Is there really a guy named Illinois John Fever? Can a man walk a crossroads without eating with a fork? What does Pussy Galore have to do with all this? Read on, dear reader, read on.

1. First off, tell us about yourselves. Who are you?

Lute Tucker and Bobber Hall started playing together in August of ’06 and brought Dustin Busch in last February. We play pre-electric/post-punk blues but playing all-acoustic is what sonically sets us apart from most acts, blues or otherwise. You could call it apocalypse blues, given its perverse meditations, but as for the mythology...well, we’ll let John get to that in a minute.

2. At the Deep Blues Festival, you were part of an iconic moment, providing guitar backing and rhythmic flourishes to an impromptu performance by T-Model Ford. Tell us about that moment. How did it come to pass?

It's easier bringing the music to the people than it is bringing the people out to the music. We also recognize the roots of this music come from casual settings—from the field, the porch, the afternoon picnic, from the tobacco barn, the living room, the street, etc.—and the importance of experiencing the music that way removes the imaginary line between performers and observers, encouraging the spontaneity of the moment for everybody. So we work hard staying versatile, playing everywhere between the club and the couch, and we came to Deep Blues ready to play as often as we could, wherever we were. That said, the first night was winding down and we'd grabbed our gear to busk in front of the Cabooze, but the manager put us in the beer garden instead. As for T-Model coming to check us out and then asking for a guitar, we were just doing our thing in the right place at the right time, and we're grateful he took us along for the ride. And there's a whole line of people to thank for setting that all up, starting with Chris Johnson. In a larger context, we all experience the inevitability of tradition—that the torches will pass onto those willing to bear them—and that this is really what Chris set into motion by creating the Deep Blues Festival, and in bring all of us together. That man is making history-in-action, you just watch.

3. You're based out of Iowa City. Whence comes the name "Illinois" John Fever. Who is John Fever? Are you feeling ill?

For the record, none of us goes by John Fever. He’s an archetype, a spirit conjured up. His real name is John McKinney, and we make space for him the way some folks set a place for Elijah, which is an appropriate comparison. As for the ILLINOIS, Lute Tucker earned that growing up in Chicago. But we use it in the tradition of setting bluesmen apart—not through personal nicknames but as regionally distinguished remarks in recording catalogs. So in his full suit, ILLINOIS JOHN FEVER reminds us that we aren’t authors of anything, that we are just transmitters of certain ideas, mere observers of the music.

4. Where do you draw inspiration? Who are your influences?

Scenes of carnage and fiery revolt are a good place to start. Severed fingers marked with voters’ ink. We celebrate just about anyone righteously standing up in the face of violence. We embrace the totality of the world despite being infinite souls trapped in limited bodies. We listen to a lot of Fred McDowell, Booker White, and Willie McTell, but we’ll listen to everything. This very moment, it’s the Pussy River Bawlers. We like John Jackson and stuff out of Virginia, and Georgia. “Monologue on Accidents” is a vibrant recording of John Lomax grilling Willie McTell on whether he’s ever recorded any “complaining songs.” At Parchman Farm, Lomax’s son Alan recorded D.W. ’Bama Stuart singing “I’m Going Home.” We’re struck by these. But we also love Funkadelic, Royal Trux, Violent Femmes, Big Black, and any afrofunk. Lute Tucker suggests everybody read anything by Chester Himes. Our favorite movie is REPO MAN, and we think sushi is delicious.

5. You're all relatively young, at least so far as Blues musicians go. Some would argue that you have to have lived a "full" life, whatever that means, to really understand the Blues. Do you feel that this is true, or do you find a universal in the form that can appeal along a broad spectrum of ages and experience?

Understanding the blues is about understanding human emotion. And it’s not so much having experienced one thing or another, but how you respond to the world as it presents itself. With the blues, this becomes personal expression. There’s other details—technical proficiency, adept lyrics, bad-ass street cred. But as with most matters of survival, the ability to respond to the on-going situation is most important. Playing live therefore becomes a living metaphor, and we can appreciate that as well as anybody.

6. How did you come to be involved in the Deep Blues Festival? What are your fondest memories of the Fest?

Friends attended the first year and we were lucky that Chris Johnson asked us to play the next. But we were especially happy returning in 2009—the deal with T-Model was a total cosmic fluke and it set us up for the best weekend of our lives. The highlight was playing outside the hotel Saturday night, jumping into a great big river of sound with seven-plus guitars, one dobro, multiple percussionists, multiple folks blowing harp, an old National getting played, and then Gabe wandering up barefoot and in his jammies, stomping clapping and hollering. Folks came from all over the world to engage in that moment, and that exchange of ideas is an important part of the music we appreciate and play.

7. What kind of audience do you hope to draw? What will it take to bring your brand of Blues to the masses?

Hippies with trust funds. As for the masses, David Geffen would have to put the $15-million on that horse.

8. What is the band's drink of choice?

In order of volumes consumed: water, coffee, PBR, any proper whiskey.

9. How many roads must a man walk down? And which roads should he take? Is there really a crossroads, or is it just a fork in the road?

There are as many crossroads as you are able to recognize. Our only problem on the road is our inability to recognize the multiplicity of the crossroads.

10. What's next for Illinois John Fever? Record? Tour? Pimp yourselves here.

We’ve always been writing new songs, and adding Dustin to our lineup has only increased that potential. And while the plan had been to record our first album, we’ve mostly been working on the new material. So that’s the new plan: write more songs, record more songs. But most important we’d like to keep making connections with like-minded folks supporting the kind of music we enjoy. You are a good example of such folks, and thanks for having us aboard.

The following tunes are from their cd "Our Own Pirated Idaho", which you can beg or plead for from the band at their website.

Illinois John Fever: Keep Ta Boogie If Ye Like (mp3)

Illinois John Fever: West Coast Blues (mp3)

Illinois John Fever: Wonderland Boogie (mp3)

Support your local rawk, man. It's better than a stadium.

Sixual Healing

2009-08-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ooops. We missed our Deep Blues Thursday post. The fault is entirely mine. We'll make it up to you over the next few weeks.

As a reward for your patience, we're gonna offer up another of our world famous 6 Packs for your weekend enjoyment. 6 fantastic tunes pulled from a variety of vinyl rekkid sources, of the 7, 10 or 12 inch persuasion. It's all about the love, baby.

We've got the Box Elders kicking things off with a jaunty organ-drenched number from their brand spanking new record, Alice and Friends. Old friend Dave Dudley checks in next with a swellegant tale of altered consciousness, off the album "One More Mile". Next, imagine if Bobby Dylan were a Scotchguard-huffing laddie lad. That's what you get with The Strange Boys in a tune off their "...And Girls Club" LP. After that Red Sovine wants to send a message, courtesy of "Tell Maude I Slipped". Got a god-fearing and god-loving b-side by the mighty '68 Comeback, from their 7", "Flip, Flop, Fly". And finally, from before rural psych was a hipster's wet dream, there was The Strapping Fieldhands. From their record Discus, a warped little pastoral about...well, you tell us.

Songs are arranged in no order whatsoever, other than some weird internal mix tape obsessing. So check 'em all out, and hand out copies to yr friends.

Box Elders: Death Of Me (mp3)

Dave Dudley: When I Get Back To Normal (mp3)

Strange Boys: This Girl Taught Me A Dance (mp3)

Red Sovine: Tell Maude I Slipped (mp3)

'68 Comeback: He's My Everything (mp3)

Strapping Fieldhands: Boo Hoo Hoo (mp3)

Local. Independent.

Livin' It Up

2009-08-19T08:30:00.001-05:00

Hey Wino's! We've got 5, count 'em, 5 versions of one of the greatest drinking songs ever written over at Barstool Mountain! Just sayin', you know, maybe you might want to check it out.

Now, then, today we come to sing the praises of Lady Dottie and the Diamonds.

I picked up their cd on a whim, and I gotta tell ya, brothers and sisters, I was completely blown away. We're gonna indulge in a little (very deserved) hyperbole here, so brace yourselves.

Forget about the Detroit Cobras and any other half-baked "R'n'B" bar bands with "indie" cred and a singer who thinks she's Laverne Baker, Lady Dottie and the Diamonds are the real deal.

Straight outta San Diego, the Diamonds are a slanky, slinky, sweaty, stoned soul picnic, the Stooges meets the Staple Singers, and all points in between. They're everything you demand from a Rhythm and Blues band borne of the darkest dive, layering on groove upon groove of loud'n'bawdy soul sleaze.

And then there's Lady Dottie herself. This aint no warbly pussy shit you hear called Soul nowadays. Lady Dottie howls, growls and yowls her way through the record, all swagger and deep-husked rapture, the second coming wrapped with in the devil's hand, a voice that makes you want to fuck and say fuck you. A force of deep-Soul grunt and gravel, and truly the best vocal performance we've heard in years. Her voice give us feelings, if you know what I mean.

It's jukejoint music, at the end of the day, the kind of music that swings you low, and moves you up. There's nothing better.

There are mp3's below this, but keep in mind that this is an independent, unsigned (as far as we know) band. If you like what you hear, please consider picking up their record, which you can find here. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds: I Aint Mad At Ya (mp3)

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds: Livin' It Up (mp3)

As ever, and we can't say this enough, please support your local independent record stores and artists. Yr local band could use all the support they can get.

Let Your Light Shine On Me

2009-08-17T08:24:00.000-05:00

Very sad news. Jim Dickinson died this past weekend. He was 68.

What does this mean, exactly, and why should you care?

Well, first off, and most generically, he was the producer for two classic records that all y'all probably own and worship...Third/Sister Lovers by Big Star and Pleased To Meet Me by the Replacements. That alone should make you sit up and take notice, but there's more, so much more, to Mr. Dickinson's career.

As a producer he was behind the boards for such artists as Mudhoney, the recently deceased Willy DeVille, Green on Red, Mojo Nixon, The Replacements, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, T Model Ford, and Lucero, amongst many, many others. As a performer, primarily piano, he featured on such records as the Rolling Stone's "Wild Horses" and Bob Dylan's "Time Out of Mind". He played with Ry Cooder and The Flamin' Groovies. The list goes on and on...

As a performer, Dickinson released a slew of solo albums under his own name and as a member ofMud Boy and the Neutrons, and collaborated with Spectrum on a brilliant Southern Drone record entitled Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis.

Oh, and he has a couple sons, Luther and Cody, who are in a little band called North Mississippi Allstars. You might have heard of 'em...

We're only scratching the surface here, and a google search will give you so much more of Dickinson's contributions to the rocking and rolling.

We never met Mr. Dickinson, never spoke with him or asked him stories about his life and career. We're only left with speculation about a man with whom the heart of Memphis and Southern Soul seemed deeply ingrained. What he brought to his production, to our ears, was a sense of Rock and Soul as a way of life, an innate feel for the rhythms and sounds of the world outside his window, the stuff of life winnowed into a three-minute amalgam of guitar, bass, drums, and a voice crying mercy, mercy me.

We could probably have been hipper and more obscure in our music selection today. But why? Search out Mr. Dickinson, and you'll be rewarded. Today we've got a couple of our favorite songs from his two most "famous" productions. We've got our favorite Mud Boy and Neutrons song, and we've got a track from his aforementioned Spectrum collaboration. Seems, unintentionally, these tunes work to create a farewell of sorts. How about that.

RIP, Jim Dickinson.

Mud Boy and the Neutrons: Let Your Light Shine On Me (mp3)

Replacements: Can't Hardly Wait (mp3)

Big Star: Thank You Friends (mp3)

Jim Dickinson w/Spectrum: 'Til Your Mainline Comes (mp3)

Please support your local, independent records stores. Just seems to be the right thing to do. I dunno.

Omelettes and Whiskey

2009-08-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

All right, you rock'n'roll cats, it's time for another installment in our ongoing Deep Blues Thursdays. If I could only tell you how many great artists we've got lined up with interviews, promos, and general goodness, well...that would be telling. Bate your breath.

Before we hit up today's cover stars, we'd be remiss if we didn't throw out a shout to the mighty Chris Johnson, founder of the Deep Blues Festival, who made all this possible by putting on the best damn festival in the land. He made it possible for us to meet all these cats, and the gift keeps giving.

Today, we've got Boston's finest Deep Punk Blues merchants, The Ten Foot Polecats! Swell mp3's, courtesy of the band, follow the interview.

Guitarist Jim Chilson, besides being a prime ambassador for the Deep Blues movement, and an all-around good guy, was kind enough to answer the interview questions below, and he basically has told you all you need to know about the band and their mission to kick yr sweaty rump out the door and into the street pogo-shimmying the night away. So, I'm just gonna give you a few personal experiences.

I saw the Ten Foot Polecats twice during the Deep Blues Fest, once at the fest and later at an after-show shindig at Palmers, mostly on the recommendation of long-time reader and friend, John From Milwaukee, who joined us at the Fest. Both sets blew our minds. But it was the Palmer's show that really stroked our pole.

Playing the floor, at audience level, in a dank and packed dive bar, the Polecats really showed their swagger. Lead singer Jay Scheffler menaced and prowled the floor, swinging the mic like a wolf (howlin'?), his voice a growl into a wail, all desperation, sex, and booze, chewing of slices of deep south gristle, moaning and cajoling. Jim Chilson attacked his guitar like a man possessed by the spirit of the Delta mud, peeling thick strains of boogie rumble out of his innocent guitar, cranking out a godhead of silt, sand, and salvation. And drummer Dave Darling beat the skins like the ultimate cave man madman, intent on the destruction world through the pounding rhythm of soul. Everything was so in tune with it's surroundings, and the spirit of the moment, that some folks were even moved to hit the floor in abeyance to the power of the gods that moved these three humble men to send grown men to the floor(see the interview below for an "accounting" of the moment, of sorts). Some god moves in mysterious ways and we believe he or she was channeling through The Ten Foot Polecats that night, taking us to a rapture beyond belief.

Oh, and we had the opportunity to hang with the Polecats at various times throughout the weekend, and a nicer bunch of guys you would never hope to meet. That's the sign of great band...they'll give you a sweat-soaked firestorm of a performance, and then they'll have a beer with you afterward. That's what it's all about cats and kittens. That's what it's all about.

Before we hit the interview, we're gonna tell you that our "free" Big Rock Candy Mountain promo for this post will come in a couple of weeks. It's gonna involve their current e.p., Sterno Soup and another special gift for you, the reader. But if you can't wait, and the mp3's aren't enough, contact the band at one of the sites/email addresses listed after the interview and beg them for more. We'll honor your purchase down the line.

Now then...

A Ten Foot Polecats Interview (In which we discuss omelettes and whiskey)

1.First off, give us your generic origin story. Where do you come from? Why are you? Feel free at this point to give the god's honest truth or create your own mythology.

The Ten Foot Polecats are Jay Scheffler (vox and harp), Jim Chilson (Guitar), Dave Darling (Drums). We are three piece band from the Boston Massachusetts that played together previously in another Boston blues band that played more “standard blues songs”.
Considering the previous band we were in did not seem to progress to the type of blues we really wanted to play, and plus we didn’t want to play classic rock covers that the band now wanted to play, we left the band to pursue a more unique and original blues sound that I think we were always itching to do. Jay and I were actually playing in an acoustic duo that was playing Delta and Hill Country music in a local high end restaurant for about 2 months before we left the previous project. I found it very interesting to play this sometimes cryptic music to people waiting for their Prime Rib or Chocolate Mousse….I found it humorous to sometimes see people finally realize what the lyrics were and look puzzled. Needless to say that didn’t last too long as the restaurant wanted “lighter” material. But after thinking about it we said let’s get Dave to play drums to get a full sound, electrify it, and try this out at venues. After that The Ten Foot Polecats were born.

2. Labels are a pain in the ass, but since we as a society like safe, compartmentalized categories, tell us what kind of music you play. Please feel free to add as many descriptors as you want, or feel free to give us your opinion on musical labels in general.

Basically we play North Mississippi Hill Country Blues (generally) with an aggressive punk attitude. It is interesting you bring up labels because a lot of people who are in this “genre” don’t know what to call it and where it starts and ends. More reasons to why labels on music really blow. I tend to call the style we play, Deep Punk Blues. Why I add in Deep to the title? Mainly because in reference to the style Blues which is more in-line with the original Mississippi & Delta styles rather than Chicago, West Coast, Uptown or whatever blues.

3. You're based out of Boston. Do you find the city receptive to your style, whatever that is? Or do you find a larger fan base outside of the city?

Actually it has really done well in the neighboring city in Massachusetts, Worcester, which seems to have a closer knit music scene. It has done better there than in Boston, but in Boston it has done better than we expected. At first we were doubtful that people in Boston would “get it” as a lot of the blues or blues influenced bands in Boston are of the Chicago Blues, Uptown/Jump Blues, Texas Blues, and Rock Blues. But as it turns out a lot of the real Blues fans have really enjoyed the sound and also we have had more younger fans coming to shows. It seems like we have a cross over audience in the works with the punk-a-billy/psychobilly fans as we have been booked on bills with those type bands, which is really pleasing. We have had more people approach us at shows wondering about the sound and where it comes from, and why we don’t have a bass player and why I play a 5-string guitar, etc……..and we are very happy to tell them all about it.

4. Generic question #2: Who are your influences?

What we like to say is basically anyone that originated from Mississippi. However, to be more specific we are heavily influenced by the North Mississippi Hill Country artists: RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Rober Belfour, Mississippi Fred McDowell, T-Model Ford, along with other artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James, Hound Dog Taylor and so many more. I could go on forever on this one.

5. How did you come to be involved with/play at the Deep Blues Fest? What are your best memories of the Fest?

We became involved through the power of myspace unbelievably enough. A former Massachusetts resident named Stacy De Hart saw us online and said we have to come play the club she was booking for in Cottage Grove, Oregon called “The Axe and Fiddle”. After thinking about it we said, yeah why not? Let’s hit the road! So we booked a show and followed suit with lining up other shows in Seattle, and New Mexico and we made a go of it. From there Stacy turned us on to other contacts in this genre such as Chris Johnson, Rick Saunders, DJ Hill Funk, and others. On thing she said we HAD to do was to apply to play The Deep Blues Festival in Minneapolis. After checking it out it was apparent that it was MUST we either play or be there.
Deep Blues Festival 2009 was incredible, as I told organizer Chris Johnson, it was the best musical experience of my life. Chris is an amazing guy, the way he has helped the “misfit punk blues/country community” has been remarkable but what is even more incredible is the way he treated each and every artist that was playing. It felt like a real family and friend atmosphere. It was our first time playing the festival and before we played we heard about how all the artists would do anything for Chris (and his Deep Blues Staff too) and we can see why! It is really a pleasure working with someone like Chris who wants you to succeed as much as you do. I wish there were a lot more Chris Johnson’s out there, in the music scene and in the world…. truly a special man.
Musically speaking, the highlights were way too many to list, BUT the 3 things that stuck out were T-Model Ford impromptu jam at 2am on the back patio of the adjoining bar where he had command of a lucky audience, which including about 20m musicians hanging on every note. The second memorable highlight was Reverend Dead Eye playing “Fuck The Devil” and then having the sun finally peaking through the storm clouds for the first time of the festival. Seemed like God was giving a big thumbs up saying “that’s right son!”. Third, would be how all the bands were willing to contact each other and help each other get gigs in their areas and from there build a following. In fact we talked with Left Lane Cruiser, Gravel Road, Smokestack and The Foothill Fury, Cashman, CW Ayon, Illinois John Fever and some others about possibly getting them up to the Northeast to play…hopefully we can help out and get the bands some shows in our area, and in turn play in their areas as well.

6. Say you're playing an after-show gig at a bar and you've so moved an individual with your music that they are sprawled face down on the floor pounding their fist in...let's call it ecstasy. This leads to the poor individual being kicked out of the club. Is this a moment of aesthetic pride or just par for the course at most of your gigs?

For some reason this sounds very familiar!

I think it is, and will always be, a sense of pride to accomplish that feat. To drive a person to frenzy is always a joy to watch, it adds to the show…..plus we like to be entertained as well by the audience! Anytime we can get someone to act totally ridiculous then we know we were playing pretty good that night! We encourage it.

7. This may be redundant, based on question number 2, but you seem to bring a punk/garage (again with the damn labels) aspect to the Blues. Do you see this as a trend? Do you feel that the future of Blues, in order to bring in younger listeners, is to pull it into a different context, hook 'em, and then send them running back to the source? Example: Uncle Tupelo sending the kids back to the record shop to check out Hank Williams, et. al.

I do see it as a trend. It’s funny you mention this because it bring me to think of a documentary I was watching one time about Punk Rock, can’t think of the movie name, but Henry Rollins was saying that he never understood why kids that loved punk music never latched on to the old Mississippi Blues artists as the content of their music translates well to Punk. Well, I think we are finally seeing that happen. Even at The Deep Blues Festival you would see an aggressive, more Punk like artist like the High Plane Drifters play RL Burnside songs and then before that you would see a one man band, like CW Ayon, play the same song. So that tells me no matter how you are presenting your music the artists are influenced by similar content and presenting it their own way. So, I think this could be a trend that will hopefully grow even larger on the music scene.

8. Is a cold adult beverage necessary to understanding the Blues, or does understanding the Blues lead one to enjoying a cold adult beverage?

Hmmm…actually a warmer adult beverage (preferably made in Tennessee or Kentucky) would be a quicker way to it. But this is totally a “chicken or the egg” topic, however much more fun with whiskey than with an omellete.

9. What's next for the 'Polecats? Record? Live shows? World domination?

We are playing shows throughout Massachusetts including opening up for Scott Biram on August 4th and are waiting to hear on a North East weekend tour with some Pyschobilly/Punk-a-billy bands that a booking agent what us to be a part of. We might also be playing The Boston Blues Society’s 20th Anniversary Party with some National Act. Still waiting confirmation of that as well. But besides that we play almost weekly at this point, sometimes it is one set of music and sometimes it is three sets.
We are also working on our first full length CD, I am thinking it will be out Late Fall 2009 but we have gotten some interested from some record companies so I am not sure if that will speed up the process or slow it down. Whatever the case may be, we have some new songs in the works and about 9 recorded and mixed as we speak.
World Domination! I like it, but lots of hard work. We would need someone devious enough to lead that charge and form the armies......between the crooked political figures in both Boston & Chicago we could assemble a really devastating army for world domination!!!

If you want to contact, or check out, The Ten Foot Polecats on their upcoming shows, upcoming CD release, or anything beer and whiskey related….. here are the ways to do it

Email: tenfootpolecats@aol.com
http://www.myspace.com/thetenfootpolecats
http://www.reverbnation.com/thetenfootpolecats
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ten-Foot-Polecats/30598614388

Ten Foot Polecats: Chickenhead Man (mp3)

Ten Foot Polecats: Big Road (mp3)

Please support your local, independent, kick-ass band. They're ten times better than any Rotting Stones show yr gonna see.

Psycho

2009-08-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hey, guess what's back? After more than a year we're firing up Barstool Mountain again. Oh yes indeed. Your number-one source for all songs boozy and swank. And, of course, the official home of our Top 100 Drinking Songs from a couple of years ago. Check it out!

With that out of the way, let's check in with a Country'n'Western feller we think is pretty nifty.

Eddie Noack gets a lot of nods from the rockabilly crowd for some reason, probably for his work under the name "Tommy Wood". Don't really see it myself, as he's pretty much a hard floor honkytonker, but to each their own, and anything to spread the word, methinks.

We'll skip most of the ephemera, which you can find easily on the world wide internet series of tubes and wires, and give you a brief overview.

Noack recorded a whole slew of songs for various regional labels (notably, for our purposes at least, Starday and K-Ark) after winning a singing contest in the late '40's. Some of his most notable tunes are "Psycho", "Too Hot To Handle", and "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds". Most of them failed right out of the gate, in some cases due to the "mature" and "unsavory" subject matter. Even after being "rediscovered" and covered by the likes of George Jones, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb and Elvis Costello, Noack never really gained a foothold in the big, big Country world.

And that'd be about the end of it, if not for the glorious obsessiveness of collectors and archivists. There's a wealth of great "old" music out there constantly being compiled from dusty vaults for our listening enjoyment, and Noack has been particularly well-cared for. Good for us.

Having gotten a degree in journalism, you can hear Noack's unique take on the populist lyricism of Country, with a Hank-like simplicity that says more in a phrase than a million contemporary Nashville Hats could wish for in their wettest dreams. But simple aint simple, and Noack delves into a little darkness (at the edge of town) in his songs. Rape, murder, hopelessness, etc. But don't be fooled by his darker side, as he can swing the chandeliers to the floor with a honky tonk stomper worthy of the best of 'em. Twangdrawling through the heartache, love, hopes and dreams of all the days, Noack takes us to the bar, offers us a swallow of a drink both bitter and euphoric, and invites us to dance the day into the morning.

"Psycho" is not Noack's own song, but he takes it, and makes it definitive. It's his most famous tune, so we thought we'd throw it in for a hook. You can't go wrong with any tune by Noack, but the three tunes following "Psycho" are our personal favorites (but only because we had to limit ourselves. Enjoy.

Eddie Noack: Psycho (mp3)

Eddie Noack: Relief Is Just A Swallow Away (mp3)

Eddie Noack: Barbara Joy (mp3)

Eddie Noack: Firewater Luke (mp3)

Eddie Noack: Walk 'Em Off (mp3)

Please support your local, independent mental health clinic.

Mule Kicker

2009-08-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

A Bloody Ol' Mule Interview!!!!

Welcome to our first Deep Blues Thursday. We'll be having interviews and overviews with some of our favorite artists in the Deep Blues tradition. Check out the end of the post for a special offer, and some swell tunes.

Our first featured artist is a feller what goes by the name of Bloody Ol' Mule. Real name's Shilo, and he was one of our favorite finds at the Deep Blues Festival, his two performances keeping us riveted and awed with awe at his brilliance.

Bloody Ol' Mule's a big man, with a bigger voice, and a stage presence built to beat the devil at his own game, brimstone fried salvation between the bottle and the deep dark pit. That voice, a hiccuped, dustbowl twang suddenly possessed by the ghost of Howling Wolf, is a thing of hellish beauty.

And, oh bloody hell, what he does to his guitar is probably illegal in a least 48 states, a shredding, rhythmic honky blues holler, heading southbound to the end of the line, speeding like a hound on fire.

Lyrically, Bloody Ol' Mule covers all the things we love: God and Satan, booze, love'n'hate, loneliness and lust, sex and salvation, more booze. Even a touch of truckin'. He's a master of the turned Country'n'Blues phrase, and throws off lines of poetry couched in the language of the common man. That's a fuckin' compliment that we usually reserve for old Hank Williams.

But don't take our word for all this. Shilo (Bloody Ol' Mule hisself) was kind enough to grant us an interview. So without further slobbering on our part...

The Bloody Ol' Mule Interview (in which we learn many things)

1. First off, give us your generic origin story. Where do you come from? Why are you? Feel free at this point to give the god's honest truth or create your own mythology.

I come from Grady County, Oklahoma, just a little west of Norman, Oklahoma. I live on 10 acres of land nestled somewhat in between a valley. It is the same land that I’ve been on and off of since I was about 5 or 6 years old. I don’t live in nothing really fancy, just a trailer house.

2. Where is Hell's Fringe Oklahoma?

To some of the locals of where I live, we still call this Hell’s Fringe, a name given to the area by the rangers and lawmen back in the 1800’s when outlaws came to Hell’s Fringe to hide out and such. The law never did like going into Hell’s Fringe, and preferred to just stay away, due to all the Indians that lived out there.

3. Describe your style.

I call my music “Feel Good”, meaning that I feel good playing, and from what I gather from others, they feel good listening to it. I just play music. I’m 33 years old, and the majority of the music that I listen to, and have grown up listening to for most of my life has been old country and honky tonk, and delta, and hill country blues. When I was a teenager, I also listened to a lot of 70’s and 80’s punk, as well as a lot of old 1960’s garage rock, but for the most part, the country and blues out weighs the rest of my personal music collection. I own about 3000 c.d.s, about 1000 or so records ranging anywhere from blues, to country, to punk to garage rock, and experimental music, etc. My country record collection being from about 1977 or so back to Jimmie Rodgers, one of my biggest inspirations, along with Hank Williams Sr. and Lefty Frizzell.

4. You sing a great deal about Satan/the Devil. Do you believe that "satan is real"? And if so, where does he live?

I feel that the devil exists inside of every living human-being, there inside of our minds, and our hearts, and that we as human-beings are constantly trying our best to not give in to his temptations. We are always battling the devil that exists there inside of us. The devil that appears in the songs that I write is nothing more than ourselves, or a metaphor for the things that don’t go our way in life, such as in my song “My Woman Got The Devil” or my song “Satan’s Farm”

5. In keeping with the thematic track, your songs often deal with the darker side of life (murder, drinkin', bad men doing bad things, etc.). Is this something that springs from your mind/imagination or do you pull from real life experiences.

I would have to say that my songs are a cross between my own imagination, experiences that I’ve had myself, as well as experiences that other people have had. For the most part, I don’t feel that they are necessarily about the darker side of life, they are just about life in general. These subjects are an element that I’m around everyday of my life, I do not seek them out, for the most part they tend to seek me out whether I want them or not. If I had the choice of writing great songs about the heart-ache and sadness that I have experienced, or the choice of being able to live in a life of bliss and at peace with myself, I’d choose to live at peace with myself. Writing songs, or stories is the only way for me to release all of that which has been building up inside of me, whether it be right or wrong, and that inspiration comes from all directions in my life.

6. This might be redundant based on the previous question, but your onstage persona is vastly different than your offstage persona (at least based on our interactions at the Festival). Are Shilo Brown and Bloody Ol' Mule two completely separate individuals, or do they feed off each other , the real life person and the created stage persona?

When Howling Wolf used to perform, he was the Wolf on stage, and pretty much Chester Burnett off stage, and Daddy to his kids. When I perform, there is a sort of possession that comes over me when I’m playing music, I am somewhat possessed when I’m up there on stage playing.

7. Tell us about your experiences at the Deep Blues Festival.

It was one amazing experience. When I got home from the festival, 2 to 3 days laters, I was having dreams every night that I was still at the festival, either playing, or hanging out with all the great people that I got to hang out with and meet. So, I definitely feel that the Deep Blues Festival had a great impact on me. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, and I hope to be able to do it again next year. Chris Johnson is a bright spirit, and a beautiful human-being, who takes good care of each one of us musicians with a personal touch, as if we were all his children. The Deep Blues Festival is the most comfortable I’ve felt playing at a festival.

8 . Your records seem to tend towards more of a Country/Hillbilly style, while your performances at the Blues Fest highlighted, obviously, your more Blues oriented stylings (while maintaining a bedrock of Country). Do you find these styles mutually exclusive, or do you find Country and Blues almost two sides of the American coin? Which style do you feel more comfortable with?

I think that real country music, and real blues are pretty much one in the same. Hank Williams Sr. learned how to play from Tee-Tot a black street musician, as well as Jimmie Rodgers doing the same with all the black street musicians that fascinated him growing up. Lightnin’ Hopkins once said that country music ain’t nothing but white man’s blues. I feel that these two styles of music go hand in hand. I, myself don’t classify my music as either one or the other, for me it is just music. I play what I like to play and that is all.

9. You're also a writer. Tell us about yr stories and poems. Who are your influences? What separates your written pieces from you music?

I would have to say that I am more of a story-teller than a writer. I’ve got a spoken word album called Good Greasy Meat that will be coming out sometime in the fall of this year. The stories, just like the songs that I write, usually spawn from either my own experiences or from the things that I’ve been told over a few cold beers in some beer joint. I write about the elements of life that I know about. One should always write about what they know. I am mostly interested in Southern writing, and mostly southern grit-lit, writers such as Larry Brown, Harry Crews, Tom Franklin, etc. I seem to relate more to their story telling as opposed to other genres of writing. They write about the characters that I know, and have grown up with all my life. I relate to what they are writing about, and it makes me feel good to know that there’s people out in the world who are just like me, and that I’m not alone in my ways of thinking and living.

I’ve owned and operated a new and used bookstore and record store in Oklahoma City since 1997 called Book Beat & Co. where I’ve also held live shows in the bookstore as well as artshows and such.

10. What's next? Plug your next record and/or shows.

Before I left for the Deep Blues Festival, I recorded a sessions of songs for an album that I’m calling Lonesome Midnight Bawlers, a collection of sad and lonely tears in your beer country weepers that I’ve written. A collection of pure honky tonk material. Then I’ve got another recording session set up in a few months to record 18 to 19 songs for the new Bloody Ol’ Mule album that will be called Between Pig’s Ditch and Blood Creek. Also, I’m working on publishing a new collection of short stories and poems as well.

Now then, if that aint enough for y'all, and the following tunes aren't enough either, and more tunes at his myspace page, here's what we're gonna do. If you buy an album from Bloody Ol' Mule (check his myspace page for contact info), we here at the Mountain will personally make you mix cd or mp3 mix in whatever style/genre/theme of your choosing. Shilo's also a damn good writer, and we'd count buying one of his books as eligible too. All you gotta do is tell us you bought something, and we'll get you hooked up, we trust all y'all that much. More and different promotions to come in subsequent Deep Blues Thursdays.

Bloody Ol' Mule: Truck Stop Whore (mp3)

Bloody Ol' Mule: Snake Hunt Holler (mp3)

Bloody Ol' Mule: Holy Ghost Power (mp3)

Please support these artists. They're keeping real, non-crap, non-watered down music alive. The sound of a deeper American ghost. We'll do what we can to help.

Black Boots and Dirty Nails

2009-08-04T08:30:00.001-05:00

So.

Jack Oblivian was always our favorite Oblivian. Just barely, of course, since all three of 'em (Jack, Greg and Eric) were pretty super duper. But since the breakup of The Oblivians, we've been most enamored with Jack's career.

Some of the projects Jack's (may we call him Jack? Or perhaps Mr. Yarber?) been involved in pre- and post-Oblivians include The Compulsive Gamblers, The Knaughty Knights, South Filthy, The Cool Jerks, The Limes, Jack Oblivian & The Cigarillos, The Natural Kicks, '68 Comback, and Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops. There's more, but we're most concerned in today's post with his solo work and his work with The Tearjerkers/The Tennessee Tearjerkers.

Post-Oblivians, Jack started to form a new sound, one that still hewed to the soulpunktrash of his former band, but opened up to other influences. You found a strong Country streak lingering at the edges, and a nod (as good as a wink) to The Faces' brand of bar band boogie, but pressed and squeezed into a Memphis rhythm'n'booze grease pit. His voice is still there, a dried corn-husk of a sneer, snot-flecked and leering. But, with a vignette-heavy songwriting maturity, he creates a rawkin' ramble of lowdown sleaze, bad attitude and bad intentions, pistols and pussy, and southern-style burned down house-party.

Jack's got two (Two!) new records out. Disco Outlaw in on Goner Records and Saturday Night, Part Two is on the mighty Big Legal Mess. We also had the honor of seeing Jack play last week at the world famous Hideout, with John Paul Keith backing him up. It was a mighty night, and we left sweaty, buzzed and happy. You'll be hearing more about these albums at the end of the year.

Aside from the two new records, who represent the first two tracks below, we've got tracks off of the albums So Low, American Slang, Don't Throw Your Love Away, The Flip-Side Kid, and Bad Moon Rising. Again, the man's all over the musical map, both as producer and performer, so his other projects are well worth hunting down. Goner Records is a good place to start. I'm assuming y'all have the Oblivians rekkids already, right?

Jack O And The Tennessee Tearjerkers: Ditch Road (mp3)

Jack Oblivian: Against The Wall (mp3)

Jack O And The Tennessee Tearjerkers: Dirty Nails (mp3)

Jack O And The Tennessee Tearjerkers: Black Boots (mp3)

Jack Oblivian: Honey, I'm Too Old For You (mp3)

The Tearjerkers: Bank, Gun, Jail (mp3)

Jack O And The Tearjerkers: Mad Dog 20/20 (mp3)

Jack Oblivian: Mama Don't Get Off (mp3)

Please support your local, independent Garage Punk godhead.

Deep Six

2009-07-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting....

We're still trying to put in words how great the Deep Blues Festival was. It's hard to distill 5 days of great music, and even better people, into a pithy post.

We would be remiss if we didn't recognize Chris Johnson, the founder, for the passion, love, and heart he put into the festival. I've never been to an event before where every band made a point to thank and praise the man responsible for bringing them there. This happened at the Deep Blues Festival. Mr. Johnson is a visionary, and an example of how to put your soul into action.

And, we must also mention all the artist involved (70 bands, duos, and one-man bands), from T-Model Ford, Elmo Williams, and CeDell Davis to Pure Country Gold, Ten Foot Polecats, Bloody Ol' Mule, Black Diamond Heavies, and countless others. This was the type of festival where the artists roamed freely throughout the crowd, encouraging you to engage them in conversations, rabidly checking out other artists, and even sitting down for a beer with anyone who would ask. Such acknowledgment of fans is a rare thing indeed in the current music scene. But the Blues lend themselves to interaction, don't they?

We'll get to covering other music shortly, but for today we want to do a special edition of our Six Pack series, focusing on artists who played at the Festival.

We'd also like to announce, for the foreseeable future, a new series here at the Mountain. We're gonna call it Deep Blues Thursday (starting next week), and we'll be covering many of the artists who either played at the Festival, or whose brand of Hill Country Blues/Punk Blues/Hillbilly Blues, etc. matches the aesthetic forged and lovingly curated at the Fest. We'll being doing interviews with the artists, and offering special incentives and, yes, giveaways. Keep your eyes peeled to this site for more announcements. Things are afoot (which partly explains my posting delay).

So, today's Six Pack, featuring artists from the Deep Blues Festival. We've got The High Plane Drifters, Dooley Wilson, The Speaking Tongues, The Rue Moor Counts, Restavrant, and Pure Country Gold. Ass kickers, each and every one. And we've only just begun.

Remember, all songs are pulled from vinyl (in this case all 45's). Songs are not listed in order of greatness, so check 'em all out!

High Plane Drifters: Trouble In Mind (mp3)

Dooley Wilson: Easy When You Put It On Me (mp3)

The Speaking Tongues: Looking In Your Window (mp3)

The Rue Moor Counts: On The Run (mp3)

Restavrant: Bev D. (mp3)

Pure Country Gold: Setting Sun (mp3)

Please support your local, independent rock'n'roll hootchie coo.

Mule Kicker

2009-07-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, folks. We're still recovering from the Deep Blues Festival. We'll have a full write-up of the fest on Monday, along with some other nifty announcements. You won't want to miss it.

For now, here's a couple of tunes from one of our fave raves from the fest, Bloody Ol' Mule. You'll be hearing more about him (and many, many others) down the line.

Enjoy.

Bloody Ol' Mule: BBQ Song (mp3)

Bloody Ol' Mule: Black Balled Peter (mp3)

Please support independent music when you can.

T-Model

2009-07-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

Howdy from Minneapolis. We're posting on the fly, so pardon our grammar. That picture above is the legendary T-Model Ford playing an impromptu short acoustic set in the wee hours of the morning after the close of the first night of the Deep Blues Fest. He played to about 20-30 of us stragglers out on the smoking patio. At 89 years of age, the man can still kick ass and send chills down one's back. I think all of us standing there had a feeling we were witnessing something special. And it's just the first night. Should be a pretty interesting weekend.

We'll have more on the artists down the line, with tunes (I'm buying vinyl, so mp3's will have to wait...sorry), but if y'all get a chance check out the linked sites forBloody Ol' Mule and Restavrant, our new favorite artists, whose kick ass sets held us rapt with amazement. We'll get some tunes up by them soon, and an interview with at least one of 'em.

Stay tuned.

Satan Is Real

2009-07-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we're off to The Deep Blues Festival. We've got some interviews set up for future posting, and hopefully we'll return with some more goodies and news for all y'all's enjoyment. Keep an eye to this space over the next five days, as we'll attempt some live blogging, if time and sobriety permits.

In the interim, we've got a super duper little mix for ya. As voted in the last poll, the forces of darkness won out over the competition. Satan takes over the Mountain. Watch out for lighting!

And yeah, we skipped some obvious choices (AC/DC, Charlie Daniels Band, Rolling Stones, Roky Erickson, etc.). Figgered those were too easy.

Does the Devil really have all the good music? Maybe we'll have to concoct another Sin and Salvation mix to decide.

Devil Horns! Devil Horns!

Big Rock Candy Mountain Presents: Satan Is Real(A Devilish mix)
(Link to mix follows track listing)

1. Satanville (The Gibson Brothers)
2. Devil Is Watching You (Lightning Hopkins)
3. Sinner's Dream (Eugene Fox)
4. Satan Is Real (The Louvin Brothers)
5. Devil Do (Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs)
6. Idle Hands Are the Devil's Playtings (Palace Brothers)
7. Wrestling With Satan (Lightning Beat-Man)
8. Deacon Brown Vs. The Devil (The Holidays)
9. Chased Old Satan (The Woodie Brothers)
10. Race With The Devil (Gene Vincent)
11. Satan (The Dwarves)
12. Satan's River (Porter Wagoner)
13. Me and the Devil Blues (Robert Johnson)
14. Say No To the Devil (Rev. Gary Davis)
15. Go Away Devil (Little Axe)
16. I'll Never Let the Devil Win (Sleepy LaBeef)
17. She Belongs To the Devil (Wasboard Sam)
18. (censored)
19. Old Red Devil (Hollis Champion)
20. Devil's Gonna Get You (Bessie Smith)
21. Get Behind Me Satan and Push (Billie Jo Spears)
22. Devil Is Mad (Dorothea Fleming)
23. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down (Uncle Tupelo)
24. We've Got the Devil On the Run (Elder Lightfoot)
25. Satan Sold Out (Them Ranch)
26. Workin' Like the Devil For the Lord (Del Reeves)
27. Send My Soul To the Devil (Frankie Lee Sims)
28. I've Got A Devil In Me (Big Foot Chester)
29. Satan Wears a Satin Gown (Frankie Laine)
30. Last Song About Satan (Slim Cessna's Auto Club)

Satan Is Real (mp3)

Please support your local, independent demon and/or coven.

Six Pack To Go

2009-07-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hey, hey! Gonna pound on yr eardrums today with another exciting installment of our 6 Pack series. Six fantabulous tunes ripped from glorious vinyl for your enjoyment and consumer needs. What's this all about? Well check out our previous six pack post for the full skinny.

So, here's our vinyl stars for the day. Next time we do this it'll be an all 7" day, so let the ladies know (ah ha ha ha...ha...hee hee...oh, forget it).

First up is a slab of pre-punk, soul punk from the awe-inspiring, recently unearthed Death (not the death metal band) courtesy of Drag City Records. More on these guys later.

Hard to follow Death, but legend Jack Oblivian (nee Yarber) and his Tennessee Tearjerkers kick a sweet sweatboozemidnightramble tale from their new rekkid, The Disco Outlaw on (label of the year) Goner. Note that no disco, or anything remotely associated with it, actually appears on the rekkid. Jack Oblivian retrospective coming soon on this very site.

Lo-fi (don't hate the label, embrace it as a sign that no jackass producer mucked around with the proceedings) genius Bobby Ubangi clocks in next with a fast and furious little ditty that has us jumping around the living room in sheer bliss. Song's on "Inside The Mind of Bobby Ubangi" on Rob's House Records.

Halfway through we have an African groove courtesy of Mississippi Records' album Love Is Love. If you're not grabbing every release by this label, well, there might be something wrong with you. This might be our favorite song posted today.

For you sleaze-blooze-trash fans, The Touch-Me-Nots, a two piece husband and wife duo, take you to the darker side with a track off their killer Sheldon Munn 10" on Yakisakana Records.

And, finally, a little noirish, late-night drinking song from Country chanteuse Sammi Smith . From a record that's no longer in print, "The Toast of 45", but well worth hunting down.

As ever, the songs are not in any order of quality or greatness. We just lined 'em up in a convenient mix-tape sort of way. Grab 'em all, and support the artists if you can.

Death: Keep On Knockin' (mp3)

Jack O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers: Walk of Shame (mp3)

Bobby Ubangi: Another Girl Like You (mp3)

S.E. Rogers - Toomus Meremereh Nor Good (Sierra Leone) (mp3)

The Touch-Me-Nots: Imbe-Style (mp3)

Sammi Smith: The Toast of 45 (mp3)

Please support your local, independent record stores. Please.