Ahhhhhh yeah muthafuckers….ninebullets.net is back. Despite the better efforts of the fuckheads over at Web Hosting Pad. Don’t you worry though. I plan on banging out a complete recount of the bullshit those mickey mouse motherfuckers put me through. For now I’ll just say, if you are running any form of a blogging platform and get more than a trickle of visitors do not signup with them. They can’t handle the load and they’ll kick your site off and keep your prepaid monies.

It may have been a little bit of a blessing in disguise though. I’ve had a 101-103 degree temperature and a monster cough all damned week and had a lot of crap to do for my pending house purchase this week.

None the less….we are settled in here and regular posting will once again commence on Monday.

BTW: Web Hosting Pad…this goes out to you:

Yep! A big fat fuck you. It is my new goal to have my story be on the first page when people Google you guys. BTW: If any of you fuckers ever make it down to St. Pete pull my address off the about page and stop by cause I am one pissed redneck that would love to stomp a mudhole in one of you fuckers.

Pantera - Fucking Hostile

The news that Public Enemy will perform “It takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back” at this year’s Pitchfork Fest didn’t elicit much of a response in me at first, but the more I thought about it the odder it seemed to me…that album? now? At Pitchfork Fest?

In the late 80’s the hip-hop scene was as unified and political as it ever would be, and leading the charge was Public Enemy. Chuck’s signature baritone and raw, in your face delivery joined with militant theatrics made Public Enemy one of the most controversial and important hip-hop acts ever, with “Nation” posing as their crown jewel. It was uncompromising, abrasive, poetic, and desperately urgent all at the same time, and it’s still an Intro to Outro classic, but is a festival full of privileged suburban white kids deserving of such a performance? Call me a hater, but I don’t think so. I just don’t think a crowd full of kids with $5,000 worth of tattoos on each arms, $80 haircuts and $150 dollar shoes and sunglasses to match can really identify with the influences of an album that came out before most of them were wiping their own asses.

All of this is especially crappy when you consider that Public Enemy released one of their best albums in the past decade last year in How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???. How You Sell Soul is infinitely more topical to the times, and this very crowd would be a perfect place for this album raging against the corruption of rap into a vehicle for selling lifestyles to be performed from first track right through to the end. I mean, wouldn’t a bunch of hipsters wallowing in a scene where image is everything benefit more from hearing Chuck preach against the glamorization of the gangster life and consumerism in general?

I think so.

But maybe I’m just an old, out of touch asshole…I mean, my bike has gears and brakes and I generally prefer Bass over Pabst.

But props to Pitchfork for putting it together, I guess. Hell, if it goes over well they’ll be golden, and if it doesn’t they can write a 1000 word snarkfest about how outta touch PE is these days when compared to the emo rap stylings of Atmosphere…

Public Enemy - Sex, Drugs & Violence
Public Enemy - Amerikan Gangster
Public Enemy - Can You Hear Me Now

Public Enemy’s Official Site, Public Enemy on myspace, Buy How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People

There has been no shortage of press for the new Black Keys album, Attack and Release, but I wanted to bang out a few words on it anyway. I’ve been a fan of The Black Keys since Thickfreakness dropped and, outside of the 2006’s Magic Potion, I’ve never been disappointed in anything the duo has ever done. Over time, I have even found much love for Magic Potion. Basically, everything Dan Auerbach has worked as a producer on has found it’s way into the ninebullets.net essential listening list. All that said, I really wanted to drop some praise on this album.

Attack and Release started out to be a Black Keys, Danger Mouse, and Ike Turner collaboration. However, when Ike took the deep sleep, the Keys found themselves with a wealth of material and no outlet for it. So, they decided to take the ideas they had been playing with into the studio with Danger Mouse and see what they could come out with. Those sessions resulted in the the most sonically mature album the Keys have ever released.

Attack and Release still has the signature big beats, fat riffs and heavily distorted guitars sound Keys fans are used to, and in the rocking songs you’ll know the album wasn’t (like all the others) recorded in Patrick’s basement. Still, it’s in the album’s more gentle moments that Danger Mouse and a recording studio’s presence are truly felt. I was telling my brother the other day that the new album is just a lot sexier than their previous material. That probably has something to do with the material originally being geared towards Turner. I, for one, hope the Black Keys continue to explore this side of themselves, as it’s made for one of the best albums to date this year, not to mention also having made the ninebullets Essential Listening list.

Now comes the real question…where does it rank amongst their other releases? I’m gonna have to listen to the entire catalog straight through one day before I can say for sure, but for now I can say it’s in the top 3 for sure…possibly the top 2.

The Black Keys Official Site, The Black Keys on myspace, Buy Attack and Release

After posting my “Black Betty” throwdown a few weeks ago, I got to thinking that a fun reoccurring piece could be posting the history of songs…as best as I can…along with a collection of artists doing their own spin on them. The next obvious song had to be “Moonshiner”.

The first version of the song I’d ever heard was Uncle Tupelo’s, which is a cover of Dylan’s Bootleg Series recording of the track. The exact origin of “Moonshiner” is disputed, but it’s widely believed the song originated as the Irish folk song “The Moonshiner”. In his book American Ballads and Folk Songs, Alan Lomax claims the song is a member of the “Waggoner’s Lad” family and kin to “Old Smokey” and “Rye Whiskey”, among others. Whether it originated in Ireland or not, it is still one of the most popular pub songs there, resulting in grand bar-room chorus sing-a-longs. It has been performed as recorded by many artists and is known under other titles, among them “Moonshiner Blues” and “The Bottle Song”. The Clancy Brother’s version turns it into an upbeat party song, while the Dylan version (the alt.country version) slows it down and turns the song into an unrepentant lament.

Personally, I prefer the slower version of “Moonshiner”. Maybe it’s because that’s how I cam to know the song, I dunno, but, to me the slow version is just beautifully perfect, while the harmonica in American Gun’s version practically pours the drink for you. Below I’ve collected different versions of the song and have tried to group them to show what I feel is the evolution of the song.

Enjoy.

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Moonshiner
Molly Maguire - The Moonshiner
The Clancy Brothers & Dubliners - The Moonshiner

Joe Ely & The Chieftains - The Moonshiner
Daw Henson - The Moonshiner
Roscoe Holcomb - The Moonshiner
Dave Bromberg - The Moonshiner

Bob Dylan - The Moonshiner
Uncle Tupelo - The Moonshiner
American Gun - The Moonshiner
Rumbleseat - The Moonshiner
Brass Uncle Band - The Moonshiner
Oliver Buck - The Moonshiner
Cat Power - The Moonshiner

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Justin’s Bloodshot debut, The Good Life, but it wasn’t much. I don’t know why, either. I had never heard anything from his debut EP, Yuma, but when it came down to it I was only giving The Good Life a courtesy listen. Regardless of what I was expecting, what I got was one of the best albums so far this year.

Son of Steve Earle…Townes Van Zandt…blah blah…the names and shadows have been well documented on other blogs, so I’m just gonna talk about the music.

From the more Hank at the Opry hobo song and title track “The Good Life” to the standout Civil War story song “Lone Pine Hill”, Earle shows a songwriting command and reverence of the past far beyond his mere 25 years. The album isn’t a mere case of mimicry, though. Justin manages to play off the influences of country greats and still sound fresh.

While this might be the worst case of blasphemy in the history of Americana music bloggery, it’s the truth: In my opinion, The Good Life is better than anything his daddy has ever put together. Allow me to preface that, though. I’ve never really been fanatical about Steve Earle. I like some of his songs well enough, but I’ve never liked enough of them enough to bother very much. On the other hand, another effort like this from Justin and I’ll be nearing the fanatical stage.

The Good Life; it’s essential listening and bound for many a year end top 10 list.

It’s funny how much your external surroundings can affect your perception of a cd. When the new Seven Mary Three cd showed up in my mailbox, I was heading out the door for an afternoon at the beach with the dog. Since it was in the car with me, I threw the cd in the deck and headed out. I was really indifferent, bordering on disappointed, in the album, and it had been sitting in my passenger seat ever since. I was making a lonely middle of the night trek home from a show in Orlando the other night and all that was on sports radio was March madness talk, so I decided a disappointing Seven Mary Three album was better than more NCAA basketball talk. Suddenly, driving down the interstate alone at 1 am, I “got it”. Perhaps I finally listened to it, I dunno, but my feelings toward Day&nightdriving made a 180 during that 2 hour drive.

Seven Mary Three will always be know as “the Cumbersome band”, and it’s a real shame. While “Cumbersome” propelled their debut cd, American Standard, to platinum status, it also shackled the “grunge” label around the band’s neck. Back then the band consisted of Jason Ross wanting to rock and Jason Pollock wanting to write more acoustic, contemplative songs. Over time, the strain of the different sounds resulted in Pollock’s departure. This allowed Ross free rein to “rock out with his cock out”, which he did for two dreadful albums. The success of “Cumbersome” was never repeated, and 7M3 is filed as a one hit wonder in most people’s memories. Hell, after the disappointment of 2004’s Dis/Location, I assumed they were done until I saw an add in a magazine about the new album, so I wrote to Icon Records and asked for it.

I am guessing Day&nightdriving was a difficult album for the band to release. Its honesty cuts right to the bone. Anyone who’s had a relationship fall apart can identify with the lyrics of “Dead Days in the Kitchen” and it’s final admission of sharing fault, and anyone who’s had an intimate relationship with a bar can identify with “Strangely at Home Here”. Does Day&nightdriving have a “Cumbersome”-like hit on it? Hell, I dunno. I haven’t listened to FM radio in 5 years, but I can say it is the best album the band has released since 1997’s Rock Crown…even if it took a little late night driving for me to realize it.

Seven Mary Three - Strangely at Home Here
Seven Mary Three - Dead Days in the Kitchen
Seven Mary Three - Upside Down

Seven Mary Three’s Official Site, Seven Mary Three on myspace, Buy Day&nightdriving

Today I wanna talk about an interesting, to say the least, one-man band; Possessed By Paul James. I first came to know of Possessed Paul James because he was doing The Folk Singer with Scott H. Biram, and anyone affiliated with SHB gets immediate examination by myself. To say I was put off is putting it lightly. I didn’t like what came out of my speakers in any way shape or form. That would have been the end of any Autopsy/Possessed By Paul James relationship, had it not been for his cd showing up in my mailbox the other day and, as I said, anyone who affiliates with Scott Biram starts off on my good side, so I decided to at least give the album a listen.

Looking back, I dunno how or why I wasn’t digging his stuff the first time I heard it. My only theory is that perhaps his myspace profile was streaming poorly-recorded live takes or something, because this album is wonderful.

Konrad Wert was raised in the Florida Everglades by an Amish Menonite preacher, taking on his stage name in honor of this father and grandfather, and he now makes his home in Texas. Released by Voodoo Rhythm Records, Cold and Blind features Konrad incorporating fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, stomp box, the occasional diddly boe, grunts, hollers and a kind honesty that you rarely hear, but once you do, cannot deny. The Daily Texan described Konrad’s live show as follows:

“Wert is known for contorting his face in pleasure and apparent pain, and subsequently shakes, convulses, stomps and yells throughout his performances.”

Possessed By Paul James will be playing Deep Blues Festival this year, so I’ll get to witness it all for myself. Till then, I’ll just keep Cold and Blind on my essential listening iPod playlist. If you are in the mood for some lo-fi, under-produced, old-time Southern folk with a dash of everglades blues that cuts through all the bullshit, then Cold and Blind could be the album for you.

Possessed By Paul James on myspace

Sometimes I listen to an album and I get so pissed off I have to put down my headphones and go for a walk. Now, admittedly, I have terrible anger control issues (just ask my video game controllers), but really, how is it that there are bands out there as good as The Gougers just floating along in unsigned obscurity while crap like (censored by the 9b.net editorial staff) gets a mountain of cash behind every pile of shit they record?

The Gougers features a pair of singer/songwriters, Shane Walker and Jamie Wilson, who take the time to craft their lyrics into what the Texas Music Times described (and I happen to agree) as lyrical poetry. Cody Foote, Lance Smith and John Ross Silva round out the band and provide the backing rhythms for Walker and Wilson’s songs. Recorded in Austin in 2006 and released in November, A Long Day For The Weathervane got as high as #8 on the AMA Music Charts. Not too shabby for an independent band, and that tells me I’m not just going overboard with these guys and that plenty of other folks find them to be essential listening as well.

The Gougers - Oldcrow/Scarecrow
The Gougers - Everybody Knows
The Gougers - Manheim Station

The Gougers’ Official Site, The Gougers on myspace, Buy A Long Day For The Weathervane

Well, Well, Well. Will you lookee there. Heather shows up and it’s like Emeril, BAM! It’s up a notch. Vodka is consumed until it is running out of Daisy’s eyes, innocent Jessica finds her inner drunken sorority slut, and all is right in Rock of Love land. Thank you Heather. Thank you and your party girl/stripper tractor beam. Hell, I bet if I spent 30 minutes in the same room with you, I’d be playing hide the peen and make a man-pussy.

Let’s proceed.

It’s exes week in the house! Let’s see what kind of douche-baggery we’ll have walk through the door, shall we? First up is Destiney’s ex-husband, Adam, dressed like he’s Mr. Rogers heading out for a Saturday morning on the golf course. Next comes Jessica’s ex-boyfriend Casey who is painfully plain. Third is Megan’s ex-boyfriend some dude named Josh who used to use her as his booty call. Lemme explain this quickly by quoting Megan: “A year ago, we kind of dated for six months and I wanted him to be my boyfriend and he had another girlfriend that he didn’t want to leave for me.” A playmate as an on-call fuck…My Man. Josh is a fucking pimp, so in his case I rescind the douche bag label. Next up is Ambre’s…best-friend? Talk about getting saved by the bell. Turns out none of Ambre’s exes wanted to come on VH1 and talk shit about their ex. I see this as a +1 for Ambre. And rounding out this parade is the king douche…the…the douche nozzle if you will, Daisy’s ex-boyfriend/ex-bandmate/CURRENT ROOMATE, Charles, looking like he’s stuck somewhere between K-Fed, V is for Vendetta guy, and Hot Topic assistant manager. Saving the best surprise for last for last, however, Bret introduces an ex of his own, the aforementioned Heather, and it’s on. Girls stay home with Heather, while Bret takes the fellas out for a little talk.

The boys have barely loaded up in the Iraq war-loving stretch Hummer before Heather has the girls in their bras doing body shots off one another. Again; thank you Heather. It’s the awesome concentrate mixed with booze, boobs and sexual energy that this season has totally been missing. Booze flows like it’s free, and Heather starts getting the girls to dish dirt on one another, as articles of clothing just keep falling off ’til we have a bikini-clad truth or dare that results in a nakedDestiney doing cartwheels across the back lawn…Have I thanked Heather for coming back yet?

Meanwhile, the fellas are having a horribly uncomfortable roundtable chat at some cigar bar. Seeing this as the ratings killer it is, Bret pulls the plug and takes the guys to a restaurant/game room/bar…you know, a guys’ place, but things don’t really get any better. Through the guys’ day, all we really learn is the my man Josh thinks Megan is a gold digger, and there is some foreshadowing that perhaps there’s more to the Destiny/Charles story than has been told.

Meanwhile. Back at Circus Circus…

Daisy and Jessica are in wasted little girls phase 3 and the vodka tears are flowing. Jessica is crying to Heather because everyone thinks she’s too young and too innocent. Her plan to prove them wrong…binge drinking. Then ablearly , smeary-mascara-eyed Daisy proceeds to inform Heather that she is still living with her boyfriend in a one bedroom apartment ,but that they have no physical relationship.Riiiiiiiiiiight . It’s that Clinton definition of sex: Oral sex isn’t sex, sex with condoms doesn’t count ’cause there’s no skin on skin, and anal doesn’t count cause you can’t get pregnant from it. OK, then. Next thing you know, Jessica has skipped drunk stages 4,5 and 6 and has gone straight to the puking and can’t walk stage. FTR ladies, this is where the whole gray-area in “no means no” comes into play…I kid, I kid…nonetheless, homegirl is a hot fucking mess…no bra, puke breath and legs that have ceased to function…One more time for the cheap seats, thank you Heather!

Time for elimination and a still drunk Jessica gets her ass outta bed, slams some makeup on her grill and makes it down….atta girl. The end of elimination is like deja-vu all over again, except this time there’s no Kristy Joe to save Megan. Bret tells Megan her time’s up and……………..aaaannnnddd…….um……..NOTHING!….She stands there for literally a minute and a half in TV time, so who knows how much longer she was really there, just half shaking her head and saying nothing, just mouthing “No, No, No.” I guess she was hoping her playmate pussy power would make him change his mind or something, but it just wasn’t in the cards for her. Bret walks her out and returns to tell the girls that they’regoin’ to Vegas, Baybee, and that my girl Heather was coming along to help him weed out the remaining girls.

I’m calling my shot now. I predict a Bret and Heather hookup. I know that’s like predicting that every time Georgieporgie-dummy-Bush’s monkey head shows up on the news he’ll be saying something stupid, but I figured if I didn’t say anything and then dropped a “I knew it!” when it happened, it would seem less genuine. So I’mcallin’ it.

Three Cheers To Heather!

Songs inspired from this weeks episode:

To my man Josh: Blackstreet - Booty Call
To Megan: Julie Brown - Earth Girls are Easy
To Drunk Jessica: Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
To Heather: Poison - Nothing But A Good Time

America’s Best Dance Crew:

On the reality TV tip I wanna drop a congrats on JabbaWockeeZ for winning America’s Best Dance Crew last night. Easily the best and most consistent crew through out the show. If you know what I’m talking about then I think you’ll agree. If you have no idea what I am talking about: It was a dance contest taking place on MTV featuring different dance crews from across America andJabbaWockeeZ won the finale last night. I’ve attached a video of one of their performances below:

This song goes out to JabbaWockeeZ: Freestylers - Don’t Stop

I’ve been holding on to these for a few weeks waiting until we switched hosting companies to give them away. Well, we’ve switched (I’m loving it) so here we go. I’ve got (2) ninebullets.net coffee to give away to the first two people to email me with the subject line “Coffee Mug!!! I want one!”. BOTH ARE CLAIMED. I decided to post this really early in the morning since we early risers need our coffee. If you wake up too late but still want a mug they can be purchase here. All proceeds from mug sales will go to the “Keeping Autopsy IV drunk” fund.

While we are talking about ninebullets.net merchandise I guess now is as good a time as any to mention the official ninebullets.net tshirt. I hope to give them away to bands I interview as they come through town. I also hope t start interviewing more bands as they come through town. I know they are kind of pricey but it’s the best I could do without buying a bunch of them. Hopefully I’ll buy a few to give away on the site sometime. Here is a picture of me modeling the, as of now, only existing ninebullets shirt: