Red Clay River proudly comes out of Roanoke, Virgina and could very well be one of the most popular bands ever prior to releasing a full length album. My Red Clay River experience came at Deep Blues Festival ’09. My buddy from here in Florida had already tipped me off about them and made me promise to catch them live while I was there, and being a man of my word, I did. Afterward we went back, met the guys (and gal) and picked up their music. Nothing, neither of the two EP’s I picked up nor the live show I saw last summer, prepared me for what we’re getting from this album.
Now I was admittedly mostly drunk for the bulk of the ’09 incarnation of The Deep Blues Festival, so my recollection of Red Clay River there was of a pretty standard (albeit solid) country/folk effort. The cd’s we picked up were from miscellaneous other incarnations of the band, but if we’re painting in broad strokes the description is pretty much the same as above. So imagine my surprise when this cool little cd shows up full of all these neat percussive beats and sounds coupled with this sometimes plaintive balladeer and at other times Waits-esque rumbling ringleader, all stacked on a quiet & calm traditional folk/country skeleton. It’s enough to catch a man off his guard now, lemme tell you, and while this album may not contain my favorite version of “Rattlesnake Mountain”, it is certainly one of the most surprising and exciting albums so far this year. It’s also a shoe-in for the next Essential Listening collection. Check it out. Tell me what you think:
I became a .357 String Band fan two songs into seeing them on the stage at Deep Blues Festival 2. At the time I’d never heard of them, but I made a note that it was time to remedy such things. Since that festival I’ve caught them live here in Tampa a handful of times, even bringing them to town as an official ninebullets show the last time they were around. That said, I’ve never once written about one of their cds. That really wasn’t by accident. See, as much as I’ve loved watching these guys live, their cds never really managed to hold me. Amongst .357 fans I am a minority, I know, but the breakneck pace of those albums tended to wear on me when it was coming from a CD instead of a stage. For the first five songs of Lightning From The North very little was different, as the speed metal meets a string band sound .357 has patented was played out to near perfection. The came “Oh, Adilene” and the album changed and I was falling in love all over again.
Now I’m not suggesting that the album becomes a bunch of woeful ballads from there on out. It just seems to become more melodic, more willing to settle into and ride a groove instead of forcing as many notes as possible into every bar. This could be all perception due to the prominence of the fiddle on this album, but after repeat listens I really don’t think that’s the case. It seems to me that here on their third album the band has settled into their “sound” and are beginning to mature and branch out within it, and as a result we get gems like “Oh, Adilene” and “The Days Engrave”. I suppose there are some long time fans that’ll be put off by this growth, but I for one welcome it and look forward to hearing where it will take them in the future. Meanwhile, their present is a spot on the Essential Listening list.
After 4 years, 200+ bands, mounting debt and plenty of rain storms Chris Johnson announced yesterday that he would no longer be doing the Deep Blues Festival. I can’t say I am really all that surprised, the festival was always an ambitious undertaking that at times seemed to feature more band members than actual paid attendees, I guess I just always held out hope that Chris and crew would figure out how to scrape together another year.
The funny thing about The Deep Blues Festival was that it suffered no lack of support from the international / out of town community and it seems it’s ultimate failure may lie solely at the feet of the people in the Twin City area. Not that it matters at this point.
I just wanted to make a post to thank Chris for his efforts with DBF. I made it up there for two of the 4 festivals and had a blast both times. I met some fine folks, made a few friends and I saw bands like Charlie Parr, Possessed By Paul James, Davina and the Vagabonds, A Night In The Box and Jawbone whom I’ll likely never get to see again.
So, thanks for the memories Chris. I wish it would have worked out better for you.
Here are some bands that played DBF over the years:
Man, 2009 was the year of the show for me. I saw about 35 shows in 3 different states, catching everything from Bob Log III with 8 people to Katy Perry with 3000 12 year olds. To be honest, by the end of the year I was suffering from live show burnout and I am currently on a concert hiatus through the remainder of the year. I thought I’d take a day to talk about some of the awesomeness I saw this year….
I managed to catch Malcolm Holcombe here in town on an exceptionally cold night last winter. At some point during the show I texted my wife saying I was at a concert and a comedy show broke out. Live Malcolm was nothing short of awesome, but it’s his between-song banter that immediately comes to mind when I think back on that show. Catching Old Crow at the Tampa Theater also turned out to be a lot better than I expected. Being a seated show I was expecting a lot of pent up energy, but fortunately no one sat. Next up in the review is the Counting Crows / Michael Franti show, another seated show. I’ve said this before and it bears repeating, I am an unapologetic Counting Crows fan and that was my first time ever seeing them. They which met and exceeded every expectation I could have ever had.
The year wasn’t without its disappointments, though. There’s a long list of shows that came through town that were ruined by a lack of attendance. The awesomeness that is William Elliott Whitmore came to town and played for about 10 people, and barely any more than that showed up for the life-altering event that is a Bob Log III show. The few of us that made it to those shows are better people for it.
I made it to four festivals this year; Tropical Heatwave, Nerdapalooza, Deep Blues Festival and the Suburban Home 14th Anniversary Party. Tropical Heatwave was saddled with terrible weather, but made up for it by giving me The Pack A.D. and Eileen Jewell in the same room. Nerdapalooza was just silly, and I mean that in the best way possible. The fest itself suffered horribly from being behind schedule, but that annoying fact was more than made up for by the good people in attendance. Since Nerdapalooza takes place a couple of hours down the road from my home base I will almost definitely make it back in 2010….even if it means bunking with Funky49 and his girlfriend (they don’t know that yet, though). The Deep Blues Festival this year featured an much better venue but was a minor step backwards when it came to the lineup this year. That said, the wife, our friend and myself had a great time. Unfortunately, the Deep Blues Festival is in danger of not existing anymore. Chris (DBF founder) has incurred a silly amount of debt trying to keep the fest afloat and this year’s Fest may not happen at all. I’m deeply saddened by this, ’cause not only do I love the Deep Blues Festival, I also love Minneapolis in the summer. My last festival (if you can call it that) of the year was easily my favorite, The Suburban Home 14th Anniversary Party. Knowing a lot of the bands and a good collection of the people (via the internet) just helped push this one over the top. Everyone I met was awesome, the city was awesome and the lineup just killed…Tim Barry, Two Cow Garage, Jon Snodgrass, Chad Price, The Takers, Austin Lucas….hearing Josh Small for the first time….shit. Upon arriving back home from that weekend I told my wife if we only go to one festival next year, the SH party would be it. So, join us this year. It’s gonna be a.w.e.some.
All of the great shows aside, one show stands out as the best of the year. And when I say stands out I mean there was no competition. The best show I saw in 2009 was, without a doubt, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club in St. Paul, Minneapolis. That show is the kind of shit fish tales are made of. I knew it was the best show of the year as soon as it was over, but now, some 7 months later, I can officially crown it. As a Floridian I’ll probably never get another chance to see them and I’ll be forever grateful that the stars aligned just right so I could catch them in Minneapolis. Their sound was just as big and robust live as it is on cd, while Slim & Jay’s back and forth banter is even more enjoyable in a live environment. They sang on the stage, they sang in the middle of the crowd and they sang at all points in between. Honestly, it was the best show I’d seen since the North Mississippi Allstars/Drive-By Truckers Thanksgiving show @ The Tabernacle in Atlanta way back in 2004 before this blog existed, and might be the best for some time to come…unless I happen to go to Colorado next year for their annual New Year’s Eve show.
Well, I guess it’s my turn. Kasey and RSV have already dropped their faves of the year (here and here) on y’all, so there’s just no avoiding it for me now. This year was particularly difficult due to the sheer amount of great music that came out, and had I made this list tomorrow it would certainly change. That said, you can edit forever but eventually you have to settle on something and call it your list. So, with out further ado I am gonna steal RSV’s formatting and get this show on the road:
It’s a big week here in ninebullets.net land. Our (my) favorite band, Lucero, is officially releasing their sixth album (and first on a major label. Hey! Did you know it has horns? I don’t wanna get into the album too much today as I’ll be posting a piece about the album specifically tomorrow but did you know there are horns on it?
Anyhow, when long time 9b reader/commenter Cliff in England asked if I’d be interested in running an interview he conducted with the boys a few weeks back I jumped at it. Hope y’all enjoy it.
~ Autopsy IV
A Night with the Boys from Lucero (an interview by Cliff England):
Formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1998, Lucero has been tearing through this country with their punk/rock/country (insert about any aesthetic adjective here) outfit for some time now. Lead vocalist, Ben Nichols, has one of the most distinctive voices in music today. It’s unrefined, rough, and exposed, in other words it is the definition of rock n’ roll. Brian Venable, lead guitarist, and co-founding member does the balancing act. His guitar ranges from solid country blues, to raging rock guitar. Bassist, John C. Stubberfield, and drummer, Roy Berry, round out the quartet with solid layering and depth. Lucero goes beyond skin deep though; Nichols writing sets the tone as raw and emotional as his voice. Life on the fringe seems to be the biggest theme in Nichol’s writing. The words seem to pour out of him with honesty and sincerity like someone decades before his time.
The “Lucero Sound” is hard to characterize, at its core it is a medley of everything great in American music of the last fifty years. The teenage punk angst of Black Flag, a 1970’s Kris Kristofferson country folk tune, and the soul of Springsteen’s Born to Run are all pieces of the Lucero puzzle. Slowly, but surely the band is finding each of those pieces. They are undoubtedly a force helping put Memphis, and everything the home of Elvis Presley embodies, back on the map.
On October 6th Lucero releases their sixth full length record 1372 Overton Park. It marks a change for Lucero, goodbye to their record label and on to the infamous, Universal Republic. Many fans and skeptics are concerned with the jump to a major label. The concern lies in the droves of bands that have made the same leap only to be misguided and left to be a skeleton of their previous selves. The question that lingers now is; on which side of the line will Lucero ultimately land?
That question among many others was asked when I sat down with Brian Venable before their show in Urbana, Illinois at the Pygmalion Music Festival which Lucero was headlining:
CE: So 1372 Overton Park is the New Record right?
BV: Yes
CE: You guys lived there for quite a while?
BV: Yea, the four of us from like 8 years ago up until recently. That’s how we we’re able to tour so frequently, the rent was cheap. All living in one spot
CE: All you guys living together I’m bet there is some stories you could tell from that?
BV: Umm probably, I think realistically, you go out for six weeks you come home, the warehouse was huge. Everybody would just kind of splinter off, and not be in the same van for awhile. A lot of drinking, a lot of you know, pretty much we could destroy a garbage pile and shoot with bb guns. Pretty much if your twelve year old self got to live in a place with your friends and do anything you want.
CE: You guys just signed with Universal this last year. Has that brought about any change or anything?
BV: There is a lot more red tape sometimes. It sounds better to your parents. We’re pretty much doing the same thing. I think between the label, and the new producer, they forced us. They wanted demos, which we’ve never really done good demos, like they wanted completed demos. And it forced us to actually concentrate on the songs more before we even went into the studio. Which I think help make it a better record.
CE: You guys had to be a little bit more responsible about the whole thing?
BV: Yes, yes, there were deadlines.
CE: So tell me about the record then, it comes out October 6th right?
BV: Yes
CE: There is a lot of talk around the fans and everything about the horns section…
BV: Yea, we’re curious about it. It’s been 50/50 for me looking on the boards. For every person that’s like “ohh this sounds like ska”, which I always assume is some twelve year old kid that likes Rage Against the Machine. That has no concept of what’s going on, like a soul record, or a Bruce Springsteen record, or anyone of them till they get older. Most everybody schools them online, like ‘don’t be dumb’. It’s an exciting progression if you think about it. I went back personally because I had heard bands. I wanted horns on the record not even in a soul way originally. But just in a ‘rock you in the crib’ (sorta way) There was this band from Denver, Hearts of Palm. It’d be exciting to just do this on a one or two songs just mix it up. It ended up working out really well. A friend of mine heard some of the early demos with horns, and he said it sounded real Memphis soul. And you go back all the Lynyrd Skynyrd studio stuff had horns, Alice Cooper’s first three records (had) horns. You know like, you never heard the horns as much until you start concentrating then you’re like ohh wait a minute. It’s like piano, when we introduced piano. People were like, “ehhhhh that’s different,” you know but the saxophone and piano are right there with the birth of rock n roll.
CE: Amen.
CE: So you guys worked with a legendary saxophonist (Jim Spake), from Memphis right?
BV: Yes
CE: How was that?
BV: It was fun, I think he’s Memphis, so I don’t think we don’t necessarily go in thinking “Legendary Saxophonist”. It’s Jim. Which is one of the things about Memphis, stuff happens and nobody gets a big heads or egos about it. Whatever record you’re working on is the most important one at the time.
CE: Speaking of Memphis in that sense, I know there is a big music scene down there. Can you kind of describe what that was about, where you guys came from?
BV: I think it’s always been a real interesting situation. Like, with the 60’s and 70’s you had your Elvis. And then you turn into your, or a lot of times you went to record in Memphis. There wasn’t a lot of artist coming. There were labels, or there was American Records. Wasn’t that what it was called?
RS (Lucero pianist Rick Skeff): Yes.
BV: Like “Dusty Springfield in Memphis” and “Memphis Experience.” You’d have a whole lot of that. And I think the city wants the commerce industry, they were like “OHH ELVIS yeah yeah yeah”, but they’ll miss the entire underground. That was always the joke with Memphis; some of the best bands in the world started, played, and broke up after a year. Maybe put out a seven inch, maybe didn’t even do anything. But we just came out of that huge music scene that is boiling underground that never really goes anywhere.
CE: So any bands out right now around Memphis that you would recommend? Somebody might not get a chance if they’re not in Memphis to check out online.
BV: We’re taking out a few people. Amy LaVere. She plays upright bass. She’s kind of a….I don’t know what a chanteuse is but,
RS: How about a classy woman in a long silk dress, playing sultry tunes.
BV: I always thought it was the color red. But she did that “5$ cover” TV show with Ben and everything. So far from what I’ve heard everybody is really excited about the “Dirty Streets”. They just kind of started. We’re taking them out for a little bit. But I mean they’re so new I haven’t even heard em’. But everyone that has immediately says they sound like the MC5 and they’re amazing. There is like the “City Champs” and they’re kinda like “Booker T & MG’s” soul thing. Then there is always the makeshift people, which is Snowglobe, Jimmy James & the Hall, any kind of number of them. There is just a group of them, like a little community of about 20 people that all play in the same bands.
CE: So it’s like a little community?
BV: Yea, just like that.
CE: You guys have a few more dates around here then you’re heading back to Memphis?
BV: We do Detroit, really Ferndale, which I think is a suburb or something. Then we’ll do Columbus, OH, and then we’re home for two-weeks. Hopefully we’ll spend most of those days practicing.
CE: Big Tour right?
BV: Trying to get the.… We’ll we’ve recorded with the horns but we’ve never actually played live before with them.
CE: So you’re breaking them out for the tour?
BV: Yea, we’re taking the horns out for the fall tour. So it’s going to be a gigantic crazy deal.
CE: How long is that going to go on then?
BV: Six weeks, October 8th to November 21st
–
The scene was nearly four hours after the interview. Lucero finally walked on stage at nearly one o’clock. By that time the robust crowd at the Canopy Club had dispersed to a dreary, but steadfast hundred or so people. Concern was obvious that the people left were either too drunk to find their way home, or trying to get to that point. All the while it was clear they did not care about the band coming on stage. Doubts and reservations quickly left when the first chords to Lucero’s set started. “Sound of the City”, a new track, quickly got the crowd out of its lull of drunkenness.
Ben humored the crowed by taking multiple shots from concert goers and taking request after request. Lucero essentials like “Nights Like These”, “All Sewn Up”, and “Chain Link Fence” were all played. As well, new Lucero songs “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble”, “Darken My Door” and “The Devil and Maggie Charcarillo” were played. The songs set the mood as if it was an early era punk show, then slowed it to a halt with sincerity like a Merle Haggard acoustic set, just as any Lucero studio record can do.
The show was not without its faults. It was evident from the start drummer, Roy Berry, was having problems with his drum kit. Chaos and antics ensued mid way through the set when Roy decided to quit drumming and sat down out of frustration. Then he stood up and sprayed beer all over the stage. After some encouragement from Ben, and rest of the band, Roy decided to saddle up and finish the show. The incident did little to hinder the enjoyment of the show; if anything it affirmed the notion that the band lives up to its’ rock n’ roll persona.
The night was capped off with moving solo performance by Ben of the new song “Mom,” a poignant tale for mothers everywhere. Nichols thanked the audience for staying up so late with the band, and asked what time the bar closed. Pouring their hearts and souls out up on stage, like the most genuine bands before them, the answer was simple; No, Lucero had played past closing time.
To be honest, I was a little torn. I mean, I’d flown up for the Deep Blues Festival and I’d done a shit ton of hype for it, too, so to abandon one night of it to take a taxi to St. Paul to see Slim Cessna’s Auto Club seemed kind of wrong. However, as my guilt ebbed and flowed, I knew I had to go. SCAC never comes to Florida, so the fact that they were in the same town I was in was the kind of fate that couldn’t be ignored, and my guilt faded before the taxi was a mile down the road.
I’d long imagined what a SCAC show would be like. I’d watched plenty of live videos on myspace and I was exceptionally jazzed to finally be seeing them by the time we got to the venue. With my SCAC shirt procured, I proceeded to have a few drinks while the opener played. In the downtime before SCAC’s show I refreshed my drink and took a perch up in front of the stage. The next hour and a half or so is a blur of hand-clapping, sing-alonging, whiskey-swilling, sonic orgasmic awesomeness.
Slim Cessna’s sound is just as big and robust live as it is on cd, while Slim & Jay’s back and forth banter is even more enjoyable in a live environment. They sang on the stage, they sang in the middle of the crowd and they sang at all points in between. Our friend said she felt like they were Pied Pipers and had they took off out the front doors the entire crowd would have followed.
I know I would have.
I also know that the competition for Best Show of 2009 is over. Slim has taken that crown and nothing short of Ronnie Van Zandt going zombie and Lynyrd Skynyrd going on a brains and reunion tour is gonna get it back.
It’s taken me quite some time to get around to writing this recap. Personally, I find that when writing about festivals it’s best to marinate on them for a while after they’re over. This lets the truly enjoyable moments rise to the top, and such is the case with the Deep Blues Festival.
My personal experience for this year’s festival was night and day from last. See, last year I went up to Minneapolis alone and didn’t know anyone. So as a result, it was all about the music. I saw every song by every band. This year things were different, not only did I take the wife and her friend with me, but over the past year I’d managed to become decent friends with many of the bands playing the fest. An added distraction was that the festival was in a bar this year, which not only allowed for simultaneous shows to be occurring inside as well as outside, but it also allowed a person to drink just as much as they pleased (and we did). So, while it was as much a social event as it was a music event for me this year, it was also 100% more fun. I think Chris has really struck gold by moving the festival to The Cabooze. It’s right on the light rail line with easy access to downtown restaurants and hotels and was a mighty upgrade from the field it was held in last year. Even the weather gods smiled upon this change and mostly kept the rain away. Enough about that though, let’s talk about the music a little.
Thursday night, after being up since 5:30 in the morning, we pounded a few drinks at the hotel and headed out to The Cabooze for a little Left Lane Cruiser / Radio Moscow action. We’d caught Left Lane in an empty bar here in St. Pete a few days before, so it was nice to catch them in a packed house where everyone knew all the words to all the songs. The band was obviously feeding off this energy as the show wore on, playing requests as well as a healthy selection of songs from their upcoming album. At one point during their set, Brenn (drummer) missed his drum and broke his finger on the edge of it. Instead of calling it a night, Brenn just duct taped the drumstick to his hand and soldiered on…if that ain’t rock and roll then I don’t even know what is. Unfortunately we were only able to catch 2 songs from Radio Moscow, but the early hours & excessive whiskey finally got the upper hand and we had to find a bed. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Friday morning came and some seriously cold (for a Floridian) weather came with it, so after breakfast/early lunch I sent the wife and our friend downtown to buy us some warmer clothes. All of this resulted in us getting to the festival a lot later than we’d planned, but what are you gonna do? I’m from Florida- I do heat, not cold. We got there in time to see everyone I needed to, so let’s run through some of the highlights.
One band that came highly recommended from my buddy here in Florida was Red Clay River. Their mournful country sounds were exactly what I needed on a chilly Friday afternoon. Friday was a weird day. As I’ve said before, it was cold (even for Minnesota) and my wife and her friend were drinking at an utterly freakish pace. I mean, I’m not complaining, it was just sort of weird to see her bringing me a fresh beverage while there was still 1/4 of a drink left in my current one. While reminiscing about the festival this week, my wife had this to say about Friday, “I remember at one point thinking, I’ve never been this fucked up in public before in my life and the sun is still up.” As the day wore on, we drank with Brenn from LLC, Parker from Radio Moscow, Scotty from Poopdeflex and there is cloudy recollection of there being others, but nothing concrete. One of the “must see” bands of the festival for me was Davina & the Vagabonds, and I was center stage when they got started. Davina & The Vagabonds. In a word: sexy. In a tweet: “Davina and the Vagabonds. Music you should fuck to.“ These guys (and gal) are truly an undiscovered gem hanging out in Minneapolis. Between trips to the bar, greenroom, inside stages, outside stages & BS sessions with folks, we caught bits and pieces of Smokestack, Gravelroad, Deadeye and Porkchop, before settling in at one of the outside stages to catch the last ever performance of American Relay. They rocked the stage like there was no tomorrow and our little scene will be worse off without them. After the American Relay show we managed to catch a little bit of the T-Model Ford show before we had to leave to catch the Slim Cessnas Auto Club show in St. Paul (more on that tomorrow).
A neat story. On the way home Friday night I get an email from Matthew Dean Herman (wrote about him here). Turns out, he was in Minneapolis from Anchorage, Alaska so his daughter could attend a hockey camp. He was interested in checking out DBF before he had to leave on Saturday. I send an email back telling him how cool that would be, gave him my cell number and told him where we were staying. Turns out he was staying literally 4 doors down from us. It’s a small world indeed.
Sunday morning came and the revelry of the prior day and night had a price that needed to be paid. I finally got the wife and co. up and moving and we got to DBF in time to get a few whiskey drinks in me before Poopdeflex took the stage. Now Poopdeflex had come highly recommended from fellow Ft. Wayne resident Brenn (Left Lane Cruiser) as an act that needed to be witnessed. Poopdeflex plays a version of the blues that dabbles in metal and punk as much as it does the blues, while his treatment of the crowd is planted firmly in “hostile”, dropping nuggets such as, “God damn, they make folks ugly up here is Minnesota”, “I hear there’s are really good band playing inside, maybe you fuckers should go in there and check them out…I won’t mind” & “I hate critics, and I hate fans too”. We thought it was hilarious, but the bulk of the Minnesotans failed to see the humor in it. As the day wore on I managed to match the drinking pace the wife set the night before, while she limped along. We wandered back and forth between the inside stage and the outside stages until an (at the time) unknown gem by the name of Tom VandenAvond grabbed us by the backs of our heads. He also plays in The Woodsboss, which is the band that formed in the wake of The Weary Boys…a fact (him being a member) I didn’t know until I was talking to him later in the day. Later came the highlight of the entire weekend, The Black Diamond Heavies. Anytime the Black Diamond Heavies are in the house, odds are they’re the highlight and it’s a burden they’re proud to carry. They managed to put on the typical show, which is to say it was fucking awesome. After the Heavies I gotta be honest, my night devolves into a whiskey induced haze….a byproduct of this year’s fest being as much a social event as it was a musical event, which is to say it was fucking awesome.
Sunday, instead of going to the Gospel brunch, we elected to spend our last few hours in Minneapolis sight-seeing. We had brunch at this place called the Uptown where we drank Bloody Marys in pint glasses we got to keep and ate burgers with bacon and eggs on them. All in all, while some of the evenings started to blur and the lineup wasn’t as heavyweight-studded as last year’s, it made up for that by ramping the fun level up tenfold. As we boarded the plane to come home Sunday afternoon, the wife and her friend were already making plans to return for the fest next year.
Hopefully, there will be a next year.
Next week I’ll post a photoblog of the weekend and an interview or two.
Holy. Crap. Talk about getting one in right under the wire. No matter. We’re here. tt’s still July and the podcast is live, so let’s talk about it.
This month’s podcast is divided into two halves. The first half is all about new music. In that section we have a song from the upcoming Lucero cd, 1372 Overton Park, as well as a phenomenal cover of Lucero’s “Better Than This” by ninebullets.net faves, The Fox Hunt. Incidentally, the new Lucero album is currently up for preorder. If you do preorder it, not only will you get the physical cd a few weeks prior to the “official” release date, you’ll also immediately get to download a six song preview of the album (from whence the song on this podcast came). While we’re on the preorder tip, there is a also song on the podcast from the new Chris Knight album, Trailer Tapes II. Like the new Lucero, Chris’ album is up for preorder, but if you preorder it now you’ll get to download a digital copy of the whole album immediately.
The second half of the podcast features bands from this year’s Deep Blues Festival, which I plan on posting a complete recap of next week. I featured American Relay in this segment who, unfortunately, played their last show ever at the Festival. I believe they have a new album coming out, but there will be no touring to support it. Also featured is Davina and The Vagabonds. I had high hopes for this band and they lived up to every one. Matter of fact, during their set I tweeted the following, “Davina and the Vagabonds. Music you should fuck to“. I also decided to include Woodsbossman, Tom VandenAvond. He looks like he could be Scott H. Biram’s little brother and he writes some fine, fine music.
I closed this month’s Podcast with a track from Gainesville’s The Takers. Their new album has finally been released and you can get it at all your favorite digital outlets, plus you can read about the album here.
And that does it. Another month comes to pass. I am pretty happy with this month’s podcast and I think y’all will like it. Do me a favor, though. If you listen and you enjoy the show, please tell other people about it. The website’s stats have been increasing this month, but the podcast’s stats have been in decline. I am gonna try to do more advertising of the show this month, but nothing beats word of mouth.
Thanks, everyone. ~Autopsy IV (twitter: @autopsy4)
Tracklisting:
Drive-By Truckers – Nine Bullets [00.00.00]
Lucero – Hey Darling, Do You Gamble [04.03.00]
The Fox Hunt – Better Than This (Lucero Cover) [08.36.00]
Autopsy IV Commentary [11.56.50]
Truckstop Coffee – Ghost or an Angel [13.00.00]
Drive-By Truckers – Zip City [19.09.00]
Chris Knight – Highway Junkie [24.25.00]
Autopsy IV Commentary [28.57.00]
Matthew Dean Herman – Southern Belle [30.25.00]
American Relay – Bonedry [34.13.25]
Left Lane Cruiser – Amy’s In The Kitchen [37.19.25]
A Night In The Box – Rich Man’s Table [40.38.50]
Autopsy V Commentary [44.07.25]
Davina and The Vagabonds – St. Michael Vs The Devil [44.46.25]
Red Clay River – Rattlesnake Mountain [49.36.00]
Tom VandenAvond – I cant help It If Im Still In Love With You [52.44.00]
Well. We’ve arrived in Minnesota and caught Restauvant, Left Lane Cruiser and Radio Moscow at the opening night of the Deep Blues Festival. I am gonna have some guest posts for y’all over the next few days and I thought, “Why not start it off with someone from Minnesota?”.
Enter Neil Smith to add a little class the site. Hope y’all enjoy.
Thanks to Autosy4 for letting me stick my nose in over here and sniff around. This is one of my fave sites, a necessary stop on an almost daily level to recharge with some high voltage twang.
When I surf on over to ninebullets.net, I’m absolutely certain that I’ll find something every time to help me groove while I’m working on a new novel. Be it Slim Cessna, Seasick Steve, The Fox Hunt, Biram, John Paul Keith and the One Four Fives, or some good ol’ DBT, I’m telling you that this shit goes smoothly with crime fiction. Especially when you’re reading some funky, red-clay covered, sweaty and sexy rural noir.
So I’m going to give you some surefire good reads to go along with the ripped speaker deep blues blasting out your ear pods.
Of course, I won’t mention my own novels, like Yellow Medicine and Hogdoggin’, both badass rural noirs following the exploits of dirty cop Billy Lafitte, who gets a second chance after Hurricane Katrina to start over again a thousand miles away in Southern Minnesota. What does he do with it? He goes right back to being a dirty cop. And then it gets weird. Malaysian wannabe terrorist trying to fund their terror plots with meth money, plus Billy’s love for a girl in a psychobilly band, leads him deeper and deeper into dangerous shit. Not to mention that in the sequel, Hogdoggin’, he joins a cult biker club.
But no, let’s not talk about those, or about The Drummer (heavy metal drummer fakes his death to fool the IRS, and is discovered fifteen years later in New Orleans), or my first novel, Psychosomatic (First line: “Because Lydia didn’t have arms or legs, she shelled out three thousand bucks to a washed-up middleweight named Cap to give her ex-husband the beating of his life.”). Really, that wouldn’t be fair, would it.
The first name on my list is Joe R. Lansdale, the brilliant and ridiculously funny author of the Hap and Leonard series, set in Lansdale’s home stomping grounds of East Texas. Hap’s a good ol’ boy who can kick a few asses now and then, while Leonard is his gay black, Vietnam vet best friend. Together, they burn down a crack house, go chasing sunken treasure, and generally stumble into situations where they get the living fuck beat out of them. Highly entertaining. Start with Savage Season and The Two-Bear Mambo and you’ll blaze through them up until the most recent, Vanilla Ride. But Lansdale is also know for his horror writing, including the story that spawned the movie Bubba Ho-Tep(editor’s note: Bubba Ho-Tep is a GREAT movie). If you want a fantastic and creepy rural noir that contains perhaps the most skin-crawling image I’ve ever had to conjure up, try Freezer Burn.
Next, in a more serious (but just as warped) vein, would be Mississippi’s late great Larry Brown. He died several years back at the height of his powers. Young, only around 50. But his novels are brutal enough to make you flinch. I’d start with Father and Son, about an intensely angry man just out of prison in 1968 who goes right back to killing, then move on to Joe and Fay, and for an equally tasty snack, you have to take a look at where he shines most–in the short story. His collections are Big Bad Love and Facing the Music. I’m also a fan of his essays in Billy Ray’s Farm.
Back to the funny side of things, even if we’re talking about some dark, dark funny. One of my all-time favorite authors, James Crumley recently passed away, leaving behind some of the wildest “gonzo noirs” I’ve ever read. Everyone must start with his classic The Last Good Kiss, featuring an alcoholic bulldog and a detective wandering around the American West. You’ll get the same melancholy noir/western/black comedy out of The Wrong Case, but I especially love the under appreciated later novels The Final Country and The Right Madness. I mean, when you’ve got someone hanging herself, only to have the head pop off the body, the body fall on the detective, and them both rolling out the door while the detective is vomiting and laughing at the same time, well…hard to top.
Take a steamy trip down to Florida with Vicki Hendricks’s steamy redneck noir in Miami Purity, which begins with a woman killing her white trash boyfriend with a boombox to the face. Or Iguana Love, which involves scuba diving, steroids, lots of sex, and, you guessed it, an iguana. Vicki’s a good friend and a great, whacked-out writer.
To keep you busy for years to come, I’d suggest Southern Louisiana via James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series, starting with The Neon Rain and stretching through nearly twenty more until you get to the aftermath of Katrina in The Tin Roof Blowdown, and Dave’s Montana fishing vacation in Sawn Peak. If you like one, you’ll like them all, as Burke has a particular lush style that leans heavy on the description of Southern weather, bayous, and the land, while also displaying his unique take on dialogue. It’s an art. A bloody, inspired art.
And let’s not forget the master: Harry Crews. Not officially a noir writer, but I doubt many Southern Gothic tales of crime and misery in the new American South could have been written without him. Start with The Gospel Singer and soak in the sensuality of backwoods religion. Try Scar Lover for one of the weirdest love stories this side of Wild at Heart. And then there’s Body, which moves the hicks off the mountain and into Miami Beach and women’s bodybuilding. He will creep you out. And that’s part of the pleasure of reading Crews.
I could go on and on, but a lot of these you either know or will stumble into along the way (Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, Dorthy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina, Jayne Anne Phillips’s Lark and Termite, Scott Phillips’s Cottonwood, Jim Thompson’s Killer Inside Me, Flannery O’Connor, and old Gold Medal titles from Harry Whittington and John Faulkner, brother of William), but I can’t leave you without mentioning a writer so good that once you discover his work, you’ll mete his name out only to those people in your life you trust most. You’ll become a disciple. And that writer is Daniel Woodrell. He came screaming out of Missouri Ozark country with jaw-dropping novels like Tomato Red, The Death of Sweet Mister, and his most recent Winter’s Bone. Find them. Devour them. You need them. And all the while in the background, you’ll hear the haunted strains of all those dark fire and brimstone bands you find here on Nine Bullets.
Hope that keeps your library card or local bookstore busy this summer. But take a break from the pages to head on out to some concerts and soak it all in like New Orleans humidity. But one thing I’ve learned from being raised in Mississippi, hanging around Southeast Louisiana, and now living all the way up here in Southwest Minnesota’s farm country–the accents may be different, but rural is rural. We all understand each others’ stories easier that way.
