Truth.

I haven’t heard or thought of Jeff Healey since his cameo in Roadhouse performing “Angel Eyes” until I saw his obituary. In the obit it said he died on the eve of his newest album’s release. I will admit, in the interest of honesty, that I picked up “Mess of Blues” out of sheer morbid curiosity.

One more truth: This album has blown my doors off!

Man. I mean no disrespect by this at all, but what a way to go out. This album will always have the ‘Jeff died on the eve of its release’ stigma, but there is no mourning in it. Instead, you get a blazing rock-blues record that the Healey faithful are dubbing one of his best. I can’t speak to the rest of his catalog, but I can say that this album is wonderful. It’s Saturday night, shit kickin’, whiskey neat drinking, pool shooting, gonna have to take a cab home tonight rocking to be accurate.

Recorded late last year, the album is 10 tracks, featuring 6 in studio recordings and 4 live performances. Two of the live tracks were recorded at a concert in London, while the other two were laid down in Jeff’s club, Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse. The entire album features the band that normally accompanied Jeff at his club; Dave Murphy (keyboards and he also sings on two tracks), Alec Fraser (bass), Dan Noordermeer (guitar) and Al Webster (drums).

Jeff Healey - I’m Tore Down
Jeff Healey - The Weight
Jeff Healey - How Blue Can You Get

Jeff Healey’s Official Site, Jeff Healey on myspace, Buy Mess of Blues

As y’all know, I try and preach the gospel of Scott H. Biram as often as possible. Today I stumbled across an interview he did for the upcoming documentary, Running Heavy and decided to do a little Dirty Old One Man Band youtube post. Enjoy:

The Crazy Redneck drops his thoughts in Scott (NSFW Language):

In preparation for my friends 30th birthday this weekend (we’re renting Wrestlemania @ our local bar) I was cleaning off the camera. I realized I’ve taken a lot of pictures from shows but never managed to post ‘em. So here they are.

Pine Box Boys from Dave’s Aqua Lounge

Nervous Turkey from Skippers Smokehouse

Mofro from Skippers Smokehouse

Lucero from The State Theater

Lucero - Old Sad Songs (seemed topical…one of the best 1 minute songs ever)

I have been killing my iPhone battery looking up old Howlin’ Wolf songs on youtube during traffic jams lately…

Week in and week out I find myself in utter amazement of the complete lack of intelligence this house of strippers and silicone displays. Sometimes I try and give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking it must be editing, they can’t really be this dumb…but they are. Is it just me, or does Meagan have a perpetual look of confusion on her face? She is blank. She better pull a Heather Mills, cause once her titties sag, she’s got nothing for anyone. She and Daisy couldn’t hold a stimulating conversation with my dog and it angers me. This week, I realized I hate these girls…they have ruined season 2.

C%*nts.

This week started off with Bret jumping in his Lamborghini and riding off into the sunset in search of intelligent female life while KJ calls up her hubby and informs him of the divorce she told Bret about back in episode 2. This leads to the first of the weekly KJ freak-outs.

Bret returns to the house just in time to tell the girls that their challenge for this week is to make videos worse than the two songs he has picked out, with the leading of the winning team getting a solo date and the other whores getting a group date. Teams are KJ, Megan and Ambre (leader) versus Daisy, Not as hot KJ (leader) and Jessica. Team Ambre draws the ballad while Team Not As Hot As KJ gets the rocker.

Team Ambre uses their team’s natural talents. Ambre films as KJ lies down on a bed and cries with Megan straddling her looking confused. Then KJ mopes around while Megan picks up a telephone and looks confused. Team Not as hot KJ goes the stripper route, complete with poles, finger sucking, fake tits and Daisy’s duck lips. Both videos suck big time, but neither are as bad as the song they are representing. Team Ambre wins based solely on the fact that is was a coherent piece from beginning to end, in lieu of the piss-poor Myspace-quality-esque hyper-spliced P.O.S. Team Not as hot as KJ gave us.

Ambre’s solo date consisted of a Bollywood version of a hippy talking about mad mountains and past lives in Bret’s room while KJ pounded on the door. Bret answers and is all “stop cock blocking, bitch” while KJ’s like, “I need to talk to you while I cry” and Bret’s totally like “get da fuck outta here”. So KJ runs upstairs to cry. Seeing his opportunity, Bret sends the Indian-Shaman guy thing off to harass KJ, leaving him and Ambre alone in his bedroom. Faces are sucked.

Ambre’s date ends and KJ’s in Bret’s room 5 minutes later to tell him that she’s decided that she’s really gonna get that divorce she told him she already was getting. Bret’s a little pissed. KJ’s drops an “I love you” which is met with radio silence. KJ is confused. I guess in playmate land, lying about a divorce falls into little white lie land. While all this KJ action is unfolding behind a closed door, Daisy, Destiny and Jessica are perched at the bottom of the stairs taking turns breaking down.

Group date is Bret, Megan and KJ. It basically consisted of Megan finally showing off her talents while KJ went away to sulk. Now I ain’t gonna lie, so long as Megan is straddling you and making out, life would be awesome with a capital schwing…the problem would be if she talked. More tonsil hockey, less trying to formulate words into sentences.

Elimination comes and we get down to Megan and KJ being the only two without a pass. Bret calls KJ down and asks her if she wants to stay. After one last cry she says she can’t…cause…you know…she has that pesky husband thing and all back in Indiana. Bret breaks rank and walks her out. After some on camera face suckage and some off camera who knows what suckage, Bret returns to address Megan, who was probably getting kicked outta the house 10 minutes ago. He basically says, “I’m heartbroken and I ain’t gotta pass for you, but I guess you get to stay. kthnkbye.”

Meagan looks confused.

Heather returns next week. Let’s hope to high heavens ROL goes Flava of Love and Heather gets to stay for real.

The Rose: She’s a Playmate
The Thorn: She’s Fucking Crazy
Poison - Every Rose Has It’s Thorn

Bret was heartbroken: Poison - I Won’t Forget You
Next Week Is Coming Anyway: Poison - Life Goes On
Dear Megan, Destiny & Daisy: I hate you

Imagine Death himself plopping his ass down at your campfire with his pal and band mate, Desperation, and they break out in song….what do you think that would sound like? I am gonna say Those Poor Bastards is pretty fucking close…. ~ Autopsy IV

Turning down the country part of their Doom country sound, while concentrating the remaining doom, I would be inclined to say that if there ever was to be a serial killer convention, The Plague would be the soundtrack. Those Poor Bastards have ascended from their depths of despair with eleven new tracks of suffering. Fittingly enough, it landed on my doorstep in the midst of a surprise thunderstorm. I put it on and opened the front door, letting in the angry winds in while TPB painted a picture of mankind’s impending doom. While this is probably their best effort to date, TPB still aren’t for delicate ears. However, if you’re in the mood for the sounds of heavy reverb, organs, filth and disease, then The Plague is Essential Listening.

Those Poor Bastards will also be playing this years Deep Blues Festival…as if you needed another reason to be at that.

Those Poor Bastards - Sick & Alone
Those Poor Bastards - A Curse
Those Poor Bastards - Old Pine Box

Those Poor Bastards Official Site, Those Poor Bastards on myspace, Buy The Plague

When I was a teenager my friends and I had a theory that the perfect night would consist of beer, pizza and sex. In later years I learned that whiskey could replace beer but other than that we had pretty much nailed it.

I double as the I.T. Guy here at work. I don’t get anymore money for it but they make up for that with the added headaches. Right now, I have a dead workstation and a limping server. Both have been an issue all week but now it’s time to fix them. While I am doing so I will be streaming the new episode of It Burns When I Pee. It’s their “Country Music and Titties” edition featuring tunes from The Pine Box Boys, Malcolm Hocombe, Gerry Stanek, and last but not least Roscoe Fletcher.

Go Check It Out and I’ll see y’all tomorrow.

Frank Zappa - Titties and Beer
Rodney Carrington - Titties and Beer
Hank Jr. - Naked Women and Beer

A few months back I wrote about Columbia, South Carolina’s American Gun’s 2006 debut album, Dark Southern Hearts. At the time, I lamented the fact that I was getting to the American Gun party so late in the game. The band took pity on me and mailed me an advance copy of their now-released follow-up album, The Means and the Machine. This time around, instead of lamenting my tardiness to the American Gun bandwagon, I am sitting here feeling like I should apologize for being so late on writing this entry. The album has been on my iphone for a month now and I’ve been selfish. See, I put stuff I need to listen to for ninebullets on the iPhone, and once I’ve listened and either written something about the album or decided that I don’t wanna write about it, I delete it from the phone and put on another album. However, I’ve been enjoying the cd so much I was trying to delay the inevitable deletion from my phone.

The first time I mentioned these fellas, I compared them to Lucero. This time, the impression is reinforced by an inspired cover of Lucero’s “All the Same to Me”. As I also mentioned before about the last effort, this album features the dueling songwriting of Donald Merckle and Todd Mathis, one being dark and moody, while the other keeps things a bit more upbeat and foot-stomping. This time around, however, they seem to have found a little more common ground, which makes the album feel more cohesive. Another great addition to this album was bringing in the production talent of Chris Stamey (The DBs, Whiskeytown, Caitlin Cary, Alejandro Escovedo, Yo La Tengo, Tift Merritt) and the pedal-steel work of Flying Burrito Brothers picker Al Perkins. Even though there is no track on this album as awesome as “Someone to Blame” from the debut, I must say that, as a whole, this album does plenty to propel the band forward and earn new fans while doing nothing to alienate old fans. So, with great sadness, I will listen to their take of “Moonshiner” one last time, press the publish button, and remove it from the iPhone…but not before I add it to my iPod’s Essential Listening playlist.

American Gun - Drunk Girls
American Gun - This Old Town
American Gun - Jesus Gave Us Rock And Roll

American Gun - Someone to Blame (from debut)

American Gun’s Official Site, American Gun on myspace, Buy The Means and the Machine

Just to set the scene.

Some Irish-ish, Flogging Molly-ish band from Japan hits the stage first and Flogging Molly are third. Sandwiched between this was Rev. Peyton armed with his acoustic guitars, Washboard Breezy with her washboard, and Jayme Peyton on the drums, bringing their back porch brand of rocking blues. I walked into the show midway through the first opening act and the place was packed with kids dressed in green and pumping their fists to Japanese Irish fight songs and I began to worry for the good Reverend and his merry band. There was no way in hell this crowd was gonna wanna hear blues music. Not tonight. So, I began talking to the people around me in between acts. The typical conversation went like this:

“You looking forward to the next band, Reverend Peyton and His Big Damn Band?”
“Who are they?”
“An awesome three piece blues band from Tennessee.”
Grimaced face…”Blues?”
“Yep”
Even more contorted face, “What are they doing at this show?”

Oh. Jesus, I thought, I better get another drink. This could get ugly.

Oh me of little faith.

The band had the crowd wrapped around their little finger in two songs. They even moshed a little, which may surprise some of you, but Tampa will…nay HAS…moshed to They Might Be Giants. If there is a band and any sort of a crowd, a mosh pit is soon to follow…but I digress. The crowd ate them up. Breezy with her washboard and mean face was the favorite of the fella standing beside me. Personally, I loved watching Reverend with his high-waisted pants, higher stomping foot and manic guitar picking. While I didn’t bother to stick around for Flogging Molly, I can not imagine they put on a better show.
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - Amberdeen
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - Another Bottle
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - My Old Man Boogie

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band’s Official Site, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band on myspace, Buy The Reverend’s albums

An infamous moonshiner who wrote of his craft in the book “Me and My Likker” has been busted by federal authorities after search warrants yielded moonshine stills and more than 800 gallons of the illegal firewater at his Parrottsville home, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today.

More

Sutton also did the How To Make Moonshine documentary. I am posting about this because it’s as good of an excuse as any to post this awesome track from the new Delta Moon’s new album, Clear Blue Flame. You can sample more tracks from the album on their web site.

Delta Moon - Clear Blue Flame