Tag: I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House

GUEST POST: 3 ARTISTS FROM MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON:

THIS IS A REOCCURRING PIECE HERE ON NINEBULLETS WHERE WE GET A TRAVELING ARTIST TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE MUSIC THEY FOND WHILE OUT ON THE ROAD. TODAY’S PIECE COMES FROM ME MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON OF I CAN LICK ANY SONOFABITCH IN THE HOUSE. SO, TAKE IT AWAY MIKE:

Well here goes…3 bands or artists I discovered on the road after being give a CD after the show after we played together. There are so many; a few great ones, a mess of good ones and a bunch of forgettable ones. Then, there are the ones you become buddies with.

#1 “The Wall Against our Back“, Two Cow Garage:

We (Icanlickanysob) met Two Cow Garage in 04..was it 04? Maybe 03 in Chicago. We were lucky enough to have gotten a show on the last Slobberbone tour..I think Micah had just turned 21 and we ran into each other and just kind of knew each other. Us and them…we (SOB) opened the show and threw our guts on the floor..The place was packed, I was unprepared for what I was about to see and become a lifelong fan of..2 Cow. They smoked our ass that night which was no easy feat back then. We hung out, got to visit, and traded CDs. They gave us “The Wall Against Our Back” I still listen to it.

My favorite tracks:

Brand New July
135

# 2 “Hey Buddies“, Drag the River:

We met Drag the River in Boise in 04 also I think. I had no idea who All was or anything about Drag except my friend in Portland, Dewey from Red Hills loved em…Jon gave me a copy of “Hey Buddies” the last night of a 5 day tour. I’ve been a fan and friend every since.

My favorite tracks:

Modern Drunkard
Deminer

#3 “Nobody’s Darlings“, Lucero:

Played two shows with Lucero in Tennesse. One in Memphis. One in Nashville. The Nashville night was nuts and very hazy. My liver turned to mush. Ben and I drank Jager and kind of threw up on each other..wait maybe that was the Memphis night, anyway, Bill, Lucero’s merch man kicked us down Nobody’s Darlings. Still my favorite Lucero record.

My favorite tracks:

The War
Last Night In Town

NINEBULLETS.NET PODCAST: MARCH 2011: SxSW/CxCW EDITION:


Hey everyone. I shove off for SxSW in a few hours and figured I’d post a new podcast before I shuttered the site for the week. Well. Kind of shuttered. I’m sure there will be scattered updates from Austin but they’ll be sporadic and of questionable lucidity. If you’re interested you can follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook where I am sure there will be no shortage of updates, hijinks and pictures for use as evidence. But enough about me and my travels…let’s talk about the podcast.

The first half of the show serves as a SxSW preview of sorts but it’s worth is since the preview has brand new tracks from Ha Ha Tonka, Jason Isbell and the incomparable Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. As the show moves along I drift away from the SxSW motif with new songs from James Leg, Michael Dean Damron and The Red Hills.

All in all, I think I’ve done a pretty good job putting together an hour of quality listening for all the CxCW kids out there. As always, if you enjoy the show please share it with your Facebook and Twitter buddies. If you really enjoy the show, let me know…it’s always nice to get some feedback.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Justin Otto – Sun [00.00.00]
  2. Jason Isbell – Alabama Pines [00.03.15]
  3. Ha Ha Tonka – Made Example Of [00.07.05]
  4. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Three Bloodhounds Two Shepherds One Fila Brasileiro [00.11.15]
  5. Otis Gibbs – Kansas City [00.17.17]
  6. Possessed By Paul James – Shoulda’ Known Better [00.20.56]
  7. Scott H. Biram – Long Fingernail [00.24.30]
  8. James Leg – Drinking Too Much [00.30.20]
  9. Buffalo Gospel – Sunday’s Never Smile Anymore [00.34.02]
  10. Doc Daily & Magnolia Devil – Blue-Eyed Blonde [00.39.30]
  11. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House – Bad Days Ahead [00.44.38]
  12. Red Hills – USAtan [00.48.42]
  13. Michael Dean Damron – Devil Meets The Long Haired Weirdo [00.52.07]
  14. Mario Matteoli – Sun Keeps On Beatin’ Down [00.57.38]


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GUEST POST: THE ROCK REPORT: MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON HOUSE CONCERT

Our good buddy, Chris Green, recently booked Mike Damron for a house show and asked if I’d be interested in posting some of the video from it. Of course I responded with a solid Clay Davis “Shhhhhiiiiiiiitttttttttt” and accepted. Enjoy:


Ninebullets.net has devoted plenty of coverage to the music of Michael Dean Damron‘s music over the years. Longtime readers will know him both as the front man of incendiary hard rock band I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House, and also for his more contemplative solo albums.

Mike D’s home base is Portland, and so as a Seattle-area resident, I’ve been lucky to have had many opportunities to see him perform. I’ve seen him and his band winning over new audiences when opening for bigger name acts, and I’ve seen him playing more intimate venues full of his established fans. On stage, or talking in person, there is one invariant – whether headlining or opening and whether the crowd is big or small – putting his all into the performance is what he cares about.

His next solo album, “Plea from a Ghost” is due out this month, and he has started off his cross country tour in support of it with a few pacific northwest dates. In Seattle, he played a Saturday night house show (along with fellow Suburban Home Records artist Lizzie Huffman) at a private home that had a great performance space. When we saw his tour schedule, a friend (and ICLASOBITH fan) of mine and I decided to invite him to play a Sunday afternoon set at my buddy’s house out in the ‘burbs the next day.

We were pleased when he accepted without hesitation, and we started inviting people. We ended up with a very diverse set of guests of all ages, including some of our friends who had seen him play before, but also including plenty of people with no idea what to expect. When the show started, MDD joked that he was nervous because he was used to shows with drunker audiences and fights. Amusingly (if you’re familiar with his stage banter), he promised not to curse because there was a baby present, bouncing to the music on his Mom’s knee (I was impressed that he kept his promise until it was baby-nap-time). It turned out that there was no need for nervousness – he won the audience over quickly, and the applause grew louder throughout the set. He played a mixture of new songs from his forthcoming album, older material, and some covers (including a great cover of Two Cow Garage‘s “Swingset Assassin“). When he played the crowd-pleasing “Westboro Baptist Church” towards the end, he told us that he had decided that this was the last time he was ever going to play it. However, by that time the batteries on my camcorder had run out, so I don’t have any legally binding proof of this should he change his mind.

Here’s the good part: At the end of this party, besides leaving with some fine musical memories, I also left with some video of Mike D performing a couple of songs. While watching these should give you a little taste of the cozy garage where we had so much enjoyment this past weekend (and without you having to experience our typical crappy March weather), watching video on the computer is a poor substitute for a live performance. I urge you to get out and see the real thing when he plays your area.

Michael Dean Damron – Graveyard Song


Michael Dean Damron – Keep me in your heart


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THE RED HILLS – I’M A NIGHTMARE


It’s been a busy period for the folks in the ICLASOB camp. First they finally pulled The Sounds of Dying off the shelf and gave it the proper release it deserved, Michael Dean Damron has a brand new solo cd coming out, and then you got I’m A Nightmare being pulled from the dusty and hardest to reach corner of the shelf for a proper release of its own.

The Red Hills are Jon Burbank, Dave Lipkind and Flapjack from I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House, joined by standup bass player and singer/songwriter, Dewey Nelson. The band has been around for over a decade and is probably better known under their previous name, The Runaway Boys. The band has taken actively inactive to a new level, averaging approximately two shows every three years, and even longer to finish the album. The album has taken so long, in fact, that at some point a few years back fellow ICLASOB bandmate Mole Harris claimed that he’d drink the oil from one of the lamps at Dante’s if the cd ever saw the light of day. Fortunately for him the band changed their name, letting him off the hook on a technicality.

Knowing all of this, I really expected I’m A Nightmare to feel disconnected and disjointed, with a clash of ideas sometimes years apart. Instead, what I got was a record that could best be described as a mashup of ICLASOB and Tin Horn Prayer, an album meant to be played loud, with booze at hand and drunken sing alongs on tap. With winter about to give way for spring, your barbeque playlist needs some freshening up and The Red Hills have what you need. Check it out and lemme know if you agree that it’s Essential Listening.

The Red Hills – USAtan
The Red Hills – Seal It Up
The Red Hills – Eight Seconds

The Red Hills on Reverbnation, The Red Hills on Facebook, Buy I’m A Nightmare from Bandcamp

DEBUT: MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON – THE DAY BRIAN PICCOLO DIED


I’ve been a huge fan of Mike Damron’s work both as a solo artist and with I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House for as long as ninebullets.net has existed. Longer, in fact. So it is my distinct pleasure to be bringing you a track from Mike’s upcoming solo album, Plea From A Ghost, today. I’ve heard the entire new album and let me tell you, we’re in for a real treat. It’s the best solo material Mike has produced since Perfect Day For A Funeral and certain to land on many a best of list come December. Hell, I can already deem it Essential Listening but we’ll hold off till the album is actually released. Speaking of which, the album will be released on Suburban Home Records in March and if you’re lucky enough to have Mike coming to your neck of the woods, he’ll have the album with him come March 2.

I chose the track “The Day Brian Piccolo Died” because, (a) I like it. and (b) With the Superbowl this weekend I figured a football song would be topical. I hope y’all like it.

Michael Dean Damron – The Day Brian Piccolo Died

ninebullets.net JANUARY 2011 PODCAST: LET'S GET JIGGY WITH IT EDITION:


(AIV Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday but my dumb ass forgot to upload the podcast to the server. Der, I iz full of forgets….anyhow, enjoy.)

Well, it might be a new year and I might have a radio show now but nothing really changes when it comes to the podcast. It starts nice enough and you might even be able to hear some improvement gleaned from doing a weekly radio show but it quickly devolves into a ½ drunk foul mouthed typical podcast. Don’t let that deter you though. While my speech and self-censoring abilities may erode over the hour the music fucking slays and that’s what you’re here for, right?

This month show is plumb full of new music. We got new songs from The Only Sons, Kasey Anderson, Social D, The Decemberists, Frank Turner and Two Cow Garage. We also bookended this show with Michael Claytor. We open the show with a track from his solo album, We Have An Elephant and we close the show with an absolutely beautiful song from Austin Lucas which features Michael playing some fine banjo and harmonies. And, if all of that wasn’t pushing your awesome meter to it’s threshold of pain, we even managed to mix in a track from Danzig’s new album and it fits. PLAM! Top that It Burns When I Pee….the gauntlet has been laid down.

Well folks, that’s it. Another month in the can and I hope y’all like it. If you do, could you please, please, please post something about it on twitter, facebook and whatever cutting edge social network I am oblivious to? Every mention of this will expose these artists to someone who’s never heard of them and that’s what we’re looking for.

Track Listing:

  1. Michael Claytor & His Friends – Hairpins [00.00.00]
  2. Autopsy IV Commentary [00.05.04]
  3. The Only Sons – Temptation [00.06.24]
  4. Kasey Anderson – The Wrong Light [00.09.55]
  5. Danzig – The Revengeful [00.14.07]
  6. Autopsy IV Commentary [00.18.02]
  7. Social Distortion – Machine Gun Blues [00.20.07]
  8. Lucero – Sing Me No Hymns [00.23.45]
  9. Autopsy V Commentary [00.27.37]
  10. The Decemberists – Down By The Water [00.30.00]
  11. Frank Turner – I Still Believe [00.33.37]
  12. Two Cow Garage – My Great Gatsby [00.37.20]
  13. Autopsy IV Commentary [00.40.25]
  14. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House – Bad Days Ahead [00.42.10]
  15. Tim Barry – (memento mori) [00.46.22]
  16. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – This Land Is Our Land (Redux) [00.49.25]
  17. Autopsy IV Commentary [00.53.37]
  18. Austin Lucas – Sleep Well [00.56.30]

.

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TRUCKSTOP DARLIN’ – TRUCKSTOP DARLIN’


I had the distinct pleasure to spend a drunken hour or so chatting with Truckstop Darlin’s drummer, Eric Kotila, and his wife out in Denver last month. As drunken conversations tend to do, our topic of conversation was a moving target but it naturally stopped on the subject of his band on a couple of occasions. On the last night of the party it was agreed that once the album was complete they’d send me a copy and I remember saying, “I really hope I like your band” to him as we said our goodbyes. I really liked Eric and his wife and the thought of having to tell him that I wasn’t digging their sounds hung over me like a big ol’ bummer cloud when the link arrived in my inbox. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.

Truckstop Darlin’ comes out of the amazingly awesome music scene of the greater Northwest and more specifically, Portland and they made good use of the resources around town by getting Mr. John Burbank of I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In the House to do the mastering.

I gotta be honest, the first time I listened to the album singer, John Phelan’s voice kind of caught me off guard and I wasn’t too sure what I thought but after a few passes it totally grew on me. If I had to describe his voice I’d have to say it’s almost an 80’s hair metal/beginning of grunge style vocalist singing in an americana jangle rock band. It totally works, it just takes a moment to sink in. Musically, you might be able to call them a more rocking version of The Only Sons (a comparison I’ll gladly admit I use cause they both have predominate slide guitar) or a less rocking version of the copatriots, Root Jack but who cares about describing the sound…that’s what the .mp3’s are for. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention the song “Bluegrass State” (which you can hear below)…it is probably one of my favorite songs of the year and will be featured on many a podcast and mixtape to come.

Truckstop Darlin’ – Bluegrass State
Truckstop Darlin’ – Tired Old Prom Queens
Truckstop Darlin’ – #19

Truckstop Darlin’ on myspace, Buy Truckstop Darlin’

TOP 5: BANDS YOU'VE NOT SEEN LIVE (BUT REALLY REALLY WOULD LIKE TO):


Last year I went to over 30 shows. The year before that was largely the same but one thing never changes….no matter how many shows you go to, there are bands you wanna see live but just don’t. The reasons may vary. Some break up before you can catch them (Murder City). Some price their tickets too high (Beasties) and some might even refuse to tour your state as is the case with one Mr. Justin Townes Earle and Florida (though I managed to catch him at SxSW). So that’s the basis for this weeks Top 5: Band you have not seen live but would really like to. Please keep this list to bands you actually could see live (ie: no Nirvana since it’s completly impossible) and maybe next week we’ll do, 5 bands you wish you could have seen live.

With that said. Here are mine:

Murder City Devils: By the time I found this band they had broken up. They do short tours now but nothing that gets close enough to me to make the trip. I’ll catch them one day though, of that, I have no doubt.

Murder City Devils – Every Shitty Thing

I Can Lick Any sonofabitch In The House: Never got a chance to see these guys before they broke up and I am not sure if their new album will generate any Florida shows. Fortunately for me, I’ll be catching them in Denver in a little over a month.

I Can Lick Any sonofabitch In The House – Regrets To Greyhounds

Beastie Boys: I don’t know why I’ve never seen these guys. I do know that the last time they came to Tampa their ticket prices were just too high for me to justify. At this point I doubt I’ll ever see them, but man, I wish I had.

Beastie Boys – Pass The Mic

Jane’s Addiction: God damn I loved this band and listening to Nothing’s Shocking reminds me of skateboarding in fall and hanging out with my first high school girlfriend to this day. By the time I could actually afford to go to shows there was no more Jane’s Addicition. Pale versions of their former selves or not, if they came to town on a reunion tour….I’d be there.

Janes Addiction – Had A Dad

Lady GaGa: Nope, that’s not a joke. I tried to go to her last show here in Tampa but it was sold out and I couldn’t get a press pass. I’d love to see her for the spectacle of it all. I can’t see how it wouldn’t be a blast.

Lady GaGa – Bad Romance

Okay, what are yours?

I CAN LICK ANY SONOFABITCH IN THE HOUSE – THE SOUNDS OF DYING


ICLASOB’s new album may be entitled The Sounds Of Dying, but one can only hope that their first studio album in some six years is actually the sounds of rebirth.

Many people who’ve followed Micheal Dean Damron’s solo career are probably gonna point at this and think it’s mostly just an ICLASOB version of Mike’s album Bad Days Ahead. Going by actual release date timeline they’d be accurate, but the reality is that Bad Days Ahead was essentially Mike’s efforts to re-record the last ICLASOB album which (at the time) wasn’t gonna ever see the light of day. That was, until now.

The bulk of The Sounds of Dying was written and recorded before ICLASOB called it quits years ago and the fact that it’s getting released is a testament to the sheer inability of good music to stay silenced forever. I’d like to think that I played a role in seeing this album get a proper release, since after hearing the recordings late last year I asked Mike if he’d be interested in releasing it digitally via ninebullets. Which, again, I’d like to think, was the spark the band needed to get this album out and into our grubby little hands some 4 years later.

The time on the shelf might have done The Sounds of Dying some favors. While I was a huge ICLASOB fan before they split, this album, in it’s current form, really isn’t an album they could have released back then. I mean, they could have, but I’m not sure it would have been as well received as it’ll be now. The album has the perfect mix of ICLASOB bravado and Micheal Den Damron’s sensitivity that pushes the whole band to a different level. Unknowingly, I said as much when I reviewed Damron’s Bad Days Ahead a few years ago when I wrote, “Bad Days Ahead doesn’t have the, ‘crank it to 11′ breakneck rock and roll feel of any of the ICLASOB releases and and it isn’t as tortured and personal as Michael’s solo cd, A Perfect Day For A Funeral, opting instead to play up against and in the wide gap between the two”

This cd is a must for any ninebullets reader and Essential Listening for any reader who also happens to be a fan of Two Cow Garage. The cd can currently be preordered over at Suburban Home and all preorders are given an immediate digital download. Check it out and thank me later.

I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House – Swear To God
I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House – Ghost
I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House – Postcards and Apologies

I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House’s Official Site, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House on myspace, Buy The Sounds of Dying

SUBURBAN HOME RECORD’S MIXTAPE Vol. 5 READY FOR FREE CONSUMPTION:


Virgil and Co. released their latest mixtape earlier this week. This volume was inspired by the upcoming release of the NEW I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House album, The Sounds Of Dying. This album (hopefully) marks the triumphant return of ICLASOB as a band after a couple of years on hiatus. The album was officially released for preorder today and if you preorder it you get an immediate mp3 download of the complete album. Trust me, I’ve had the album for a few months now….it’s fucking fantastic and you should stop reading this post right now, open a new tab and buy it. Regrets, you’ll have none. Anyhow, the compilation features selected tracks from the Suburban Home roster, including a new demo from one Mr. Austin Lucas. They also accepted submissions from outside sources for this album which accounts for seven of the tracks.

The album is available for free and legal download here. The folks over at SH only ask that if you download it you send the link to 4 of your friends (or tweet about it or spread the word in some manner) which I think is a fair trade off.

If you want to print them out the covers are available here: Cover / Back

Track Listing:

  1. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In the House – Swear To God
  2. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In the House – Postcards And Apologies (Two Cow Garage)
  3. Two Cow Garage – Postcards and Apologies
  4. Michael Dean Damron – Waiting Around To Die (Townes Van Zandt)
  5. Townes Van Zandt – Waiting Around To Die
  6. Austin Lucas – Sleep Well (Demo)
  7. Trampled By Turtles – Wait So Long
  8. Oblio’s Arrow – End of the Burning Moon
  9. Tim Barry – Exit Wounds
  10. Slobberbone – Placemat Blues
  11. John Moreland & the Black Gold Band – Bastards Of The Highway
  12. Jeff Rowe – Kate
  13. The Replacements – Unsatisfied
  14. Jon Snodgrass – Fast in Last
  15. Arliss Nancy – Stella Lovely
  16. Jr. Juggernaut – Another Two Weeks
  17. Alexander Hudjohn – Down So Low
  18. Calling Morocco – Break Your Heart
  19. Tin Horn Prayer – Louis Collins
  20. Jared Grabb – Devil Between
  21. Lucky Old Sun – Back In Style
  22. Armchair Martian – …not fine. demo
  23. The Takers – Drift
  24. Look Mexico – Take It Upstairs, Einstein
  25. Geraldine Fibbers – Lilybelle
  26. Pariah Beat – Elvis in Jerusulum
  27. Drag the River – Beautiful & Damned
  28. BEERS – I Love You (But I Don’t Trust You)
  29. The Evening Rig – Half Asleep
  30. Hank Williams Jr. – If You Don’t Like Hank Williams