Michael Dean Damron – Page 3

TOP 5: QUOTABLE SONGS

This week’s Top 5 is all about songs that have quotable lyrics. I mean lyrics that just jump out at you. It can be a single line or even the whole damn song. I think mine are all one or two lines and some are just because they make me giggle. This one was so tough I just picked out the first five I thought of and maybe that’s cheating but there’s just so damn much good music out there that it’s impossible for me to make a decision. Anyway I want to see your favorite quotes from song lyrics. And no the graphics don’t have to do with the Top 5 other than they made me giggle and I am now sharing them with all of you.

Tim Barry – Idle Idylist | This whole damn song. Every last fucking word. But especially the part of the last chorus: “I let the greedy deal with greed, Ain’t got nothin’ but myself, And I ain’t selling that for no one else I won’t surround my emptiness with greed and shit that I don’t even need, And don’t ask don’t tell relationships based on infidelity, I know it ain’t right, I know it ain’t much of a life, But I let tomorrow be tomorrow, And let tonight be tonight”. GOD DAMN!
Dirty Bourbon River Show – Ruffian Since Birth | With all the stress at work this has been my theme song as of late and honestly “I went to wear my boxers outside but the officers told that I can and that I gotta wear a pair of pants” pretty much describes last weekend for me except there were no cops and “So I guess I’ll hit that snooze again and I guess they won’t give me the raise” describes my feelings about work but unfortunately not my actions as I stay late almost every damn night!
Michael Dean Damron – The Cape | I love this song and hope that my kids, unlike me, can retain some of the wonder and magic that exists for them now. I know this probably isn’t how the song is supposed to be taken but I take it just like that! “He’s one of those that knows that life is just a leap of faith, Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape”.
Two Cow Garage – Soundtrack To My Summer | “My friend’s were buying in to american dreams, Going to sleep as punk rock kids and waking up as part of the machine.” This is another hold-on-to-your-youth song for me. I can’t quite look book and say I woke up as part of the machine but I am not a punk rock kid anymore. I hope I can teach my kids to not let go of being kids but rather learn how to pass as adults when they have to. I love the line because it hits home so fucking hard and then Micah follows it up with one of my favorite out-of-context-but-still-cool-by-itself lyrics “The tape machines don’t lie…”
Cory Branan – The KISS Song | Yeah it’s as fucking cheesy as it gets but “You washed off your rock n roll and now the devil doesn’t want your soul, and neither to do we” makes me giggle every single time I hear this one. Also an honorable mention for “I had to smash my air guitar” which is also giggle worthy any day of the week.

Autopsy IV’s answers: I have a directory on my word computer called, “Awesome Songs”. Each of these songs was fished from that directory.

Joe Pug – Not So Sure: There are plenty of devastating and remarkable lyrics in this song such as; “I sacrificed my sister, I prayed my own soul to keep, I told my dying father that a man should never weep” but I put this one on the list because of this lyric, “I undressed someone’s daughter and then complained about her looks.” We all did it as kids and now, seeing it in print drives home how terrible it was.

Drive-By Truckers – Zip City: Again, as a whole, full of quote worthy lyrics but I’ve included it here because I think Zip City contains one of the best lyrics in the history of rock and roll: “Got 350 heads on a 305 engine. Get 10 miles to the gallon, I ain’t got no good intentions.”

Micah Schnabel – American Static: This is a pretty good song about the reality of growing up but I love the line “cause we all grow to be our fathers. marrying the daughters of the men we once despised” cause in a way, it sums it all up.

American Graveyard – Common Ones: I love everything about this song, the melody, the message…everything. I could have included a bunch of songs here but I picked this one cause I’ve been researching the housing market meltdown and wanting to fertilizer bomb Wall Street so these lyrics are hitting home particularly hard these days, “I tired of seeing men die for other men’s rights / to have a corporation come in and sweep ‘em all aside / cause there’s money to be made, money to be found / and when the pockets are drilled empty, on to the next town.”

Lucero – Old Sad Songs: This song. It’s my life in verse. “I’d stay with you tonight my love I’d stay the whole night long. But the boys are playing those old sad songs and I must sing along. I hear the snare drum’s slow sad march I hear those fiddles cry. And I must go to them my love or else I’d stay the night.“

GIVEAWAY: LUBRICATED MAGAZINE – DOUBLE MIX CASSETTE Vol. 1: “THE COMPANY I KEEP”

I am so damned embarrassed about this! I’ve had these tapes going on months now and I completely forgot about them (probably because I can not play a cassette tape at all in my life). Anyhow, I told y’all about this back in May but to refresh your memory I’ll go over it again:

“They’re currently selling a Double Cassette (I know, I know, the print media really is behind the times) compilation to cover the costs of the next issue’s printing costs (at least they aren’t just begging for money like some magazines). The compilation has 23 tracks, featuring artists such as Jon Snodgrass, Joey Cape, Red Clay River, Chad Rex, Shane Sweeney of Two Cow Garage, and The Takers. If, like me, you have no way to play a cassette tape, each purchase comes with an mp3 download code. So head over to Fast Geek Press and order a compilation, then pat yourself on the back, knowing that you’re helping out another outlet for the bands we love to keep doing their thing.”

While you can still buy the compilation here, I have two comps to give away to the ninebullets.net faithful. So, if you have the ability to listen to cassette’s and the ability to email me then be one of the first two to email me and you’ll get this collection for free (as well as a couple of ninebullets stickers).

Track Listing:

Side A – 21:36 minutes

1 – The Takers – When My Shades Were Drawn
2 – Shane Sweeney of Two Cow Garage – Hallelujah
3 – Paige Anderson of the Anderson Family Bluegrass Band – Flying Rocks
4 – Charly “the city mouse” Fasano – Portland
5 – Possessed by Paul James – Take Off Your Mask
6 – Kevin Seconds – Oh American Girl
7 – Jon Gaunt – Every Drink Every Song

Side B – 20:34 minutes

8 – Micah & John Schnabel – Billy James
9 – The Enablers – Whatever You Like
10 – Red Clay River – Ain’t No Blues
11 – Michael Dean Damron – Dolls
12 – The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit – Bones
13 – Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves – Everybody Knows

Side C – 21:05 minutes

14 – The Anchor – Hot Dogs & Vodka
15 – Joey Cape – Good-Bye
16 – Careless Hearts – Joselina
17 – Andy Thomas – Spring Softly
18 – The Redemption Family – The Power A Secret Holds
19 – Larry & His Flask – Land of the F(r)ee
20 – Brian Polk – Let’s Get Stoned and Over Analyze NomeansNo Records

Side D – 22:50 minutes

21 – Jon Snodgrass – Song For Gibson
22 – In the Red – Overworked
23 – Chad Rex – Awhile
24 – Digger Barnes – Waiting for the Snakes
25 – Tom VandenAvond – El Paso
26 – Magic Cyclops – Teen Pregnancy
27 – woMANgione – Saggy

Full compilation stream:

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:

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

JAVI GARICA AND THE COLD COLD GROUND – SOUTHERN HORROR

Take one part Texas country, one part southern rock, one part garage band mix them together with a pinch of anger and a dash of fierce independence and what you’ll get is Javi Garica and the Cold Cold Ground. The debut release from these New Braunfels boys is a two disc set, one full length with an EP, titled Southern Horror that landed in the midst of the Texas music scene swinging its fists and taking on all comers. The whole Texas/Red Dirt scene is independent but Javi Garcia takes that a step farther without going over the line into hyperbole. The title smacks of the “southern gothic” genre which I usually avoid but I heard the music first and it’s definitely not anything close to that. What it is pure Texas music and as usual it defies being placed solidly into a genre.

There’s not much out there on the history of Javi Garica and the Cold Cold Ground but the music speaks for itself. Sixteen tracks spread across two discs is a lot of music and the whole shindig starts out with a little murder ballad almost worthy of putting on a Mother’s Day compilation or maybe a Father’s Day compilation depending on your bent and the depths of your daddy issues. There are a few songs out there about disappearing an abusive asshole one way or another but the starkness of the music and the underlying fiddle makes this one of my favorites. “Voodoo Queen” kicks up the reverb a little bit with a rocker that wouldn’t be out of place in a seedy biker bar. The anger still shows through in “God and Country” and Javi almost reminds me of Michael Dean Damron with the way he belts out his anger in this one. A little bitterness at the scene shows through in “Lose Control” but not so much that it comes across as melodramatic. And that’s they way the next twelve tracks go as well. It’s almost as if Javi Garcia just opened up his closet, drug out a skeleton, fired up a bowl or knocked back a fifth with it and then proceeded to exorcise it in song. This is not a happy two discs and there are some dark themes but it’s full of damn good music. Hell you may even find some catharsis of your own in track or two. I recommend taking with whiskey, alone, in the dark and seeing if you can get what Lewis Grizzard refers to as “…crying about your daddy drunk” because this is the right kind of music to use a soundtrack for just that. And yes this is Essential Listening.

LP Tracks:
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Voodoo Queen
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – As Wicked As You
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Flood

EP Tracks:
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – The Pills
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground – Needles & Thread

Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground official website
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Twitter
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Myspace
Javi Garcia and the Cold Cold Ground on Facebook

JACKSON TAYLOR & THE SINNERS

This might be a little off the farm for some of ya’ but here is an album from an ol’ boy I saw quite by accident and ended up hangin’ with (read: got way too wasted with) all night…

I was headed out to see Jason Boland at The Firehouse for the umpteenth time and left too early or didn’t stop and eat so I got there before the opening act had even started. You see I usually skip the opening acts for most bands I go see and that may be kind of shitty it’s just how I’ve done it for years. Anyway… The opening act, some dude named Jackson Taylor, starts up and much to my surprise the music was quite good. I meandered over near the stage there was this old boy wearin’ a Social D t-shirt, covered in tats belting out country music. One thing led to another and instead of seeing the band I came to see I ended up hanging out with the opener all night. There’s a story there that doesn’t warrant telling here but you can rest assured I had a grand ol’ time.

That said I have to admit this isn’t my favorite Jackson Taylor album. I mean he’s a bad son of a bitch (I was at a show he was late to because he had to bailed out of jail for a bar fight the night before) but it seems sort of forced in places on this album. The music is more polished than his early stuff and that could play into why I am not as into as his other albums. So why write about it? Well that’s because as much as it’s not my favorite JT album it’s still a damn site better than most of the tripe passing as country music these days and there are some real gems on it as well. I have a feeling even the songs that aren’t that great on this offering will be pretty damn good live because that’s just how Jackson is.

The two Social D covers, Ball & Chain and Highway 101, may be my fourth and fifth favorite covers this year (#1 Micah Schnabel – Can’t Hardly Wait, #2 Michael Dean Damron – Beautiful and Damned, #3 Chad Price – Hybrid Moments) and the new recording of Jackson’s own classic Barefeet on the Dash make this one worth picking up. At first listen the music may sound like standard Country & Western to some the lyrics and attitude is where Jackson makes his stand. He follows in the outlaw tradition of Waylon, Willie, Ray Wylie and Billy Joe in writing music that Nashville won’t touch with a ten foot pole as well as touching on topics that are generally forbidden in the radio safe sounds drifting out of Music City. Jackson is most assuredly a Texas boy, born and bred, and that shows through when he plays and in his overall approach to life.

Aces ‘n Eights ain’t gonna make album of the year for me but it ain’t getting deleted off my iPod either. It’s a good listen and I may be too harsh a critic. Pick it up and decide for yourself.

Two from Aces ‘n Eights
Jackson Taylor – Ball and Chain (Social Distortion Cover)
Jackson Taylor – Country Song

Two from Live, Locked, & Loaded at Longhorns:
Jackson Taylor – Whiskey & Women
Jackson Taylor – Old Lone Star

Jackson Taylor & The Sinners Official Site, Jackson Taylor & The Sinners on myspace, Buy Aces & Eights

I BLEED JUST LIKE YOU: AN INTRODUCTION TO MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON

Some years back I was in Austin with my wife and brother to see Lucero. I had seen them the weekend before in Los Angeles and my ride had sort of bailed on, she had her reasons, but all of my merch was in her car. I had spent a pretty penny on merch that evening and was not happy about the whole situation but the evening wasn’t ruined. I ended up borrowing money from Ben to catch a cab back to my hotel and since neither of us had clue one about where were or where the hell my hotel was he gave me a crisp new hundred. Also not realizing, due to hanging out with Ben all night if you know what I mean, that LA is sort of built in the hills I thought it would be a good idea to just hop over the flower-bed in the hotel parking lot. The four foot drop on the other side was unexpected and I ended up in the street, face down, in front of my cab. I picked myself up, brushed off the gravel, and left my dignity lying in the street. Five whole blocks later I stepped out the cab and went into my hotel. It had been that kind of night. But I digress…

I went to Austin to see Lucero and pay Ben back for the loan and there’s more stories to that night than I can tell here but Bill Krejski (Sorry if I murdered you name Bill) had heard about my merch driving away and went about making sure everything was replaced and on top of that handed me some CDs by bands he really liked. I had never heard of either of them and have to admit that Nashville Pussy rarely sees any time on the playlist but the other band sees more than most. The first time I dropped I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House into the CD player I was hooked!

Now you have to understand a couple of things here. I love music for the sake of music and generally don’t like mixing politics with my tunes so normally that would be strike one against any band, after all Dear Mr. Heston is not exactly apolitical. The second is that Michael Dean Damron and I are polar opposites when it comes to politics. I doubt there is a single thing we could agree on politically and he does, or did with I Can Lick Any SOB, bring politics into his music so there would normally be strike two. I don’t usually even bother trying to find a third strike when it comes to music so most bands wouldn’t have seen a second play from me after listening to Put Here To Bleed but the music was so good that I overlooked the politics completely and now own all of their albums and thanks to our gracious host have recently caught up on Michael Dean Damron’s solo career. I think both with I Can Lick Any SOB and solo that Damron is an amazing songwriter and performer and more than that worth getting to know musically. So without further ado here are two tapes covering Damron from I Can Lick Any SOB to his most recent solo effort. Tape 1 is all I Can Lick Any SOB and covers all of their albums including Live at Dante’s. Admittedly I left out the political tunes for completely selfish reasons but since I am the one making these tapes I get to do that….

Tracks 1-4: Creepy Little Noises
Tracks 5-7: Menace
Tracks 8-10: Put Here To Bleed
Tracks 11-14: Live at Dante’s

Track Archive

Tape two is Michael Dean Damron solo and I think he is still getting better and better. I Can Lick Any SOB was an amazing band but songs like Cape and Blame it on the Whiskey are amazing songs and I will freely admit have helped me deal with my personal demons. You know those demons. They are the ones that show up when you come home from the bar, wife asleep, and all that’s there is you, whiskey, and the thoughts in your head. Those are the nights where you want to drop in some Michael Dean Damron and just let it all go. His cover of Drag The River’s Beautiful and Damned is one of the most amazing covers I have ever heard and is in heavy rotation on the iPod. Anyway, enough of my jawin’…

Tracks 1-3: Bad Days Ahead
Tracks 4-7: A Perfect Day for a Funeral
Tracks 8-11: Father’s Day

All the linkage you might need:
I Can Lick Any SOB – Official Website
I Can Lick Any SOB store on In Music We Trust
The day I Can Lick Any SOB broke up – 9b article
Michael Dean Damron – Official Website
Michael Dean Damron – Myspace
Michael Dean Damron’s coverage on 9b

LUCERO MESSAGE BOARD SUMMER COMPILATION:

Ahh Summer. Yards to be mowed, grills to be lit, beaches to be enjoyed, beers to be drank, sports to be watched and, obviously, all of this needs a soundtrack.

Enter the Lucero Message Board Compilation.

Yup. Like a superhero showing up just in time the new compilation was posted this week and I couldn’t think of a better way to close out this week than with a post about it. As always, you can head over to the Lucero message board for some dialog on why each song was submitted and while you’re there you can contribute to next months.

Lucero Message Board Summer Comp can be downloaded here.

Track Listing:

The Fox Hunt – Better Than This (Lucero Cover)
Lucero – American Girl (live)
Deer Tick – Houston, TX
Cory Branan – Karen’s Song
Ha Ha Tonka – Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart
William Elliott Whitmore – Old Devils
Hoots & Hellmouth – What Good Are Plowshares If We Use Them Like Swords
The Only Sons – Lay Back Down
The Evening Rig – Goddamn, I Could Use A Drink
Jon Snodgrass w/ Cory Branan – Alone and Distanced
Two Cow Garage – Humble Narrator
Chad Rex & The Victorstands – Build a Rocket
Flogging Molly – Salty Dog
Michael Dean Damron – Angels Fly Up
Austin Lucas – Kith and Kin
The Lemonheads – Waitin Around to Die
Cheap Trick – Sick Man Of Europe
The Dexateens – Can You Whoop It
Trampled by Turtles – Empire
Matthew Dean Herman – Blackbird
Lyle Lovette – Fat Babies
Ray LaMontagne – Let it Be Me
Uncle Tupelo – Moonshiner (live)
Kingston Trio – We’ll Sing in The Sunshine
Against Me! – You Look Like I Need Drink

Also, special thanks to Romeo Sid Vicious for putting together a stream of the compilation for those that prefer such a thing you can listen to it here.

NINEBULLETS.NET MAY 2009 PODCAST

We’re back with another podcast. This month features a couple of tracks from the upcoming Evan Phillips benefit album, as well as a track from the upcoming Joey Allcorn album All Alone Again.

Evan Phillips is the front man for one of my favorite new rock and roll bands, The Whipsaws, as well as a member of the trio E.S.P., with Tim Easton and Leeroy Stagger. Seven years ago he suffered an injury while climbing a mountain in California and had surgery to try and repair it, but the surgery was ineffective. He’s been trying to live with it, but last year it got much worse and The Whipsaws were forced to cancel the remainder of their tour so Evan could get it fixed properly. Unfortunately, there is no insurance plan for touring musicians, so Evan was left with a mountain of bills. The benefit album was put together to help Evan out, while also getting some awesome music out to us (seems more fair than the Paste deal). Featured on the album are 11 bands including Tim Easton, Leeroy Stagger, Ryebender and Wrinkle Neck Mules performing their takes on Evan’s songs. It comes out June 15 so keep an eye on the myspace profile and buy one or two when they become available.

I also decided to do a segment featuring some local area bands, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, Truckstop Coffee and Roppongi’s Ace. All three are part of the upper-crust of the Tampa/Central Florida music scene and they all have albums for sale. I hope y’all like this segment and check out their music in greater detail, I am gonna do this again next month with three more bands from my local scene. I also plan on writing up Roppongi’s Ace’s completely awesome album, Into The Night, next week so be on the lookout.

You may also notice that I’ve added the timestamp to each song in the track listing. That was a suggestion from a reader that I thought was brilliant. If you have any suggestions on how I can make this podcast better, please email me. I’m not too proud, and lord knows I am learning this podcast thing on the fly. And if you’re a band that would like their music featured on the podcast, again, email me.

Okay, that’s enough talking, let’s get to the track list and the music:

Drive-By Truckers – Nine Bullets (00:00:00)
The Devil Makes Three – Working Man’s Blues (04:02:50)
They Might Be Giants – Number Three (07:39:00)
Autopsy IV Talking (09:01:00)
Rye Bender – Highway 395 (10:21:00)
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Fighting For The Man (14:03:00)
Autopsy IV Talking (18:00:75)
The Whipsaws – Jessi Jane (18:54:50)
Michael Dean Damron – Waiting Around To Die (21:58:50)
Autopsy IV Talking (24:38:25)
Joey Allcorn – Lonesome, Lovesick Man (25:27:25)
Drive-By Trucker’s – Great Car Dealer War (29:02:25)
Autopsy IV Talking (34:37:00)
Truckstop Coffee – Blackbird (35:41:25)
Will Quinlan & The Diviners – The Theiving Life (39:35:25)
Roppongi’s Ace – Lord (44:19:25)
Autopsy IV talking (47:15:00)
Bob Log III – It’s The Law (48:26:25)
The Pack A.D. – Wolves and Werewolves (50:45:25)
Autopsy IV Talking (55:30:00)
Little Foot Long Foot – June Bug (55:58:00)

Download this episode (right click and save)

NOTE: This is it! I am headed to the beach for a couple of days and I’m leaving the laptop behind. No internets, no emails, no tweets (okay, probably some from the iPhone) and no updates. Just whiskey, homebrew, a beach, a grill and some ribs begging for 10 hours of low heat. I’ll be back to posting on June 3rd.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS / ENEMIES.

MICHAEL DEAN DAMRON – FATHER'S DAY

This is Michael’s third album w/o his former Portland, Oregon bandmates, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House. His first cd, A Perfect Day For A Funeral, was a toned down exceptionally personal affair, while his second, Bad Days Ahead, was more of a midway point between ICLASOB and A Perfect Day For A Funeral. The two left me wondering where Michael was gonna go with his solo career.

Lucky for me the answer was a descent back to the calmer, quieter, more introspective, personal version of Michael Dean Damron, and the result is a total home run. The problems with the equalization/mix that seemed to plague Bad Days Ahead are gone and the biting songwriting is back, giving us a beautiful blend of country, folk, blues, and rock music that highlights the more emotional side of Damron.

Among the 14 tracks there is a cover of 9b faves, Drag the River. A cover of the Thin Lizzy track “Dancing In The Moon Light” (also oft covered by Drag the River) is here, too, as well as Damron’s take on the Townes Van Zandt track “Waiting To Die”. Despite the well-rounded selection of covers, the real standouts on the album are Michael’s originals. Whether is be the sentimental title track “Fathers Day” or the get fucked attitude of “Boy With A Car”, Michael always seems to shine when he is blazing his own path. While some people seem to pine for the bombastic Southern-rock sounds of Mike’s former band, I find the solo Michael Dean Damron sound to be Essential Listening.

Michael Dean Damron – Boy With A Car
Michael Dean Damron – Waiting Around To Die
Michael Dean Damron – Dancin’ In The Moonlight

Michael Dean Damron’s Official Site, Michael Dean Damron on myspace, Buy Father’s Day

Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards – Bad Days Ahead

“I wanted to do more things musically that this band was incapable of, comments Damron on his decision to break up the band. I want to write more rock songs, yeah, but I also want to write country songs, more folk-y songs, and other stuff, stuff the band wasn’t willing to do. They wanted to make all the songs rock songs and a lot of the newer stuff I was writing wasn’t going in that direction. And I didn’t feel like trying to force it upon the song. If the song was a rock song, I was all for it. But if it wasn’t, it needed to not be a rock song.” ~ Michael Dean Damron on his decision to break up Icanlickanysonofabitchinthehouse

ninebullets.net was a huge ICLASOB supporter and their split last November kicked off the year of bands I like splitting up. However, a year later Michael has returned with his new band, Thee Loyal Bastards, and a new cd, Bad Days Ahead. 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. The new, calmer mood of Damron’s voice still has that signature cigarettes and whiskey-drenched sound, but it’s tempered and less ragged now. Any one familiar with ICLASOB and Michael’s solo material will find the lyrical matter familiar ground. Listening to songs like “Ghost”, I am inclined to agree with Michael’s sentiments about ICLASOB not being the band for these songs. It would have been like dog wearing a duck suit. Sometimes, like on “Moonshine”, you can tell Micheal’s still trying to firm up his footing with all these new sounds to play with, but all in all the cd is well worth your listen.

Listening can be done now if you are willing to buy the cd from the Netherlands-based record label, Rosa Records, as due to some sort of mix-up, the cd will not be coming out on Michael’s domestic label, InMusicWeTrust, ’til February. Michael and the band will also be hitting the road in February with an Alaskan band, The Whipsaws. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll make it all the way down here to Florida.

Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards – I Love The Rain
Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards – Ghost
Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards – Bad Days Ahead

Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards Official Site, Michael Dean Damron & The Loyal Bastards on myspace, Buy Bad Days Ahead