Hicky - The Proof Is In The Booze

Quivering Submissive Flesh

D-

Imagine the Presidents of the United States of America crossed with an unfunny “Weird Al” Yankovic and being molested by the ghost of Bill Monroe. This is the gist of Seattle’s Hicky and their debut. If this were a serious bluegrass band, they’d be pretty good, but everything about this loathsome release is either unamusing or simply abonimable. From the overall faux-white trash color (the producer is referred to in the liner notes as “perducer,” while “Sistuh Jo Hicky sing’d wif us’nz on ‘Daddies Bin Drinkin’ Again’ – my spell check just imploded) to the idiotic songs themselves (in addition to the aforementioned, there’s also “Drank My Dinner” and “Drunk N’ Brok’n Hearted” – isn’t this clever?), there’s almost nothing redeeming here. The musicianship is, dare I say, almost first-rate, which might account for their alleged following in the Northwest as a live band, but the content contained therein (save for the almost adequate “Somebody Loves You”) is sufficient to warrant a new genre; we can call it “dumbgrass.”

(2913 Franklin Ave. E, Suite B, Seattle, WA 98102); http://www.hicky.net

--Brandon Grimes