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JUNE-JULY 2003:
TH' LEGENDARY SHACK*SHAKERS
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Keep on the lookout for Bloodshot Record's latest offering to the hillbilly musical canon, Cockadoodledon't, from Nashville's renegade blues-grass rockers TH' LEGENDARY SHACK*SHAKERS! Destined to become a modern Appalachian sensation, Cockadoodledon't drags you kickin' and hollerin' from your peaceful suburban slumber out to a worn 'ol woodshed in the hills Where there's 2 types of moonshine jugs, one for drinkin' and one for musical accompaniment!
"Colonel" J.D. Wilkes (vox), JoeBuck (lead guitar), Pauly Simmonz (drums) and Mark "The Duke" Roberston (doghouse bass) comprise this hot new outfit who put their show on the road only a year ago - Cockadoodledon't is their debut effort! Although each of the fellas has a particular instrument they take primary responsibility for, each also make contributions on a handful of other country-fied noise-makers to really give this band an authentic sound. Let's just put it this way, if you've ever been listening to a favorite album and found yourself thinkin' "Hmmm...needs more Jew's harp", then this is the record for you!
From down home blues numbers (e.g., 'Hunkerdown', 'Bullfrog Blues' and 'Shake Your Hips') to straight-up 'grass stompers (e.g., 'Clodhopper' and 'Blood on the Bluegrass') and sped up country rockers e.g., 'Pinetree Boogie' and 'Hoptown Jailbreak'), Cockadoodledon't has everything you need to get your next backwoods ball boppin'. And if that ain't enough, a real standout is 'Help Me From My Brain', a fevered plea from a demented hick at the end of his rope howled over a drivin' beat. So what are you waitin' for Hoss? Pick up your copy today!
BLOODSHOT RECORDS
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MAY-JUNE 2003:
THE MUTILATORS
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Southern California's THE MUTILATORS were probably the single most mysterious and intriguing act
T-BONE and I had come across years ago when we were first starting up Kill! Kill! Kill! Every once in a while we would come across a small blurb, a dead link to a long abandoned website or a short sound clip, but we could never find any real info on who they were or how we could get a hold of a record. The brief clips we were able to scrounge up online wrecked hard and left us with a severe case of blue ears! We had almost completely lost hope until recently when front man Johnny Anal initiated long-anticipated contact to promote the release of their debut, Hot Rod Whore.
Hot Rod Whore features the grease-some threesome (Johnny A. up front on lead vox/guitar, John Freeze on upright and Don 'Othedead on skins) runnin' through 12 fast and wild hillbilly/punkabilly numbers guaranteed to melt yer hair AND yer girlfriend's heart all in one fell swoop - not that she was all that picky anyhow if she was wastin her time with a lowlife like you! These fella's do more with 3 chords than most bands playin hard rock covers of Johnny Cash songs and callin themselves "psychobilly" (you know who you are!) can do with an entire treble clef! Hot Rod Whore starts out with a supercharged cover of the seminal "Muleskinner Blues" and then gives the adrenaline treatment to some raw original rockabilly jumpers about skirt, rods and scum with titles like "Baby, Let's 666tynine", "Teenage Pussy", "No Cure" and the title track, "Hot Rod Whore", which even gets a separate western swing re-record fully outfitted with steel guitar and all to close things out. My personal favorite is "Gear Down Big Shifter", a sped up honky-tonker that don't quit, but there ain't a stinker on this platter period. If this is the first yer hearin about THE MUTILATORS you got a leg up on me 'cause you can get yer fill right off with Hot Rod Whore! Check 'em out today!
THE MUTILATORS
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APR-MAY 2002:
BLUE BALLS DELUXE
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This month we pay tribute to a band who’s rise was cut prematurely short by the unfortunate passing of it’s unabashed front man. Arlington, VA's BLUE BALLS DELUXE birthed their self-dubbed "whiskey-fueled, guitar-powered honky tonk" sound in the early 90's while playing local beer joints around the DC area. And when they say honky tonk, they mean honky tonk! Gravel-throated lead singer Gene Lee Wilcox could belt out tale after gut-wrenching tale of despair and regret with a veracity that makes you believe he lived through, and continued to relive, every single one. Just listening to a fella who sounds like he developed his unique vocal style by washing down a box of razor blades with a bottle of Jack is enough to put an anxious lump in your throat and force your hands into eager fists. Plain and simple, Gene sang songs about spiteful bitches, drunken rage and certain damnation that drive straight through your chest and rip out your heart. 'Ol Gene wasn’t without company though - Floyd and Kenny Lee's backing on bass and drums, respectively, was the perfect compliment to Gene's raw wailin' and guitar pickin'.
In their short time together BLUE BALLS DELUXE put out two studio recordings, "Cold Blue and Hateful" and "Whiskey, Whores and Overtime", that both showcase the genuine talent of this hard-livin' and hard-workin' band. Pick up a copy or two today and hear for yourself!
BLUE BALLS DELUXE
Gene Lee Wilcox
July 12 1964 - June 26 1998
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DEC-FEB 2002:
THE SHARKS
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What more can one say about THE SHARKS, right? A seminal on-again-off-again Brit psycho outfit with a revolving line-up (whose members have included Steve Whitehouse, founder of Frenzy, and Gary Day of The Frantic Flintstones), these blokes were boppin’ long before most. Recording during the peak of the 80’s RAB revival, THE SHARKS, were a real standout in a scene largely dominated by derivative acts like the Stray Cats. Alan Wilson and his boys were helping pave the wave for modern psychobilly as we know it and continued to do so, though not continuously, over a period of about 14 years in which they produced 4 LP’s.
Since about 1996, however, THE SHARKS have only been in and out of short studio sessions - enough to produce a number of singles and EP’s, but not to lay down another full-length. Their latest effort, BITCH ATTACK, is a compilation of these last few years worth of work (much of which was originally released as limited pressings or previously unreleased) along with some live tracks. They’ve even included alternate versions of 2 popular tracks previously released on RECREATIONAL KILLER, "Dealer" and "Schizoid Man". This is some of THE SHARKS best material to date and a must have for any psychobilly completists’ collection! Stop on over to Raucous Records and demand your copy today! Tell Howard I sent ya! RAUCOUS RECORDS
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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2001:
THE SPECTRES
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Everyone knows that Seattle, WA is a progressive metropolis made popular by Tom Hanks' insomnia and flannel clad alterna-hippies who challenged contemporary hygienic standards to found a soon forgotten musical legacy. But, what the Greater Seattle Board of Tourism won't hip you to is an indigenous pack of mannerless low-lifes who have been an unwelcome mainstay in the Pacific Northwest's club curcuit for years, THE SPECTRES.
Much to the collective dismay of their self-righteous neighbors, Jesse, Austin and J.R. have followed up their debut, RUBBER ROOM ROCK, with their latest contribution to the American psychobilly effort, BLOOD, SWEAT & NITRO. Serving up THE SPECTRES' own brand of motivated psycho-camp colored by a genuine western sensibility, B, S & N is a diverse tribute to all things greasy. This album offers up some requisite full-on wreckers like “Hell-Bent”, “Mad Machine” and “Did it for Elvis” (a personal favorite), but a couple of traditional cowboy ballads (one with a decidedly non-traditional spin – “Bloodsuckin' Cowboy), a dreamy latin creeper (“Voodoo Doll”) and a hillbilly stomper inspired by Steven King's The Shining (“Daddy's Gone Crazy”) are the real stand-outs. In addition, the title track gives the boys a chance to showcase their individual talents in a way that only an instrumental track can.
With a more solid presentation of lyrical skill and structure than RUBBER ROOM ROCK, B, S & N is evidence that this act is no flash in the pan. Buckle up y'all, 'cause THE SPECTRES aim to take you on a '57 death trip fueled by BLOOD, SWEAT & NITRO!
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2001:
THE HELLBILLYS
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Three years ago Berkeley, CA's THE HELLBILLYS set the left coast psychobilly scene ablaze with BONDAGE A GO GO, their celebrated debut. Soon after they threw salivating fans a bone with the release of CAVALCADE OF PERVERSIONS (a compilation of singles dating back to 1990 and a few previously unreleased live tracks), but lamentably haven’t set foot in the studio again until now to lay down BLOOD TRILOGY VOL. I.
THE HELLBILLYS’ long-awaited second full length really hits the mark dead on with 14 fist-pounding tracks of speed psycho and hardcore punk that won’t quit until you do! Proving that adherence to the cardinal 3-M rule (Murder, Monsters & Mayhem) is the key to psychobilly success, BT Vol. I heralds the exploits of werewolves (“Prowl”), serial killers (“Blood Lust”) and other pathologically unstable types that have disrupted many a restful slumber as subjects of nightmares since the creation of fear itself. For the vocally-opposed THE HELLBILLYS rage through a supercharged instrumental, “Cannibal Bop” and everyone should enjoy the fitting cover of Glenn Danzig’s “All Murder, All Guts All Fun” squeezed in amidst all the original material. BT Vol. I was definitely worth the wait, but let’s hope THE HELLBILLYS don’t keep us waiting another 3 years for Vol. II!
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JULY-AUGUST 2001:
PSYCHO CHARGER
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Hey y'all! Ya know 'ol T-BONE and I can't help but notice that there's an almost unavoidable tendency to name drop when attempting to give the uninitiated masses an idea of PSYCHO CHARGER's truly unique sound - most reviews read something like "the Cramps meet (insert industrial rock band name here)". That said we'll spare y'all any further such tired comparisons and just say ain't nobody, and I mean NOBODY, doin' it like these fellas! Self-billed as a psycho-industrial rawk-a-billy act, PSYCHO CHARGER is the horrific result of a shotgun wedding marrying artificially-generated industrial beats with cacophonous trashabilly twang R'N'R. This marriage made in hell has Jimmy Psycho (vocals), The Diabolical Dr. K (bass) and Scott "Big Mac" Macintosh (drums) blazing a fiery trail deep into virtually uncharted territory. Y'all can take a listen to the happy couple on PSYCHO CHARGER's self-titled debut courtesy of SKULLY RECORDS. If we're lucky the honeymoon won't be over for a long long time! Pick up your copy today! --->
SKULLY RECORDS
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MAY-JUNE 2001:
JESSE AL TUSCAN & THE LUMBERJACKS
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Neo and Contemporary RAB fans eat yer hearts out, cause a man by the name of Jesse and some of his wood-choppin' pals are bringin back some traditional hillbilly bop - and these fellas are doin it right, and how! JESSE AL TUSCAN & THE LUMBERJACKS' debut album, 88AM, is flat-out authentic RAB to the core. 'Course it sure didn't hurt that 'ol Jess hooked up with TAIL RECORDS for this release - TAIL's got a fully functional 50's recording studio exclusively using vintage recording equipment (the likes of which haven't been around since Elvis, Scotty and Bill were layin 'em down at Sun)!
Don't delay, y'all! Give the boys a buzz - and show yer support by pickin' up 88AM in the immediate future.
TAIL RECORDS
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APRIL-MAY 2001:
THE DEAD KINGS
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Ya know 'ol T-BONE and myself are a couple a die hard, downright rabid Mad Sin and Batmobile fans so y'all can imagine our collective excitement when we heard about CRAZY LOVE RECORDS' new all-star outfit, THE DEAD KINGS! Yeah that's right y'all, Kofte (front man from MAD SIN) and Johnnny (skin-slapper from BATMOBILE) have combined forces with members of the KLINGONZ and NEKROMANTIX to put together one hell of wreckin' debut - King by Death, Fool for a Lifetime. Kofte's intense vocals add a lot of Mad Sin flavor to the DEAD KINGS, but this act is no spin-off - some of the most original punk-edged psychobilly we've heard in a long time!
So what the hell are y'all waitin' for? Hit CRAZY LOVE RECORDS up for your own copy today!
CRAZY LOVE RECORDS
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