NEWS
Cowpunk
In my mind, Cowpunk didn't have a whole lot to do with C&W music. Musically, it was more inspired by TV show themes and commercials for aftershave than anything produced in Nashville. The Gun Club got the sound going, and were far more poetic than most of the bands that followed. But hey, it inspired a lot of us to dig deeper. I wouldn't have pulled out my Dad's Hank Williams' Greatest Hits otherwise.
I found out about the Hickoids from a college friend from Texas. He held thier live show in equal esteem to the Butthole Surfers. And they do grow 'em odd down in Texas. Later, Nate ran for homecoming queen at my notoriously un-varsity University, campaigning with the slogan "Vote for a Texan in a Dress." Sure that the ballot results shortchanged him, he took to the stage in his dress, and tried to pry away the boquet that was rightfully his. Somehow a squirrel carcass found its way on to the official homecoming queen. A police chase on foot ensued. The result was some community service that Nate was happy to perform. As Dubya reminds us, Texans really know how to give back to the community.
Vinyl Journey recalls some fine Hickoid tracks, but I prefer the following:
Hickoids - Rodeo Peligroso
Hickoids - O.A.F. Theme
Tex and the Horseheads got played a lot on the college station I grew up with, and were the first band I remember hearing described as "Cowpunk." Their main songwriter has some good stuff posted on his personal website. Boy they had big hair. And this is an interesting commentary on his followup band. Here's an old Tex demo he offers up:
Tex and the Horseheads - Crazy Bells
And this one could be a Peter Laughner outtake:
Tex and the Horseheads - Clean the Dirt
A.T.S. were a fixture in Pittsburgh when I moved there. They later became eccentric enough to land on Shimmy Disc, and they still exist. But they had two guitars when I first encountered them, and are partially to blame for the permanent twang in my playing (and listening.) This track really sums up the genre for me: she likes the Gun Club...I've never been there.
A.T.S. - Texas
posted by bendy @ 9/27/2005 11:25:00 PM [permanent link]
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said Anonymous, at
8/29/2006
Hi people
said Anonymous, at
12/03/2006
Hello. Good day
said Anonymous, at
12/04/2006
I do not know what to give for Christmas of the to friends, advise something ....
Who listens to what music?
I Love songs Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton
Odeo, podcasting a blog
We're getting some hits off from this Odeo service, which seems to be slurping our "pseudo podcast link" in del.icio.us. They also aggregrate mp3 blogs, and give them a common interface. Anyways, part of the process of blackstrap.org claiming rights to the page that Odeo has put on our feed is to put the "claim link" below on the blog.
My Odeo Channel (odeo/472ef58bb2a3d76b)
posted by bendy @ 9/23/2005 10:15:00 AM [permanent link]
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said Anonymous, at
8/29/2006
Roots of Crazy
I love looking for moments in Blues and Country that prefigure the raw nerves that got fully exposed in Rock 'n' Roll. Right from the start, Rock was about going nuts, but it didn't come out of nowhere. It's not a challenge to find jive artists from the Forties with maniac stage personalities, but the wildman pose is rarer among white artists.
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys are known best for putting a jazz feel into string band arrangements and becoming the foremost of the Western Swing bands. Their open, lanky sound has long been acknowledged as a source for rock, but their biggest hits, songs like "Stay a Little Longer" and "New San Antonio Rose" are C&W nuggets that are chipper and clean.
These two 1930's tracks are as close at they got to Swing's jiving side. "Oozlin' Daddy Blues" has a call and response structure that's kinda like Cab Calloway, down to the banter at the opening. The couplets follow with the same goofy humor. "Who Walks In" is a fast number, too fast for dancing really, with Delta Blues lyrics. The most fascinating thing about it is the guitar solo, which is build on a middle-eastern scale, like the songs Duke Ellington collaborated on with Juan Tizol, "Caravan" and "Pyramid."
Bob Wills - Oozlin Daddy Blues
Bob Wills - Who Walks In When I Walk Out?
The Maddox Bros. & Rose came straight outta Bakersfield California in the late Forties, role models of the Okie attitude that made the town a honky tonk capital. Their elaborate outfits- sequin-studded, three-tone cowboy yoked suits and dresses- upped the ante for outrageousness in western wear. And when rock came along, they played it with authority. Rose sits this 1956 session out, as the boys tell what qualities they look for in a woman. The harmonies are Appalachian, but the tone is badass.
Maddox Bros. - Ugly and Slouchy
posted by bendy @ 9/07/2005 12:19:00 AM [permanent link]
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said Anonymous, at
8/29/2006
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
said Anonymous, at
8/29/2006
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
said Anonymous, at
8/29/2006
Blackstrap is a rockpunk band that was formed in 2002 by several
disgruntled music fans. Some had played in bands for years, some had
never been involved in music. All of us were upset with the
direction the USA was moving. As you can tell, our impact on all that
has been overwhelming.
We broke up in 2004, just before releasing a debut EP. We still feel
bad about messing up 307 Knox Records
like that. We got back together in
2005. We might drive each other crazy again, so no promises.
We're a band that doesn't have many options as far as
money and time and touring and all those other thing that could make a
band be your life. The web is the main way we promote
ourselves. We figured out we should share what meager knowledge we have
obtained.
RESOURCES
or "Promoting Your Music as the Music Industry We Know and Dislike Dies...."
Websites are a lot of work to figure out, and don't work any magic
on their own. Most people who view your website are already going to know you exist.
Just having a website doesn't mean anyone is going to visit. So don't
worry about securing an Internet domain right away. Stick some
music on MySpace,
and then participate in sites that might actually drive interested
listeners to your music. Blackstrap gets more hits from our link
on ncpunkonline.com than from
higher-profile sites where we get lost in the shuffle.
There are advantages to having your own custom built website and
domain name, but it's only as useful to the extent that it gets linked to.
Here are some sites that are important and help to get noticed. They aren't all music sites, specifically. Alot of them require participation. But hey, you wanted to be on stage, right?
JUST HEARD
WEEKLY FAVS
LOOKING AT...
what else?
DISCLAIMER: I try to find MP3 which are linked to official sites for artists I admire. Other MP3's are up for a limited time and are for sampling purposes only. Music posted here is posted to encourage people to buy CDs, not with the intention to profit or to violate copyright. If you are the creator (or copyright owner) of a song, excerpt, essay, graphic or photo posted on this blog, please send email to the address on the CONTACT page if you want to comment on the selection or wish to have it removed.
photos in banner by bunchofpants.