Bloodshot Bill
So Fed Up
(Goner Records)
The moment I first saw Bloodshot Bill will forever be burned into both my eyeballs and my memory. It was at the Middle East in Cambridge while waiting for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to go on. And here comes this guy, wearing a robe, hair slicked back, armed with nothing but a guitar, bass drum and hi hat.
What followed was thirty minutes of raging thunder honky tonk country music powered by a single human being. I knew nothing of Bloodshot Bill and there I was transfixed; completely aware that my life was changing right in front of me. I instantly became a fan.
Bloodshot Bill is recognized as the fifth hardest working man in music and he’s constantly putting out new music as well as touring the land. His latest, So Fed Up, follows perfectly after his previous albums, Psyche-O-Billy and Get Loose or Get Lost, and it’s jam packed with a buzzy, raw, country bliss, and the incredible guitar work that Bloodshot is known for. However, this time, it seems like the chemistry is a little more in place; the songs pop a little more, the arrangements stand out in each individual song, and the toe-tapping is almost irresistible. In short, So Fed Up is the best Bloodshot Bill has sounded to date, packed with his unique brand of music and a must-listen. Nothing else sounds like it!
The only problem facing Bloodshot Bill is that the raging hurricane he puts on in his live shows is almost impossible to capture on a recording. They simply don’t make wax strong enough to hold his music. You must see this man onstage when he comes to town.
I had a chance to ask Jon Spencer about Bloodshot Bill a while back and he put it perfectly: “He’s the real deal.”
Get it from Goner Records.
photo: stevie.blues
