KILLBILLY - 2 Albums

Stephen Trued on banjo, Mike Goodsell on drums, Craig Taylor in the front, Alan Wooley with the hat, Mark Rubin on bass and Harris Kirby on guitar, photo taken mid '80s

A seminal band in the insurgent country movement, Killbilly fused lightning-hot bluegrass licks with the energy and ethos of punk, launching some notable No Depression names along the way. Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alan Wooley wrote and performed all parts on the 1986 Killbilly cassette Foggy Mountain Anarchy, and was joined by Craig "Niteman" Taylor on vocal and harmonica for the band's inaugural gig March 12, 1987, on KNON community radio in Dallas. That show was the first of more than 600 that the pair would play in years to come, augmented by almost 100 different players. Killbilly's live show gained notoriety, combining bluegrass and country instrumentation, including banjo, pedal steel, and fiddle, with thrashing, raw intensity, even including covers by acts like Hüsker Dü.

The lineup primarily featured banjo player and vocalist Stephen Trued, who later died from complications of hemophilia; acoustic guitarist, mandolin player, and vocalist Harris "Stealth" Kirby; bassist and vocalist Richard Hunter; and drummer Michael Schwedler. After selling a handful of self-produced cassettes (Bootleg, Not for Sale, Alive From the City of Hate, two eponymous tapes) at shows in China, Europe, and all over North America, the band took a major-label bow with 1992's slicked-up Stranger In This Place.

Their swan song, Foggy Mountain Anarchy, followed just two years later, satisfying more fans of their live act. Notable alumni include guitarist Rhett Miller and bassist Murry Hammond (Old 97's), bassist Mark Rubin (Bad Livers), two-time national banjo champion Jeff Scroggins (Big Twang), touring banjo player and manager Louis Jay Meyers (co-founder of South by Southwest Music Festival), and publicist Nan Warshaw (co-founder of Chicago's respected independent y'allternative label Bloodshot Records). Taylor retired from professional music after the band's final performance November 4, 1994. Wooley went on to play with the Cartwrights and Jack Ingram's Beat Up Ford Band.

1. [1992] Stranger In This Place

Killbilly is a kitschy sextet that fuses hard-driving bluegrass and traditional country with the furious drive of rock & roll. Stranger in This Place captures their relentless eclecticism, as well as their fondness for odd covers like their speedy bluegrass version of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline." It's a wildly entertaining ride, full of great music and humor, but it can get a little too-selfconsciously "rebellious" for most traditional bluegrass fans. Thom Owens

01. Muddy Rio Grande
02. To Come Undone
03. Lonely Grave
04. Maybelline
05. Hang My Head
06. Maggie Won't You Go
07. Blue And Worried Man
08. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
09. Boot Scootin' Gal
10. Darling Girl
11. Ridin' On That Rail

320k
68.52 Mb
DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK

2. [1994] Foggy Mountain Anarchy

The second album from Killbilly, the world's foremost purveyors of "heavy metal bluegrass," Foggy Mountain Anarchy reveals a band that has become significantly more confident and aggressive since its first disc. While before it seemed as if Killbilly's metal elements were primarily comprised of the band's name, wardrobe, and the fact that it had a drum kit, here the group more convincingly integrates the attitude and musical flavors of heavy music into its bluegrass. Most of the material is first-rate, particularly the opening track, "Mountain Dew or Die," which is a furiously high-octane tribute to the virtues of good country livin'. For those in doubt, by the way, the group really does rock, playing straight bluegrass tunes with a reckless abandon worthy of the bassist's G.G. Allin T-shirt. Luckily, however, Killbilly isn't a one-trick pony, as there are bits of subtlety and pathos among the madness. "Heaven Is a Small Town" is a standout in this regard, with a gentle alt-country lilt that recalls the best work of Wilco. That said, the album's most obvious highlight is a supercharged reading of '80s punk group Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade classic, "Hare Krsna." Foggy Mountain Anarchy should appeal to bluegrass fans who wonder why new groups haven't been able to match the intensity of the genre's creators, as well as adventurous rockers in the mood for a hoedown. Pemberton Roach

01. Mountain Dew Or Die
02. Wondering If It's True
03. Heaven Is A Small Town
04. Shame The Devil
05. Jesse James
06. I Wonder If I'll Ever Be The Same
07. Who's Afraid Of Frogs
08. Cheatin' Side Of Town
09. Holding Back The Tears
10. Diesel Dazey
11. Running Gun
12. Pass That Whiskey 'Round
13. Hare Krsna
14. Drivin' Around

320k
108.89 Mb
DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK