Nine Pound Hammer – ‘Sex, Drugs & Bill Monroe’ (Acetate Records)

Nine Pound Hammer – ‘Sex, Drugs & Bill Monroe’ (Acetate Records)

Way too much of a good time is being consumed in Kentucky and I’d imagine the bands name comes from the hangover they have the following morning or what it would feel like you’ve just been hit with.  Loud, Fast, Wild and reckless cowpunk Hard Rock is the name of the game and hammered home it is too.  From the sprightly opener, it just gets more wild from the awesome screaming ‘Hookers And Hot Sauce’ through the Confident cock of the walk ‘Black Sheep’ which sounds like Rockpile if they were from the US of A and drove pick up trucks and loved BIG Amps and overdrive.

Sure there are lumps of Supersuckers meets, Johnny Cash and some lush Les paul guitar breaks some prime time early DC and plenty of boogie-woogie going on. ITs no holds barred from the anthemic ‘Everybodys Drunk’ through the Un PC ‘Fighting Words’ like fast n furious Jason and The Scorchers but they head back into old school cowpunk with a cheeky grin on ‘Mamas Doing Meth Again’ with a splendid lap steel break to make it all ok, I Think?

With Blane taking a break from Nashville Pussy this seems like the right time to kick back and just rock the fuck out ‘Rode Hard’ is a blast and Scott Luallen vocals are superb pure oil and gasoline rip-snorting vocals and if its respite you’re looking for then this isn’t the album – it’s relentless rockabilly with hard rock guitars and cotton-picking rhythms that sound like they’ve just napalmed the valley and gone home to down some more moonshine.  I would, however, like to see a line dance to ‘Hell In My Hand’ so long as they promise to turn it up for a romp through ‘Ain’t Worth Killing’.  ‘Cookin The Corn’ is a real stomper before they kiss this record goodbye I kept waiting for it to go full throttle but it doesn’t but hey ho that’s cool, there’s one last hurrah in the shape of ‘The Way It Is’. Crack open a six-pack and sit on the porch and shout at passing cars – it’ll be a hoot! Nine Pound Hammer is back in the saddle and these ones bucking and kicking like a slapped mule.  like what Mike Ness wanted to do with his solo albums but forgot to stop in Kentucky and drink some moonshine.

Looks like the good people at Acetate are loading all the NPH albums up on their Bandcamp page for digital rock and rollers everywhere.

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Author: Dom Daley

Various Artists – ‘A Fistful More Of Rock & Roll, Vol 3’ (Screaming Crow Records)

Various Artists – ‘A Fistful More Of Rock & Roll, Vol 3’ (Screaming Crow Records)

A Fistful More of Rock & Roll, Volume 3 contains Twenty Six of the best Rock n Roll bands from all over the world! Originally slated for release in January of this year manufacturing problems and a pandemic pushed it back to July 31, 2020. Although all the bands/songs are sweaty, beer-soaked denim dripping Rock n Roll, Available on CD and gatefold double LP.

Liner notes from Producer Sal Conzonieri of Electric Frankenstein.

A Fistful MORE of Rock & Roll – Volume 3 continues in the same tradition that the original 13 volumes of A Fistful of Rock ‘n’ Roll did from 2000 to 2007. 

It’s the Return of the Return of Rock ‘n’ Roll,Call it what you like Action Rock Punk n Roll does it really matter? It’s Straight down and dirty, Loud n lustful, Action Rock revolution, High Energy Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll yadda yadda yadda.

Action Rock, Punk N Roll, Hard Rock now we’ve established that you can actually call it what you like if its good I’ll give it a spin and if it’s not then no thanks I’ll pass.  This new age of “Action Rock” is churning out records at a rate of Knotts and for the convenience of keeping all these alternative bands under one umbrella, I happen to think its in rude health.  Having covered a lot of these bands over the years I find it warming that they’ve been brought together  thanks to the super hard work of Sal.

Starting in the late 80s and early 90s, a worldwide Rock revival / New Rock Revolution sprang up, from Scandinavia to the USA to Australia to Wales. Spontaneously, around the world, a group of bands developed this new sound, such as Poison Idea, Action Swingers, Bullet Lavolta, Big Chief, The Fluid, Blue Hippos / Otto’s Chemical Lounge, Celebrity Skin, The Kings of Oblivion, Flower Leperds, Fearless Leader, The Lazy Cowgirls, The Donnas, The New Bomb Turks, The Didjits / The Lee Harvey Oswald Band / The Gaza Strippers, Dwarves, Zeke, Supersuckers, The Hookers, Nashville Pussy, Easy Action, Trash Brats, Candy Snatchers, Adam West, The Cherry Valence, Jakkpot, The Upper Crust, Speedealer, B-Movie Rats, The Stitches, The Humpers, Rocket from the Crypt, The Superbees, The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, Zen Guerilla, The Murder City Devils, The Mud City Manglers / The Cheats, D Generation, Electric Frankenstein, The Black Halos, The Spitfires, Danko Jones, American Ruse, TV Killers, Dumbell, Temporal Sluts, Thee STP,  Aerobitch, The Pleasure Fuckers, Safety Pins, The Nomads, Puffball, The Rockets, The Hives, Gluecifer, The Flaming Sideburns, The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, Turbonegro, The Onyas, The D4, The Datsuns, The Powder Monkeys, The Panadolls, Mustang, Hoss, Teengenerate, Supersnazz, Jet Boys, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, and so on, that were all featured on the first series of the “A Fistful of Rock ‘n’ Roll” compilations.

Today there is a whole new generation of young bands and (cough, cough) not so young bands delivering the goods and knowing exactly where the action is.  they have built upon what the previous bands started, keeping Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll alive and full of high energy. Thus, a second series is necessary to document this: “A Fistful MORE of Rock & Roll”; No mistakes at all when I say this is one of the loudest compilations and no quarter is given not even an inch.  Side one pairs up Deathtraps with Egyptian Gay Lovers both playing loudly but both offer something quite different from each other. As far as Deathtraps go they’ve just released an excellent album full to the brim of loud rock and roll and a leap in quality from the first which was pretty impressive as it goes.

Flexx Bronco opens up side two with a cool rocker ‘Heart on the Floor’ and again it’s sounding quite different from the Elvis meets Danzig rock of Nevadah and ‘Iggy Dog’ but I have to admit I have a soft spot for the most excellent Drippers record ‘Solitary Speaking’  rumbles along like a freakin’ steam train heading for oblivion.  A quite ferocious cut for sure. Then to follow that with Randy Savages Rockin’ and a rollin’ on their single Guilty of Nuthin’ is an exceptional burst of energy and how can anyone not get behind that guitar solo!

Of the bands I’ve never heard before Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre is one with a bit of a mouthful but fear not Rockers the guitars are slung low and the energy levels are in bloom. Moving away from the Punk n roll attitude of a band like Randy Savages you have The Dirty Denims who pray at the altar of DC and all things ROCK!

There are some bands I’ve not heard anything from in quite a while and to be fair bands like The Cheats are kicking serious backside as is Dog Toffee someone I’ve not hear anything from in a while and they sound excellent as do East Coast Low another new one on me and their solid thump.

It might be an idea to listen to this in healthy chunks so as to not overwork your brain and to give your speakers a chance to recover.  Projeckt Daghouse  are kicking up a hellish racket but they are overshadowed by a band I’ve championed since hearing their debut. Poison Boys have got the lot from the pretty faces going to hell. But trying to pick a favourite side is like being forced to choose between the kids.  But don’t tell anyone but the last record is freakin awesome such is the quality of songs on offer.

It’s fair to say I’m impressed and this is right up there with the best for sheer quality and like I said earlier the amount of hard work that went into making this project a reality and all these cool bands delivering the goods on mass is a real Boon to the scene. An honour and a feather in the caps of those who get featured and being associated with such a quality compilation.  I hope Sals turned his attention to volume 14 and I look forward to hearing who and what is on offer because this is only the beginning of the second wave. Now if only this virus would be kind enough to fuck off and let us get back to live shows maybe we can see some of these bands in the flesh tearing it up around the stages of the world.

Pre-orders and limited edition purple vinyl available exclusively Here

Author: Dom Daley

That Was the Week That Was

That Was the Week That Was

In a week that was overshadowed and pretty much dominated by one thing and that was the sad and sudden passing of the incredible talent that was Pete Shelley.  It seems everyone throughout social media had a picture and/or a nice touching story about meeting or working with Pete who passed away at the age of 63 at home in Estonia of a suspected Heart Attack.

It was warming to see that even the BBC found it fitting to round off the day’s news with the reporting of his passing. It seemed that only when passing many people realise what an impact someone has on pop culture.  Sure Pete was never a style icon but man could he write a bittersweet song he spoke to the lovestruck teen who wasn’t part of the cool club and outsiders everywhere were affected as well as many up and coming musicians who fitted the remit of his songs  bands who later took his influence and turned it into something all together bigger.  BAnds such as Nirvana who took Buzzcocks on tour to audiences they could only dream of pulling which gave them a new lease of life.  Bands such as Green Day wouldn’t, in turn, have made the music they did if it wasn’t for Pete and his tunes – in fact, he wrote dozens of them quite literally he was the undisputed king of punk rock 45’s enjoying numerous forays into the top 40 as well as the soundtrack to many a film and tv advert looking for a catchy, snappy immediate tune Shelly had em by the bucketload.

As recently as this past summer Buzzcocks were easily one of the standout bands from the Rebellion festival weekend where they understood that having seventy minutes to play it was a case of 1-2-3-4 hit after hit which they usually delivered at ear-splitting volumes. Taken way to early Pete’s passing is monumental and a real loss to fans globally and our thoughts go out to his bandmates, crew and family at what must be a very difficult time. Rest In Peace Pete Shelley.

As for happier things over the last seven days, RPM brought you reviews from Poland in the shape of the excellent Jack Saint, Scotlands Heavy Drapes and to round the week off the brand new EP from UK Subs. The big-ticket items on the live front would have to be a bunch of shows we covered by The Damned, The Alarm & Ryan Hamilton, as well as a cracker Ben witnessed by the Virginmarys and we started it all off last weekend when Nashville Pussy played Cardiff.

 

Keep it RPM and stay sick!

 

Nashville Pussy – Cardiff, The Globe – 21st November 2018

Nashville Pussy – Cardiff, The Globe – 21st November 2018

So, I’m sat on the plane at Schiphol waiting to jet back to Blighty after my weekend in Helldorado, my tits are well and truly on the deck that’s for sure, then for some reason, I look inside my wallet and find one last 20 Euro note. What do I do with it? Why not get a ticket to see Nashville Pussy in Cardiff on the first night of their 5 date UK I thought? Yeah, why fucking not…

I’d last seen Nashville Pussy at Sjock Festival in Belgium back in July 2017, a day when the sun beat relentlessly down on many thousands of righteous heads and the band, whilst very good, were just a little bit too Southern for yours truly. So, what better way to redress the balance than to catch them on a freezing cold evening here in the UK playing to about a 100 or so diehards who have traveled from all over the country to witness Blaine, Ruyter, Bonnie and Ben on their seemingly never-ending road trip to promote studio album number (lucky) 7, the rather splendid ‘Pleased to Eat You’.

The Pussy must think its rather splendid too because tonight we get a total of five cuts from said opus and every one of them easily stands shoulder to shoulder with their already impressive canon of work. Highlights for me are the glamtastic ‘Go Home and Die’ where Blaine plays the role of storyteller to Coop-like proportions whilst on the menacing ‘CCKMP’ the band somehow manage to outclass Steve Earle right in his own backyard. Oh, and let’s not forget the boogie bastard that is ‘She Keeps Me Coming And I Keep Going Back’ a song that can make even the straightest gig goer want to duck walk across the dancefloor, as one or two do right here tonight.

It’s on the boogie train where the Pussy really are at home (and at their best) though as ‘Wrong Side Of A Gun’, ‘Pillbilly Blues’ and ‘I’m So High’ all prove to be some of the best AC/DC songs written in the past 20 years, whilst in ‘First I Look at The Purse’, ‘Piece Of Ass’ and the superb ‘5 Minutes to Live’ the band recently earned the honour of being dubbed the American Motorhead by Classic Rock magazine, something Blaine is very quick, and proud, to point out tonight.

Thinking back to that hot summer afternoon in Belgium this doesn’t really feel like the same band I’m watching here tonight and even the extended version of ‘Go To Hell’ is enthralling stuff plus it has to be said that guitarist Ruyter Suys really is one of the best out there playing this kind of cow-punk-abilly blues stuff she’s an engaging devil on those six strings even when she decides to rip most of them off her trusted SG during the final encore of ‘Wang Dang Sweet Poontang’, a song that perfectly sums up an evening spent in the presence of Nashville Pussy and takes the Ted Nugent influenced artwork of ‘Pleased to Eat You’ to its natural conclusion.

Granted I could have done without two drum solos and starting and ending the set with covers (they opened with AC/DC’s ‘Kicked In The Teeth’) seemed a bit unusual, as did the lack of support band tonight, but otherwise this was the perfect pick me up feelgood night of rock ‘n’ roll music played by one of the last true purveyors of the born to lose, live to win legacy something that had Tim Butcher (Lemmy’s long-term bass roadie) beaming from ear to ear along with the rest of us.

Epic stuff from an epic band and 20 Euros very well spent indeed.

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Author: Johnny Hayward

Nashville Pussy – Pleased to Eat you (earMUSIC)

Nashville Pussy – Pleased to Eat you (earMUSIC)

Fraser Munro.

 

“She makes God mad, he wants to fuck her so bad” ….. yup welcome to Pussy Town!

Seven albums in and still balls deep in the kind of rock & roll that makes nice girls blush and bad girls raise a cold beer. Slip this bad boy in your music box and enter Col Blaine Cartright’s Fried Chicken and Coffee Joint. Get it while it’s hot.

“She Keeps Me Coming” kicks things off in full on Pussy style, Daniel Rey’s production is clean but dirty giving the track a real live raw feel. The guitars scream the drums crack and as for the bass… Bonnie’s got the bottom end covered.

When I saw the promo video for the second track “We Want a War” I thought it was okay-ish but sitting amongst these 12 other great tunes it stands tall; cocksure and kicking ass. Onto the triple rock treat of “Just Another White Boy”, “Go Home and Die” and “Low Down Dirty Pig”, classic sounding southern tunes, one and all. Parliment’s “Testify” notches things up a level with its southern baptist vibe, more fucked up than funk with Ruyter and Bonnie singing the hell out of the chorus while that big ol’ organ pumps away in the background.

“One Bad Mother” marks the midpoint of the proceedings. I’d love to say that I could flip the LP over now, but given the record notched up a staggering £24, I went for the considerably cheaper little silver version instead. Anyway, its the music that counts.

As if you couldn’t guess Pussy’s take on Nazareth’s dirty blues hard luck story “Woke Up This Morning” kicks some serious ass while autobiographical (?) “Drinking My Life Away” really hits the spot. New inmate Ben Thomas’ drums sound fantastic, nice a dry and well… live.

Into the home straight now, with the dirty riff of “Endless Ride” and the cool harmonica laden “Hang Tight”. Next up is a fine cover of mighty Steve Earle’s “CCKMP” (Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain) from his 1996 album “I Feel Alright”, given the dirtiest of dirty treatments.

“Tired of Pretending That I Give a Shit” rounds this off in fine style. You get what you pay for in Pussy land and a ton more besides.  Is it up there with “Say Something Nasty?”…… yeah, it probably is.

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