Founding members Scott Luallen & Blaine Cartwright (Nashville Pussy)  team up with producer Daniel Rey (The Ramones, White Zombie, Richard Hell, The Misfits) for a raucous new release
Fueled by boredom and worry, Nine Pound Hammer fired it up during the dark winter of 2020 to record their new album, “When The Sh*t Goes Down” available October 1, 2021 on Acetate Records.
For their 8th studio album, original members Scott Luallen and Blaine Cartwright (Nashville Pussy), reached out to Ramones producer Daniel Rey, who braved the Kentucky elements to throw a gas can on the bonfire, helping the band conjure 13 new Cowpunk Spirituals™ that are guaranteed to cure what ails ya. What a perfect fit it is too.
After 35 years of pounding away at the forge of Rock and Roll Nine Pound Hammer are in the house and they sound full of vigor and from the opening salvo of ‘What Kind Of God’ blasts through you know they’ve not lost any of the power or passion for what they do and with Ray’s magic sprinkled over the top it makes for a stonking record. When asked recently what keeps them going Luallen said people still need to rock out and hear genuine Rock and Roll and not some fake shit played by beardy men singing about trains and I immediately felt an affinity and know exactly where he’s at.  So much so I threw my stetson in the air and dusted off my cowboy boots the second the title track ripped out of the speakers Cowpunk n roll yeehaw!
‘A Girl Like That’ is what you’d get if the Ramones were not from Queens but from Kentucky (sure having yer man behind the desk kinda makes sense this might happen). ‘Drunks Babies And Fools’ just turned the dial up a notch or two with a great hook on the chorus as the song just bounces on like a demolition derby with nothing left behind its all in cowpunk baby.
Fuck!, ‘Street Chicken’ is a nasty little riff played fast and with fury and plenty of fist-pumping gang vocals on that chorus.  There’s a load of variety on this record as the band jumps from the fury of ‘Street Chicken’ to the stomping rocker with the saloon piano tonking away ‘2 Legged Dope’ is Steve Earl meets the Quireboys and hits the single malts hard. then ends up at ‘Mama Lied’ with its cotton-picking chant.
They even get the horns out for the late-night ‘One Last Midnight’ as they conjure up the spirit of ole Johnny Cash before hitting paydirt with some harmonica honkin cowpunk in the shape of ‘Get The Hell Off The Farm’.  Before the band check out of this fourteen track whirlwind there’s time to give their six strings a good workout as they put the pedal to the metal and race through a couple of right old rockers before they kick the shit out of ‘Lizard Brain’ like a fitting Jello Biafra.
Finally, ‘Best Of All Possible Worlds’ wraps up this varied and excellent long-player in fine style,   Kerrang recently heralded NPH as the best the state had to offer in Punk Rock and I wouldn’t argue with that one bit and on this evidence, they might just have hit it square on the head with or without a nine pound hammer.  Go get some boys n girls before the shit really does go down!
Pre-order: Here
Author: Dom Daley
Rock photographer Bill O’Leary has a book Featuring over 175 full color concert images from the ’70s through ’90s of icons like Van Halen, Rush, Judas Priest, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Pink Floyd, Zappa, and more Available Here
During his career, photographer Bill O’Leary took pictures of some of rock’s biggest names at the peak of their powers – Van Halen, Rush, Judas Priest, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, etc. And now, he has opened his archives for the first time ever – assembling a collection of not only his best images, but also, offering stories and recollections behind concerts he shot over the years. Indeed, this book is comprised of over 175 full color, live concert images photographed primarily from the late 1970’s through the 1990’s.

Artists include…AC/DC, Albert King, The Allman Brothers Band, Anthrax, Blues Traveler, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick, Def Leppard, Dixie Dregs, Foreigner, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna, Jeff Beck, Jethro Tull, Joan Jett, Judas Priest, Kiss, Marillion, Mercyful Fate, Michael Schenker Group, Molly Hatchet, Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Outlaws, Overkill, Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Travers, Phish, Pink Floyd (The Wall), The Police, Queen, Rainbow, Reo Speedwagon, The Romantics, Rossington Collins Band, Rush, Scorpions, Slayer, Styx, Ted Nugent, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, Triumph, UFO, Van Halen, White Zombie, XTC, Yes, Yngwie Malmsteen with Alcatrazz, and ZZ Top.

O’Leary says:
“Hard to believe that I have been shooting concerts for 4 decades now, beginning in the mid 70’s when I went to my first concert at the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City. I felt at home among the walls of speakers and the towering lighting rigs, I also immediately knew that leaving the show with a ticket stub, program and maybe a t-shirt would not be enough, so I had to capture the memory permanently. Within’ weeks I had traded my Sony home stereo system for a black leather jacket and my first Minolta SLR camera. After a brief learning period experimenting with the constantly changing lighting and vast array of colors, film speeds and the quick movements of the artists, I was told by many people that I was a “natural”. I have always felt that “knowing” the music deeply and being passionate about it as well, really was the “secret” to capturing the “moment”. With that confidence, I was soon shooting many concerts, 46 in 1980 alone. By then I was also being published in many major magazines as well. In the early days, I practiced “gorilla type tactics” to get my equipment into the venue’s. Later, I was forced to play the game of securing credentials in order to shoot shows. All too soon, promoter and band management rules and demands on photographers began to take the excitement out of shooting shows. Then the ” first 3 song” rule became common, NO more pictures after the third song. Pro concert photographers know that the “best” part of a shows production comes later in the event. In the end, I’m glad to have been a part of the glory days of concert photography.”

FOREWARD by Freddie Salem of The Outlaws:
“Bill O’Leary has played an extremely important part in the rock n’ roll world, as the consummate live performance photographer for over 40 years. As a professional musician, rock photographers are a part of the music scene – whether it be shooting promotional shoots, live concerts, or simply capturing life on tour. Bill first photographed us back in 1979 – a couple years after I joined the Outlaws, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. We were touring in support of our latest album, In the Eye of the Storm. Madison Square Garden is a big show for any touring band – as well as me personally, as a musician. A landmark venue. The following year, 1980, Bill again photographed me onstage – twice. Once at a Pat Travers Band show at the Palladium in Lower Manhattan in April, then again later that fall in November, as the Outlaws were touring in support of our latest album, Ghost Riders. This time, we were playing a smaller venue in Passaic, New Jersey, called the Capitol Theatre. Hundreds upon hundreds of marquis performers from all over the world have been captured on film by Bill – with the help of his trusty camera. I am surely anticipating the release of Bill O’Leary’s book, featuring his life’s passion and his iconic photography work. Looking at the thousands of live photos Bill has shot over the years one thing is very clear – he knows when to “pull the trigger.”