Review:

on 2011-06-16 Bertman Said:

The Bloody Jug Band

First Drops

This is an unexpected musical document. 80-90 years out of date and this music is as unrefined and intoxicating as a recently unearthed bottle of homemade hooch. Sure the bottle's dusty, but the contents are clear as spring water and deceptively strong. This is nothing to dismiss out of hand.

The Bloody Jug Band are purists, like so many other acts with one eye glancing backward for inspiration and the other looking forward for direction and relevancy. The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and The Stray Cats can all be included in the list of musical anachronisms carving out a place in a contemporary world barely able to recall the era that spawned such entertainment.

There's two vocalists, jug, washboard guitar, harmonica and washtub bass on this disc where the band plumbs the depths of life's darker side for inspiration. These rustic musings might lead you believe this band to be quaint or simple. But friend, if this 20 years ago, and this recording was on a record, you'd think hard before accepting the challenge to play it backwards. There's no tellin' what evil you might unleash . . .

The Bloody Jug Band provide the perfect soundtrack to a day in the country, being chased by locals wielding chainsaws while wearing hockey masks.

Rating: 7/10