Thursday, December 27, 2012

Buck 55



New Bluegrass cowpunk kids on the scene. Check 'em out at:

https://www.facebook.com/BUCK55Cowpunk?ref=hl

Monday, December 14, 2009

My Piss Would Make A Bigger Crater...


So here it is folks. Another story from the Highbrow Hick coalition. This one just kills me ENJOY.

My Piss Would Make A Bigger Crater...

So... I'd been hearing about it for weeks.. NASA was going to crash a rocket into the moon... basically just to see what would happen..That is my kinda thing... doing stuff just to see what will happen... so.. I was with them on this thing, huh..I woke up really early.. uh... for me anyway.. just so I could watch it all happen live...I have NASA channel so I can do that if I want... today was the first day that I wanted.. but that is beside the point... I could do it... so.. I did...Here I am all bleary eyed... laying in bed.. uh... just because I woke up does 'not' mean I actually 'got' up...But here I am... laying in bed watching one of my decadent television sets... hardly able to stay awake but not wanting to let the chance to see history in the making... slip by..Man.. I go through all the build up... been going through it for weeks.. and then... zero hour..You could not even see a poof!! Yeah... and then.. when the camera ship went in... all you got was closer and closer pic's until it went blank...I could not believe it... WTF, huh..I have personally chunked a toaster and made more impact dust than their rocket did... I can piss and make a bigger crater..I have decided that if NASA really wants to make an impact crater on the moon... they should call me and get me to chunk a toaster at it... or have me piss on it.. because that is what I plan to say the next time they are going to shoot a rocket at the moon at 6:31 am... piss on it..

Written by Paul Buchanan

As an infant.. Paul was stranded on this planet where he became vastly successful as a Clandestine Chemist and Self Taught Criminal... Through much coaching and coaxing from the Federal, State, and local governments he was able to become all that he is today... a poor, old, fat.. and completely unemployable, redneck biker... who through it all.. does have a story or three to tell...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Highbrow Hick Coalition

I have joined forces with the Highbrow Hick Coalition. A great storytelling group found on Myspace. They will be sharing a story with us here at Punks Pickers and Outlaws on a bi-weekly basis. Here is the first of what I hope is many fantastic stories to come.



Wish I'd Known He Died, I Woulda Stood Up and Said

We are here today to say goodbye to our brother Thomas Diggs. Despite what the preacher mighta said, Thomas was not a good man, or a family man, but he was most certainly a drunk man. Didn't matter to Thomas if it was daybreak or quittin' time, Natural Light was a beverage to be appreciated at any hour. And fuck combin' your hair or puttin' on a clean shirt, weren't no cause for it since you were just gonna drop cigarettes on it later. I hate it that they put him in a suit and slicked his hair over. He looks goofy.
Hey! Ya'll 'member that time that old Thomas got so shit faced that Aunt Carolyn, cold-hearted bitch that she was, took his keys away from him and told him to bed down on the couch across from my mama? My sister said once Thomas laid down, they didn't get no sleep, cause he kep' hollerin', "Alene! Alene! Wake up! Are you my friend? If you're my friend, you'll wake up and let me make sweet love to ya. I just wanna be your friend." Mama told him to fuck hisself, but he did not give up, because Thomas Diggs was certainly a pathetic man.
Didn't matter though. We loved that dumb sloppy sumbitch, cause he was there that time we caught those police fuckin' on the hood of that police cruiser down in the gravel pits, and he threw empty beer cans at their flabby asses. And he was there when I turned sixteen to help me drink the two cases of beer he bought me as a present, and he helped me set that Christmas tree on fire and roll it down Hall Hill despite the fact that he was so drunk that he pissed his pants in the backseat of Bubba's T-Top Mustang, and he couldn't walk quite upright no more. And when Bubba shot that big ass raccoon and threw it in the back of his Jeep with me and Thomas without verifying the raccoon's untimely demise, Thomas beat it to death with a tire iron when it tried to get feisty with me. Then, he tucked that coon tail under his cap while we drank Wild Irish Rose around the campfire.

Them was good times. And Thomas Diggs was a bad motherfucker.

Rebel s. Nerd

Rebel s. Nerd's bio
A longtime story teller of epic proportions. After years of folks pokin' & proddin', Rebel Star decided she best start writin' all this shit down. Plans to be a future jeopardy champion.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Pine Box Boys

This is an interview I recently did for One-Eighty magazine in Knoxville, Tenn. Here's how it went.


The Pine Box Boys

So it’s the Halloween season- a time to pull out the Jason films, throw eggs at the trick-or-treaters, and crack out The Pine Box Boys.

Since 2005’s release of Arkansas Killing Time these boys have been spinning tales of horror from the darkest parts of the holler.

Lester Raw, vocalist and guitar player, and Possum Carvidi, banjo player, were kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for me.


1) How did the Pine Box Boys form?

The other boys found Lester drunk and face down around William Faulkner's grave in Oxford, Mississippi. When they rolled him over he was singing a song - mostly indecipherable since he had a mouth full of soil and gravel, but they distinctly heard the words "Stab twice!"

After a few cups of coffee, they managed to get him to show them a few of his songs: they were all about murder. The boys convinced Lester to move to San Francisco and the rest is history.

2) How would you describe your music?

Bloodgrass.

3) What bands are you listening to now?

Lester has been listening to Charles Ives a lot lately. Possum listens to Doom Metal and Underground Hip Hop. As a group, we listen to our friends: Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, .357 String Band, Pawnshop Lifters, Kemo Sabe and so on. We also listen to CDs given to us by bands we meet on the road. It's a great way to pass the time on long drives. If we like the band, the CD travels with us and we tell everyone we know to listen to them. If we don't like the band, we throw the CD out the window.

4) You just played a show with Joe Buck and .357 String Band. How was that?!!!

We've played with Joe a few times- he's a really great guy. He looks like Skeletor, but he's really down to earth.

.357 and The Pine Box Boys have crossed paths a few times, but we've never had the opportunity to share a bill together. This was a pleasure for both bands. Back at the hotel, Lester and Billy (.357's mando picker) bothered the other guests by picking late into the evening.

5) What other bands would you like to do a show with?

The Pine Hill Haints. It just seems like a natural fit.

6) What's new for the Pine Box Boys? Touring? Recording?

The Pine Box Boys are working on their fourth album, "Revenge of The Emancipated Head." This is the story of a recently-decapitated head rolling through town and describing what it sees in song, sort-of post-mortem consciousness. The album will be released in June with a tour to follow.

7) What are you guys doing when you’re not playing music?

Lester bets way too much money on football. Also, he's been working on a string quartet. Uncle Dodds volunteers for various charitable foundations. Col. Leather is preparing a great big book about why the Apollo missions never really happened. Possum Carvidi spends most of his time learning to play musical instruments that everyone else makes fun of. Possum is also studying Russian authors; he hasn't bought any of the actual books, but he spends a lot of time with Spark Notes.

8) Hacksaw or Woodchipper??

There is no general agreement on this question: Possum prefers the efficiency of the woodchipper, but Lester argues that it is not nearly personal enough. Dodds and Leather advocate for the use of a lime digester.

I’ll have to agree with Lester myself, but in a pinch……..
Check them out on the web at www.pineboxboys.com

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Them Crooked Vultures

Alright, I thought I had a grip on what Josh Homme was doing for projects, the list of musicians he has worked with is endless, but this one just blows my mind.

I'm not surprised he has teamed up again with Dave Grohl, my jaw dropped when I saw John Paul Jones in there with them.

Enjoy this video, I'm not sure how long it will be up.



And a tour!!


10-02 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
10-05 Nashville, TN - War Memorial
10-06 Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
10-08 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
10-09 Toronto, Ontario - The Sound Academy
10-11 Boston, MA - House of Blues
10-12 Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory
10-14 Washington, DC - 930 Club
12-10 Plymouth, England - Pavilions
12-11 Portsmouth, England - Guildhall
12-13 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom
12-14 Birmingham, England - O2 Academy
12-15 Edinburgh, Scotland - O2 Academy

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Sumner Brothers

Well, I’m back from my vacation in the great Maine woods. Nothing better than camping with a bunch of suburbians, with their little toy dogs, accusing my dog of trying to eat theirs for lunch. I should have let it happen.

Anyway,now that I’m back home, it’s time to grab a beer, kick back, and listen to The Sumner Brothers. These guys from British Columbia have really grabbed that gritty, hardworking man feel reminiscent of the REAL country guys (i.e. Cash, Waylon). The perfect music to just throw on some headphones and just wonder off to. A real vacation.

My personal favorite: Both Back



I recently had the chance to ask Brian, one half of The Sumner Brothers, a few questions:

1. How Were The Sumner Brothers Formed

- well……we’re brothers……..so I guess it was kinda bound to happen….we’re not too far apart in age…..so we do a lot of things together …a lot of the same friends etc….so why not a band…….I think our writing might have matured around the same time… …we both reached a point where we had written literally hundreds of songs and we’re getting to where we felt like we could express ourselves…that was about 3 and half years ago and that’s when we decided to put the group together.

2. How Would You Describe Your Sound

- my brother likes indie-roots and I like alt-country……but I don’t know …if you come to our live show you’ll hear one thing….and if you listen to the album you’ll hear another…..the album is folk–roots–blues …we recorded that live in a cabin on Galiano island …we were out in the woods for 2 weeks with a keg of beer, our gear and a pro-tools rig……so it has that sound …for sure………at our live show, on the other hand, we’re playing stuff that’s not even going on the next record….but the one after that….and it’s different …a little harder to put your finger on………my brother and I can’t hardly sing though …so I imagine everything we do sounds a little folky.

3. Who Are Your Main Influences

- Johnny Cash for his truthfulness, Willie Nelson for his guitar playing, Toots and The Maytals and The Who for what a band could sound like, Darcy Lougheed and Phil Saylor Wisor for their conviction, The Streets for their wit, Hank Williams for his humor, John Coltrane for his power and Kurt Cobain for his song writing,

4. What Music Are You Listening To Now

- we got a new band in town here now called The Star Captains…..bunch of buddies in that one…they’re brand new and real ^&*$&^% good……they do like a 70s hype – heavy – dance thing ….it’s exhausting telling people you like their music when you don’t …usually I just say nothing….keep my mouth shut……that’s why it was such a breath of fresh air when Jimbo (The Star Captains guitar player) showed me this E.P. they had put together with the same producer that recorded our album (Derek Defilippo) and I liked it…..really liked it....finally I could tell someone that and mean it……......other than that I’ve been listening to the Frida sound track a whole bunch ….and I know my brother has been listening to a ton of our fellow Canadian …Chad Van Gaalen

5. What Was Your Best Show So Far

- our Christmas show……..we do it every year and next year’s will be the fourth annual….they’re crazy….we get about 150 people out…..it’s loud …..people are dressed up….we got a giant inflatable snowmen…….we do a deal where you get a Sumner Brothers shot glass, a shot of whisky and your picture taken with Santa Clause for 5 bucks….the whole thing is pretty fast-paced and intense…..and I love Christmas so that would have to be it.

6. What Does The World Need To Know About The Sumner Brothers

- that this is what we do……write songs ..play shows and sell records…..we don’t have day jobs …we don’t have a college degrees ……we don’t have a trade…..we’re not going to disappear ….there’s no back up plan…no safety net…………..if you like the music …you need to buy the album….then we’ll take that money and make another album….and so on and so forth……and in each and every case I can guarantee we love our supporters and fans more than they love us

Monday, August 3, 2009

DEAD LIKE DEATH

As I’ve said before, I grew up a huge fan of Boston Hardcore. Bands the likes of Tree, Stompbox, and Sam Black Church only scratch the surface of a hugely diverse scene that continues to thrive.

I’ve been seriously neglecting my roots.

Dead Like Death shows what Boston Hardcore is to all of us. Unforgiving, aggressive PUNK that you will not find in any other city in the world.




1) What other bands were you guys in before DLD?

DLD: Well Steve (drums) was the front man/guitars in a sick power rock 3-piece called the Underdogs and Age Rings, a really good spacey indie rock band, and is currently also playing drums in a bluesy/poppy rock band called I Have Ears… he is a music making junkie… he is a source of constant output and a great manufacturer of songs. Chris (bass) was/is in a bunch of bands too... Pivot, Pipe, is currently in Monolith, and we are lucky to have scooped him up recently... I (yelling boy) was in a hardcore band called Van Three, and Al (guitar) has also been in a bunch of bands and is also a ridiculous, music creating madman, Little Room, Mancain and Age Rings with Steve as well as currently being in I Have Ears and a heavy rock/metal outfit from Dorchester called Beneath the Stone...

2) How did you all meet to form the band?

DLD: Al, Steve and I had met during the Mancain/Van Three days... Steve used to show up at Mancain shows and do sound so we had him do it for us too when we played together... we all jammed a bunch together and when al and my bands broke up the opportunity arose for us to get things going and we did.. Chris is the newest addition to DLD but also used to play in a band Pivot that played a bunch of shows with both van 3 and mancain, so fate has drawn us together again...

3)Your sound seems to draw heavily from older Boston hardcore. What bands have influenced your sound?

DLD: Our influences are extremely diverse and encompass the spectrum of music but hell yeah, definitely draw from a lot of old Boston bands... for me personally I love a lot of the old BHC stuff and still listen to a ton of it today.. I know Al is into a lot of local Boston music too... actually all of us are... even though we don't get out as much as we used to... haha... bands like SSD, Tree, Blood for Blood, Jerry's Kids, Gang Green, Overcast, Only Living Witness, Slap Shot are some of my favorites... bands we draw from.. scissorfight, crash and burn, Pantera, Superjoint ritual, Ratos de porao, S.O.D., Guns -n- Roses, Foo Fighters, Queens of the stone age, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth,Refused, Faith No More, Quicksand, Living Colour, Nirvana are just a few others...

4)What bands are you listening to now?

DLD: Everything up above of course... lately i've been listening to alot of different stuff... Dismantle the Cyborg, Raw Radar War, The New Revocation, Rampant Decay, Jesu, Gojira, Superpower, Milo's Syndicate, The New Satyricon, Outlaw Order, Shitty Carwash...

5) Talk about one of your most memorable shows.

DLD: The show that never happened..

We had a show at the Midway in JP with our buddies Beneath the Stone, GUT, and We're all Gonna Die.. it was a reunion show for GUT who hadn't played in forever, and a 1st show for Beneath the Stone who used to be Medicine4Tim and have a pretty big following of faithful friends and fans.. the place was friggin packed to the gills.. i have never seen that many people at the midway.. GUT went on first played like 2 songs and the fire marshals showed up and shut it down. Everyone was so pissed... DLD had been looking forward to that show for months as had all the other bands... when bands that your band is friends with play it makes it so much better.. Not to be daunted... Beneath the Stone said fuck it they brought anyone who wanted to go back to their practice space in Southie and we had the show there... every band played a full set and kicked the shit out of it... it went from being psyched, to completely let down, to awesome drunken fest all within the space of an hour.. .it was really cool to see it happen.

6) What’s coming up for DLD? Shows? Recording?

DLD: Well to be honest.. in typical DLD form, we are sorta slacking/sorta getting shit done… when Chris signed on we had a furious month getting the songs down and rehearsing for an upcoming show that we had scheduled before our previous bassist quit… so after that summer was upon us and we have all been pretty busy doing other shit so our writing has suffered… but we are back writing now and almost have enough material to record another full-length and actually have been recording some material down at Mad Oak with our good friend and engineer Joe Saliba.. so far we got 3 new songs done and i gotta say it's the best sounding stuff we have put down to date… so hopefully we can keep on with that..

Shows-wise as of right now we don't have anything booked until November 13th at O'Brien's... but it's going to be a fucking awesome show... us and Chris Evil & the Taints, Bonestorm, and Hot on the Heels.. I’m really looking forward to this show. It will most definitely be entertaining and full of hops and barley. I'm hoping to book a couple more in the meantime but until that happens Nov. 13th is my reason to live…haha..