Puppy dogs and hearts

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-There’s a stacked double-bill geared for those in favor of hard-edged acoustic music on Thursday at the Trap Bar with The Dirt Daubers and Scott H. Biram.

Legendary Shack Shakers’ frontman—cowpunk wild-man Colonel J.D. Wilkes was invited to perform at London’s Raindance Film Festival in conjunction with the screening of his directorial debut of Seven Signs—a film depicting the music, mythology and faith that persist in the American South.

Taking the Shack Shakers to Europe wasn’t feasible, so instead The Kentuckian promised that he and his wife, Jessica, would perform. Well, Jessica had never performed in front of people. After some convincing, the duo headed to the fest and had an inspiring response from none other than Les Claypool.

“He was the first one to his feet to say, ‘Hey, that was great,’” Wilkes told the Nashville Scene. “And so we had this shot in the arm of confidence and adrenaline. We thought, ‘Well, why don’t we keep going?’”

Wilkes soon put a call into his best friend and blacksmith “Slow” Layne Henderson, who rounds out The Dirt Daubers on washtub bass. The resulting sound is definitely more subdued that the Shack Shaker’s psychobilly shock factor, but their roots are not world’s apart.

The Daubers showcase tinny Appalachian folk, hot jazz, and ragtime romps. The show is run by Wilke’s new persona, “Paw” Wilkes.

“I just wanted to be kind of a fundamental part of the music, more so than in the Shack Shakers,” said Wilkes, who has also been recognized as an accomplished illustrator and painter. “I just feel like that’s what a real musician is—it’s like a balladeer, someone that stands and delivers. It’s not just the frantic song-and-dance man.”

This doesn’t mean the Shack Shakers are finished. In fact, the band’s new release, Agridustrial, drops in April.  It just provides a down-home acoustic break from the rock ‘n’ roll road show.

The other half of this co-bill, Austin’s Scott H. Biram, is a self-proclaimed “dirty old one-man band.” I’ve heard crazy stories about this guy, and his ruckus takes no prisoners. Take for instance: one month after being hit by an 18-wheeler head-on, he took the stage in a wheel chair — I.V. still dangling from his arm. With two broken legs, a broken foot, and a broken arm, he unleashed his trademark grunge blues and hillbilly country.

The ballsy attitude combined with a mic on his pounding left foot, wailing on a 1959 Gibson guitar, and using a combination of old vocal microphones wrapped together in a tangled mess of guitar cables, and you have the Scott Biram show. Enjoy. JHW

The Dirt Daubers and Scott H. Biram take stage at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Resort. Free. 307-353-2300, ext. 1360.

Courtesy BLOODSHOT RECORDS
Scott Birum joins The Dirty Daubers for a Trap Bar ruckus.


PERMALINK:
Puppy dogs and hearts | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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