Miami Music Matters

Scott H Biram Continues South Florida 1 Man Band Weekend at The Monterey Club Sunday Night

The gravitational pull between one man bands Joe Buck Yourself and Scott H Biram is so strong, that even when they aren't touring together - they are in the same state at the same time. So in case you missed JBY's high octane set last night at Churchill's, this Sunday you can get down to the more grizzled sounds of Biram.

Hailing from San Marcos, Texas - the Hoboken of Texas - Biram merged his love for CB radio eavesdropping, Black Flag and Honky Tonkin and came up with a chicken fried mid tempo stomp  that cannot be stopped. Even a direct hit from an 18-wheeler merely postponed his performing schedule for a month. After that he got signed to Bloodshot records, wrote a lot of songs about hitting the road and a rig with "Biram" on the front plate became his logo. 

Rather than further describe the man's sound, below is a you tube clip that  represents it well. To get the whole picture, listen to the clip,close your eyes and imagine a ballad or two, and some harmonica blowing to build up his thirst.

 

Joe Buck Yourself Brings His One Man Musical Assault To Churchill's Pub Tonight

 
Most known photos of the one man wrecking crew known as Joe Buck Yourself look like the one above, with his mouth agape - as if he were a rabid horse about to bite its owner.  And that isn't far from the case.

 Once upon a time, Mr. Buck was a tavern keeper in Nashville. Then after wearing out his welcome with both the city and Th' Legendary Shakers, Buck hooked up with another Nashville outlaw, Hank III. When Hank III didn't tour enough for Buck's liking, he grabbed a kick drum to acompany his screeds of "hillbilly pride" and "southern rage"in taverns accross North America. He tours so much, that he hasn't had time to release another album since his 2008 self-titled debut.  Come out tonight to Churchill's Pub and learn the lessons the road have taught him, like how to cover Antiseen's "Animals, Eat Them" - or how invoking the great Bluesman Muddy Waters can transform a barn-owning hillbilly with a chip on his shoulder into a torch singer - albeit one with some propane behind the flame.

   

 

UK Synth Pop Duo La Roux Jumps The 80s Nostalgia Shark Tonight At The Culture Room

 

For years I have held my tongue while every Generation Y musician who can fit in tight pants has recycled the 1980s into hipster musical fodder. Everything from miami bass to death metal to track act pop has been repackaged and forced down the throats of a generation too lazy to come up with their own soundtrack.

I'm drawing the line at La Roux's "In For The Kill" single. It's one thing to recycle 80s dance pop. The Black Kids, for example, do a great job at it. But to make an intentionally crappy sounding record and get praised by the few remaining music rags that are left for being "shrill" and "tinny" is inexcusable.

Let's get it straight musical brit hipsters. What you are historically good at is selling semi-obscure American culture back to us. The Rolling Stones sold us John Lee Hooker. Led Zeppelin sold us Howling Wolf. The Sex Pistols sold us the NY Dolls and The Stooges. Soft Cell sold us Gloria Jones. But selling us re-recycled Soft Cell is lame. That's why you're playing clubs in the states despite your star status back home. You clearly have enough moxy/management to get polydor to throw some spacebucks behind you. So how about coming up with your own sound next time?

To paraphrase PJ O'Rourke,you need to LED: Let The Eighties Die.