Today is just a flat out weird adventure. Sometimes you just break out the hacksaw and cut the square peg till it goes through the round hole!
Les Claypool's Duo de Twang - Four Foot Shack
ATO Records
I'm a fairly diehard Primus fan. Not in the fact that I've seen them like 100 times or anything but in the fact that I do own and enjoy ALL of their studio albums. That's pretty diehard in my opinion because if you mention the Brown Album or Antipop, (admittedly the latter is a little more difficult to enjoy), most folks run screaming to the other room. I don't know what to tell you though, there is something that just resonates with me as far as Primus is concerned. Les Claypool has always been a bit of hero of mine. Not necessarily for his incredible chops as a bass player but because he does pretty much whatever he feels like doing and is constantly experimenting with sounds that most people wouldn't associate with bass. So when I heard he was no doing bizzaro bluegrass songs I figured I ought to see what this is all about. Now if you're not a Primus fan you are more than likely not going to enjoy this either. Despite the acoustic instruments and lack of drummer, Les is still slapping the snot out of his strange Dobro style bass and singing strangely as ever. It's honestly more of and unplugged Primus record than it is bluegrass. There are also a great deal of covers on the record, 2 Primus songs, a BeeGees tune and an Alice in Chains song for instance. Still interested? Did I lose everyone? Well for those of you out there that enjoy Les's extreme eccentricity and some pretty solid slide guitar playing, than this is a fun listen.
The slight country twang and the simple duality of slide guitar and acoustic bass make it a fairly simple listen. The weirdest and most layered sound on the whole album is Les's voice. It's supposed to have a very front porch jam sorta feel to it and the songs do take on a bit of a jammy quality due to the arrangements and lack of instrumentation. This brings me to my 2 biggest gripes with the album. Les should have called up more of his buddies to jam. The addition of some fiddle and perhaps some mandolin, (that's more prominent than on the 3 songs it's on), or even another guitar that played slide exclusively while Les's side man played standard acoustic would have made this record far more interesting and given it more of a bluegrass feel. The other thing is that I would have preferred if Les played standup rather than his crazy dobro concoction. The whole point of not having a drummer in a blugrass band is the fact that the bass has a percussive nature to it. While he does slap and add some of that percussion to the mix it's not the solid thump that really suits the style. I don't want to bitch too much though, this is a fun record... it's a foot stomping, beer and or whiskey on the porch, laughing with buddies sort of record. "Hendershot" is probably one of my favorite numbers, a little bit mariachi and just generally some of the best guitar playing on the record. In general, the originals are the best things on the record and the covers are a little more filler. Les could have probably put out a single LP with just the originals but he probably wouldn't have gotten the same amount of press if he didn't re-imagine Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" as some kind of Native Americans Vs Cowboys war anthem. As I type more and more about this crazy-ass record I realize how futile it is to try and explain it. If you're into weirdness and acoustic fun then turn this puppy up and settle into your favorite rockin' chair.
Four Roses Single Barrel, Barrel Strength Kentucky Bourbon
61.4% ABV (122.8 Proof)
Aged 10 Years 11 Months
Bourbon goes well with acoustic music, especially if it's rambunctious. Bluegrass and Bourbon are as American as anything and so here we go. Another stellar gift of booze from my sister Kristyn. She has a tendency to pick things either by name/label or alcohol content. This time she went with alcohol content, this is a big one. I gotta say it scared me a bit, but if you don't face your fears they'll just eat you alive. I'd never seen anything that was "Barrel Strength" before this but I was aware that distillers usually add water to mellow out liquor after it's aged. Four Roses decided that they'd let you decide how much water, (if any), you needed with this batch. The color is reddish in the bottle and a lovely caramel color in a glass. The nose is all smoke at fire. You get a real sense of the char that they put on the barrel and the alcohol to come when you take a big whiff of this whiskey. The strength of this whiskey makes it something that you'd have to steal your nerves to drink straight. It's got a big time burn to it but you can still taste the vanilla and earthy flavors. The best way to enjoy this is 1.5 oz whiskey, 1/3 oz water, (you can do this with a jigger), and 1 ice cube. This will diminish the burn, spread the flavors, and cool it down just enough. The wood flavors are super pronounced due to the time it's been aged. The alcohol still makes it astringent at the end but before it attacks the back of your throat it's like sinking your teeth into an oak tree. This is not for the faint of taste bud but it will reward you f you take the time to carefully build a glass and enjoy it.
Powers - Who Killed Retro Girl
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Image Comics
Another great American tradition is the detective story. While it does go with the Bourbon, it doesn't necessarily go with the Bluegrass. Whatever, a good story is a good story and all three elements of today's entry are within shouting distance of each other so I'm running with it. Before B. M. Bendis started writing 100 different previously created titles for Marvel, he wrote Powers, an original series, for Image. Powers is a solid mix of buddy cop "Dragnet" type stuff, Law and Order serious cop drama and The Incredibles, day in the normal life of a superhero. Yes I realize I just compared a comic to movies and TV but I honestly don't have a tone to compare it to in the comic book world. It's not a superhero book because although the superhero's exist they're all secondary characters and the fact that they have powers is even less consequential.
There are 2 cops that are exact opposites and play off each in funny ways but are in the middle of murder investigation level seriousness. The book has sections where it's very dialogue heavy and that effects the layout of the book dramatically. In the more silent and or action based sequences the panels are laid out in either very interesting and innovative cross page displays. When the dialogue kicks in heavy the pages get laid out in frame-by-frame sort of 12 panel squared off sheets or full page simple drawings. Your eye has a quite a bit to follow but you really get used to it by mid book. The dialogue is long winded but very true to the cop drama genre and usually fairly witty. The bubbles weave around the action and become part of the art. Speaking of art here comes another TV reference. The characters are drawn in a noir version of the Cartoon Network original series Samurai Jack. Angular but not quite anime, the colors are blocky but not without depth. There's a very cartoony look to the book but not so round and goofy that it takes away from the seriousness of the story. The story also never get's too mired down in how heavy a murder investigation can be too stop being easy to read and enjoyable as an everyday sort of book. The use of superheroes as background characters is what makes this story. Most stories that involve superheroes are told from that hero's point of view, you never get to see what the normal people around them think about them or how they refer to them. Even better is how a detective deals with the fine line between the law and what the hero is doing. Bendis doesn't tiptoe around these issues but he doesn't make them a focal point. This is a very established system that he places you in and you just go along for the ride. So settle in for for intrigue and a few laughs.