Episode 12: “The Family That Handsomes Together"

"Far From Any Road" by The Handsome Family is the opening theme song for the first season of the HBO series True Detective.

Ringo Starr really really loves country music. I vaguely remember the first time I heard "Don't Pass Me By" off the White Album. As a little guy I inexplicably loved electric blues, but I could not get into its screeching-harpie of a cousin across the tracks. So the song was a bit of left field surprise, with the pounding drums and off-kilter, almost Cajun fiddle. I'd always thought of folk-based music as happily calcified and comfortingly predictable. But this was odd. A personal approach unconcerned with convention or pretense.

I thought of that song when I heard that Ringo had bought every Handsome Family release, all at once.

I saw one day that Brett Sparks of The Handsome Family was selling his antiquated drum machine. I bought the ting not knowing anything about how to use it. I just loved, and still do, their music so much I wanted some of that dark magic to rub off on me.

I don't know if the Sparks ever cashed Ringo's check.

https://handsomefamily.com/

Episode 10: "Nachos for Two"

There's no better musical philosopher I know than Alex McMahon, guitar player for The Handsome Family among others. We had such a great craic I had to break our talk into two parts. I was editing this episode, pt 2 of my conversation w Alex McMahon, when I got the news Dolly Parton passed on. Rest In Cotton, Miss Dolly.

"Wherefore by their fruits, ye shall know them." Matthew 7:16

The Gral Brothers The Handsome Family

"Yellow Chimney" & "Waiting" by A McM

Episode 10: "Nachos for One"

Alex McMahon, guitarist for The Handsome Family, is a walking embodiment of the book and cover theory. He looks nice enough, probably a pleasant read, but inside his pages are bewitching stories of cosmic entropy fit for a Flannery O'Connor novel.

The Gral Brothers

The Handsome Family

"Waiting" by A McM

Episode 9: "The Joy of Righteous Anger"

Matt Rizzo is the son of 11th Dream Day's Janet Bean and Rick Rizzo. His latest release as Horizon of Darkness was recorded at The Loft in Chicago and features Spencer Tweedy on drums and Mark Greenberg on guitar.

Matt has a rare genetic disorder, Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome which - I've read - stops the brain from getting enough energy. I won't begin to try and explain, you can look it up if you're interested. Needless to say, life can be incredibly challenging. Matt is only the eighth person in the world to be diagnosed with Glut1. He's a poet, a musician, a Special Olympic power-lifter. To say Matt has a unique perspective on the human experience is an understatement.

horizonofdarkness1.bandcamp.com

horizonofdarkness.bandcamp.com

Episode 8, "The Atypical Ingenuity of Greg Amici"

Greg Amici is a rock and alternative singer-songwriter whose newest album, Tragicomic, blends absurdist rock, Americana, ska, folk-punk, and classic rock into a darkly witty, literary-driven sound.

A Columbia-educated writer and third-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Greg brings an unusual mix of storytelling craft and life experience into his music.

Recently, Greg returned to music after a 16-year hiatus following a vocal injury on stage at CMJ.

GregAmici.com

Listen to Greg's new album Tragicomic through his Bandcamp page.

"Babies Don't Let Your Mamas Grow Up To Be Cowboys"

For this Mother's Day episode we have this baby's mama, Ms. Bebe Kern, in the crib.

From The University of Alabama's Million Dollar Marching Band through San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene of the late '60s, in New Orleans second line parades and Appalachian string summits, my mom is a fascinating eye-witness to music history.

Believe it or not there are musicians who for one reason or another keep themselves going by just answering to the music itself and not chasing fame or income. The song is the game and they play like proud cats on the hunt, with little tunes dangling out of their mouths and word-nip in their fur.

My mother is one such animal. She's as excited to find and share music as she is to play with it and eat it. And she doesn't suffer fools. Her appreciation of the primitive and arcane, and trained knowledge of theory make her one of the sharpest musicians I know and the best mentor someone like me could hope for. She instilled in me respect for the power of words, rhythm, and the 7th chord.

Episode 6, "Jimmy Brad Takes Seriously What The Gods Meant For Fun."

James Bradley Raymond: "The Pied Piper of Southern Garage Rock"; dive bar residents from NYC to Atlanta and Austin, TX know Jimmy Brad as the world's friendliest (and clumsiest) frontman, the face of Jimmy and the Teasers. To North Carolinians, he and his bands were ubiquitous darlings of Sleazefest in Chapel Hill and the Heavy Rebel 4th of July Weekender in Winston-Salem. Closer to home, for me though, he's the caretaker of Teaser Ranch, a rest stop and recording house for the exotic and mundane.

Today Jimmy Brad gives us a bird's eye look at NC's ridiculously fertile rock scene.

Referenced: The Tigerbeat Foundation for Musicians UpBeat! is a non-profit created to provide a sense of community by assisting musicians in need.

Support this podcast: www.patreon.com/c/drunkenprayer

Episode 5, "You Never Know What's Gonna Happen When The Ball Starts Rollin'"

David Childers is probably most widely known for "The Prettiest Thing", a song the Avett Brothers have covered for years and a fan favorite. In North Carolina, the Mount Holly native is known as NC Music Hall of Famer, Class of '25.

He's recently been working with Abe Partridge on "The Satan, You're a Liars".

I was honored to add some guitar parts to his album, Interstate Lullaby.

David Childers has faced death and come out joyfully on top.

“The Ether Bunny Speaks"

Easter episode

JD Pinkus, ladies and gentlemen. He of Butthole Surfers, Melvins, Honky, Daddy Longhead and The Jackofficers. The man who drove John Paul Jones to quit drinking.

His newest release, "Grow A Pear" is available on Shimmy Disc.

His current mission, the Frijoliness Church of West Asheville.

"I Wish More People Were Geer"

The Asheville based band Town Mountain recently announced it was calling it quits and our little mountain town has only begun to wipe away its bitter bluegrass tears. I first hung out with Robert Greer at a pickin' party out in the country after a show at The Orange Peel. In this episode I talk to the lead singer, guitar player and co-founder of Town Mountain about the peaks and pitfalls of the touring game, and about his new life in Nashville, TN.

I Wish More People Were Here is listener supported directly at www.patreon.com/drunkenprayer