Tag Archives: Bloodshot

New Lydia Loveless: Sex and Money

Video: Lydia Loveless – “Sex and Money”

Directed by Katie Harriman. From Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again, out September 22 on Bloodshot.

Sex and money. Cheeky move for the newly revived Bloodshot Records to release a single with that title, considering those are the two things that caused the original owners to shut the label down in 2021 after accusations of sexual predation and unpaid royalties. Bloodshot was purchased — including its catalog — by investment group Exceleration Music, who promised to pay the artists their outstanding royalties.

Lydia Loveless is a witty songwriter, but maybe that’s not what she had in mind after all. She says, “This one was written at an Airbnb in Austin on some late tour night where there’s a bottle and a guitar and everyone’s giggly. I’ve tried really hard to not write songs about ‘the lifestyle of a road dog,’ but this one’s a little more self-deprecation than anything. I’m a horrible hopeless romantic and I will literally just sit in the back of the van and daydream that my crush shows up with flowers and sweeps me off my feet at a random show. My poor long-suffering band, hahaha.”

So maybe it’s just a coincidence. Sex and money. Sometimes a pipe is just a pipe. Regardless, it’s good to see Bloodshot back in action…even if the office on Irving Park is now abandoned.

Lydia Loveless: web, bandcamp, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Watson Twins: The Palace

Video: The Watson Twins – “The Palace”

Directed by Jonathan Nicholson. From Holler, out June 23 on Bloodshot.

Wait a sec, Bloodshot Records is back? Well what do you know, I guess it is: Bloodshot Records is Officially Back. And Robbie Fulks says the new owners have “made things right” with him, so apparently everything is cool again. Who knew!

Leigh and Chandra Watson first came to our attention backing up Jenny Lewis in 2006 on Rabbit Fur Coat. It’s been five years since their last album, 2018’s self-released Duo. And now they’re back with a new single for a new album on a newly revived label.

The Twins told the Bluegrass Situation about writing the song: “Leigh had gone to the Nashville Palace the night before we all got together and the iconic honky-tonk was the perfect inspiration to build the scene for the queen of broken hearts. Working in the studio with Butch Walker and our touring band really brought the song to life. You can feel the energy of everyone playing LIVE in the room.”

The video was shot at the sixth annual Dolly Parton look-alike contest at Mable’s Smokehouse in Brooklyn. And if it’s as fun as it looks in this video, we should all be making plans to attend the seventh annual look-alike contest!

The Watson Twins: web, bandcamp, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Laura Jane Grace video: I Hate Chicago

Video: Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers – “I Hate Chicago”

Directed by Hannah Welever. From Bought to Rot, out now on Bloodshot.

Oh come on, lighten up, people. It’s funny. The video’s kind of dumb but the song is hilarious.

I hate the Cubs, the Sox, the Blackhawks and the Bulls
I couldn’t give a shit about the Pumpkins, Slint or Wilco

Meow!

Grace told Greg Kot, “While the song is meant in jest, Chicago prides itself in being a mean, nasty city — we’re jerks — and it’s a hard place to live. There is terrifying gun violence, government corruption, brutal winters. It’s strange being in a place you’re at odds with, but yet you live there. It’s also strange being a writer who’s identified with being from Florida. But I can’t write songs from Florida anymore, because I live in Chicago now. I finally wrapped my head around that idea. […] It speaks to what Chicago is about. People get it. It’s a hard city to live in, but we’re all in it together.”

And If I die in this shithole
Float my corpse down the Calumet
‘Cause I’d rather rot in Gary

Now that’s just crazy talk.

Laura Jane Grace: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Mekons video: Lawrence of California

Video: Mekons – “Lawrence of California”

From Deserted, out on Bloodshot/Sin Records.

If I’m being honest–and really, there’s no other point in doing this–this song and video are boring. That’s hard for me to say because I love that Mekons are still doing their thing, but this just isn’t…my thing.

Mekons: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Laura Jane Grace video: Apocalypse Now (and Later)

Video: Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers “Apocalypse Now (& Later)”

Directed by Emily Esperanza. From Bought to Rot, out now on Blooshot.

This sounds like the jangly college rock I loved in the early 90s. The Devouring Mothers include Against Me! drummer Atom Willard and Marc Jacob Hudson, who recorded 2016’s Shape Shift with Me, but this sounds liberated from the expectations of another Against Me! album.

Grace told Rolling Stone, “My approach musically to the record was that I wanted it to feel like a mixtape. Like OK, you’ve got this Nirvana-like song, you’ve got a Cure song. It was musically freeing, in that way, to just be playing whatever was coming to me as I was writing and not having to think about it.”

There’s nothing that can hold me back
Don’t have “happy ever after”, just have “here and now”
On the Samhain of our souls, watch the world burn in fire
The bliss of your kiss in the apocalypse
On top of the world, at the end of the world, with you

I like the idea that it’s still possible to find happiness when the world around you is going to hell. It’s important to be able to “walk away from the hate” we all carry.

Laura Jane Grace: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Robbie Fulks and Linda Gail Lewis: I Just Lived A Country Song

Video: Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis – “I Just Lived A Country Song”

Lyric video by Nina Stiener. From Wild! Wild! Wild!, out August 10 on Bloodshot.

The thing I love about Robbie Fulks is that he doesn’t try to be alt- or insurgent- or Americana- but instead he is comfortable enough with his deal that he allows himself to be just plain country. I suppose his refusal to play down to the lowest common denominator is alternative to mainstream country but whatever. He’s traditional but he’s not stuck in the past. He just knows what sounds good.

And one thing that sounds good is Linda Gail Lewis.

She’s Jerry Lee Lewis’ little sister and she’s been playing piano and singing since she was a kid. She’s recorded for Sun, toured with her brother, and lived almost as hard as him. Her biography is insane.

Lewis isn’t featured as prominently on “I Just Lived A Country Song” as she is on many of the other songs on Wild! Wild! Wild!. (“Boogie Woogie Country Gal,” for example, features her pounding the keys like the Killer at his most feral). But her harmonies perfectly compliment Fulks’ regretful tale of a misspent life on the road.

I can’t recall the early nineties
These last ten I’d rather not

It’s hard to write a song like this without falling back on tired cliches but Fulks is smart and unpredictable enough to twist them up and keep you guessing. And laughing. Dude is funny.

Robbie Fulks: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Linda Gail Lewis: web, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Continue reading New Robbie Fulks and Linda Gail Lewis: I Just Lived A Country Song

New Ruby Boots video: Believe In Heaven

Video: Ruby Boots – “Believe In Heaven”

From Don’t Talk About It, out now on Bloodshot.

Wow this song is cool. It took me a second to figure out what was going on since I was expecting something with more of the country soul vibe from her previous single, which was dumb of me since even then I acknowledged that you can’t pigeonhole Ruby Boots because the single before that one sounded like T. Rex!

“Believe In Heaven” has more of a Shangri-Las/Ronettes thing going on. “Come on be my angel / Heaven’s not that far.” And once it kicks in it turns into some kind of Brian Jonestown/Warlocks insanity complete with a fuzzed up guitar freakout at the end. It’s awesome. Wow!

Ruby Boots: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

New Ruby Boots video: Don’t Talk About It

Video: Ruby Boots – “Don’t Talk About It”

From Don’t Talk About It, out February 9 on Bloodshot.

“Don’t Talk About It” starts off as an easy, breezy country song about leaving things unsaid (“these constant reminders don’t do nobody no good”) but eventually builds up a wall of sound (complete with orchestra chimes!) that might fit right in on Dusty in Memphis. Or maybe not. This is definitely more country than soul.

Still, you can’t really pigeonhole Ruby Boots since her previous single, “It’s So Cruel,” kinda sounds like T. Rex. She’s from Australia so who knows…everything’s upside down there.

The video, starring Shalane Connors as the daughter, shows what would happen if an uptight suburban family could cut loose and let their freak flag fly.

Her album release show will be held in Chicago at the Hideout — the best bar in Chicago, and quite possibly the world — on February 9.

Ruby Boots: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Continue reading New Ruby Boots video: Don’t Talk About It

New Devil in a Woodpile video: The Pagans Had It Right

Video: Devil in a Woodpile – “The Pagans Had It Right”

From Bloodshot Records’ 13 Days of Xmas, out now on Bloodshot.

If you’ve spent any time at the Hideout in Chicago over the past twenty years, you’re familiar with Devil in a Woodpile. They epitomize what’s great (and sometimes sad) about the Bloodshot Records roster. These D/I/Y bands have all found their niche and they all do their thing really well inside the ecosystem of their area, but never seem like they’re trying very hard to break through to a wider audience. That’s fine, of course. Especially if you’re the type of fan who likes to see their favorite bands in bars that hold a hundred people and sell $2 PBRs. (I count myself as one of these types of fans.)

Bloodshot excels in compilations. Their kids music collections are the least annoying kids music collections released outside of Smithsonian Folkways. And it’s looks like they’re doing the same thing with holiday comps.

Devil in a Woodpile: web, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Continue reading New Devil in a Woodpile video: The Pagans Had It Right

New Banditos video: Fine Fine Day

Video: Banditos – “Fine Fine Day”

Someday soon we won’t need mindbending chemicals to reach altered states. We’ll just be able to plug in to the hub and start drooling. At least that’s the future painted by these psychedelic Southern rock Banditos. Dudes, invite us over to your garage and plug us in! Looks fun.

From Visionland, out June 23 on Bloodshot Records.

Banditos: web, twitter, fb, amazon, wiki.