Portland, Oregon by way of “hey! There’s Russia!” Alaska The Builders and the Butchers play a burgeoning fringe style of Southern Gothic music reflected in bands like vets Those Legendary Shack Shakers, newcomers O’Death and Hank Williams III favorites Those Poor Bastards. Imagine O Brother where Art Though as performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Iggy and the Stooges and you won’t be far off.
This aesthetic is a favorite of mine and I think a natural progression of people’s, not just kid’s, demand for authenticity and passion in music. Kids reared on punk, metal and hip-hop reach back into their own heritage come up with music that feels real and reflects the outsider status of all these genre’s early practitioners as well as their passionate and unhinged performance style. Great stuff!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-cZEod_gRU[/youtube]
Just found your blog, and really like it. Well done.
I also like this genre, I think you nailed it, reared on punk, progressive but in many ways a fundamentalist. I love these elements applied to bluegrass (ex. Split Lip Rayfield, Bad Livers, 16 horsepower). Do you know of any good blogs/outlets for that?