AotW (7/6/14): B$G P$MP$N... The Saga of Natural Child

[3milelake]

Bodyswitchers (2010)

Originally released in January 2010 on Infinity Cat as a cassette. Limited to 100 copies. After it sold out, it was given away by the band as a free download on their now-defunct blog. Too short to be considered an LP. Too long to be called an EP. Reissued in 2011 by Infinity Cat on CD with new artwork. Is that a young Stevie Nicks? To call the production primitive does not do it justice.

1. "Guns N' Rosebeds" Sunny, but fuzzed out, slice of power pop, Natty Chile style. Somewhere Axl is fuming.
2. "Dark Side of the Moon" Distorted nugget chugs along and bears zero resemblance to the band its title pays homage to.
3. "Body Switchers" Brief instrumental. Could be Wes simply tuning up. Some might call this "filler."
4. "Nobody Wants to Party with Me" Here we go. Twenty beers and I should be gone. I'm throwin' up in your front lawn. Your lights are off, but I know you're home. Nobody wants to party with me. And the music might be cruder than the lyrics. Video evidence below.
5. "Antichrist" Guitars sound like some twisted, demonic bastard child of Buffalo Springfield & Black Sabbath. Amidst the wicked distortion an acoustic guitar shuffles in looking for some space. It's abruptly ushered out by what sounds like a pointy, ugly, cheap guitar losing its shit. The Antichrist is comin', so start runnin'. He will bring the end of time. Steal your child and break your mind.
6. "Swing Story" More Sabbath aping. Standing in the street. Standing in the road. Wish I had some weed. Fucking with my phone. With my phone. Some might also call this "filler."
7. "Cocksucker Blues Blues" Nod & a wink to their one true love - The Glimmer Twins. Might be a live track. Sounds as if they're singing at the bottom of an abandoned well.

Great stuff Cortez! Didn't know about this one. Heavy rotation for me this year, nice to see lots of other admirers around here.

[bovine knievel]

I'm at a local watering hole for happy hour. Just loaded up the fancy jukebox with Natty Chile. First song I played was Firewater Liquor... asses be shakin'!

[cortez the killer]

I'm at a local watering hole for happy hour. Just loaded up the fancy jukebox with Natty Chile. First song I played was Firewater Liquor... asses be shakin'!

Nice. Will we get the "outsider's perspective" on what ensued?

[dime in the gutter]

[bovine knievel]

I'm at a local watering hole for happy hour. Just loaded up the fancy jukebox with Natty Chile. First song I played was Firewater Liquor... asses be shakin'!

Nice. Will we get the "outsider's perspective" on what ensued?

From what I could tell folks were diggin it. The bartender wanted to know who it was.

What's the connection to Doug Sahm, dime?

[dime in the gutter]

What's the connection to Doug Sahm, dime?

2013/surf n' turf
1 track on this 7" (don't wake the baby)....the other 2 songs are from the band guantanamo baywatch. (i think music nerds call this a 7" split)




i halfway expect freddy fender to walk in the door at any moment......there is nothing these boys can't do. simply amazing.



to be continued.......

[cortez the killer]

Great call on the "Don't Wake the Baby" Sahm/Fender vibe. I wanna eat @ the same buffet as Natty Chile. Lots of tasty treats.

[cortez the killer]

Speaking of Natural Child & eating....

[cortez the killer]

Nathan's Blues 7'' (2013)

500 copies pressed. Still available on wax over at Jeffrey Drag Records & widely-available as a download.

1. "Nathan's Blues" - You gotta trust me. Believe me, baby. Still chasing that ever-elusive tail. Early 60's British Invasion vibe. Rare single vocal track that eerily sounds like a young Jagger.
2. "C.R.S. Blues" - All I wanna do is love you, baby. Looks like we won't be going very far. These guys have really perfected those white boy blues. Wes & Zack can really fuckin' groove. After a slow burn, things build to a most furious guitar explosion. Those in the know might call it a "Coda." Goosebumps & hard nips. Fancy video evidence below.

[cortez the killer]

Couple things to chew on till the next installment....

[cortez the killer]

Dancin' with Wolves (2014)

The genesis of this record occurred in the now-famous Natural Child touring van. Hours & hours of spinning Willie & Waylon on the road got the boys thinking about putting together their own family band to record and tour. Enter Nashville's own Luke Schneider on pedal steel and NOLA's Benny Divine on keys. This record has the band putting their punk roots on the back burner opting for a more polished psychedelic, country vibe. Somewhere J.J. Cale is smiling. Sign these guys up for the next installment of Country Funk.


Ain’t nothing wrong with nothing to do.
1. “Out in the Country” – Excellent table setter. Love the psychedelic swirling keys & pedal steel. Mining an ol’ staple in country music - simple country living > the hustle & bustle of city life.


Well, the days went by and they turned into weeks. We’re learnin’ to live under the sheets.
2. “Don’t the Time Pass Quickly” – Jaunty, bouncy number accented very well with distorted pedal steel. The twin-vocal attack has adopted a more nasally sound in the name of authenticity. Solid chance Sam Phillips would consider a Cadillac offer.


You might see me at the bar drinkin’ beer or playin’ guitar. Or out in the back getting’ higher.
3. “Country Hippie Blues” – Connects with the ol’ cosmic cowboy themes touched upon in “Okie From Muskogee”, “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother”, “Long Haired Country Boy”, “Longhaired Redneck” & “You Can’t Hide a Redneck (Under That Hippy Hair).”


I can’t stand up. I don’t feel right. My head’s on the bowl for the rest of the night.
4. “Firewater Liquor” – Chuggin’ all down the line. A wicked bass line that won’t budge leaves the organ & steel battling it out for any remaining space. Certified to shake asses on any coast.


5. “Bailando con Lobos” – ¡Viva Costner!


What a drag, sitting here at home. Saturday night & I’m alone.
6. “Saturday Night Blues” – Honky tonk music, Natty Chile style. Woe-is-me losers sitting home alone with no money or means to head out & rip it up. His fanny is planted on his tattered couch, but I bet yours is shakin'.


All that I’m lookin’ for tonight is a friend.
7. “Rounder” – Barfly lookin’ for another one-night stand. Hoping his reputation doesn’t catch up to him. Pedal steel rescues it from being a clunker.


Ain’t gonna say I can’t wait forever. But I’m gonna try.
8. “I’m Gonna Try” – Tender ballad. Leopards can't change their spots. Doesn’t work for these guys.


You know they published one of my old songs and they’re showin’ it around.
9. “Nashville is a Groovy Little Town” – Doubt we can sneak this little-known Tom T. Hall past smitty. Props to the hometown and the mood of this album shining through. Some people complain the brush drums are too high in the mix. Fuck ‘em. Nice little harmonica via Seth, too.


The happy married couple is just a relic of the past. Things you build to live on sure weren’t built to last.
10. “Dancin with Wolves” – Second cousin to Stones’ “No Expectations.” Band’s new-found fatalistic philosophy on full display. Don’t like what you’re getting’, you don’t like what you’ve been told. Wanna start forgettin’, so you hit the road.

[bovine knievel]

Somewhere J.J. Cale is smiling.

[Clams]

Last night in Tulsa:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152557379074819

[cortez the killer]

A couple of songs off Dancin' with Wolves from Burgerama II:

[cortez the killer]

Last night in Tulsa:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152557379074819

Must be a new song. I read somewhere they have a new album that might be released this fall, Okie Dokie. Sounds like the boys have been listening to some Skynyrd. Also, Seth clipped his locks & no steel or keys at that show.

[cortez the killer]

Click on picture for the gutter twins' best of Natty Chile on Spotify.

[cortez the killer]

I've been searchin' for a certain kinda high. You know it's all that I need.
6. "Blind Owl Speaks" - Back into blues jam territory. Suck on this one Slowhand! (Un)official stoner anthem of the 21st century. Roll it up. Light it up. Smoke it up. Snort it up. Shoot it down. Drink it up. Fill my cup. Get high. Get high. Get high. Oh yeah! Wes & Zack have a great groove going and then Seth comes in a derails everything with some furious guitar work. Great fuckin' song with my only complaint being it fades out seven minutes too soon. This one deserves the proper "Cowgirl in the Sand" treatment with space to stretch out and then settle back into the wicked groove it began with.

Turn up the heat.

[cortez the killer]

5. chris' blues: pure punk. steered thru bo diddly’s amp. but then again, isn’t that the same for all punk rock.

Hearing a major Ramones vibe on this one. Probably no coincidence it clocks in under 2 minutes.

[Zip City]

Serious question: how does a band that is this unknown (relatively speaking) afford to pump out so many releases?

[Smitty]

Serious question: how does a band that is this unknown (relatively speaking) afford to pump out so many releases?

I don't know about this particular band, but other similar bands finance recordings from touring and sometimes day jobs.

[Zip City]

Serious question: how does a band that is this unknown (relatively speaking) afford to pump out so many releases?

I don't know about this particular band, but other similar bands finance recordings from touring and sometimes day jobs.

I guess it's gotten cheaper with home-recording technology and so many DIY record labels.

[cortez the killer]

I believe Hard in Heaven was recorded here.

[cortez the killer]

Mini documentary from American Music.

[Gaetzi]

Well, son of a bitch! I started reading this thread two days after they played a bar 2 miles from my house. So it goes... Totally digging these guys sound, gonna grab a few of their albums tonight.

[dee dee]

Love it. Been on the road and missed this in real time, but what a great read for a Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Love these guys. Thanks Cortez and Dime.

[tinnitus photography]

Derek's Blues is their best song i've heard. anything else like that?

[cortez the killer]

Derek's Blues is their best song i've heard. anything else like that?

Off the top on my head, I can't think of anything that resembles that song. Although, I think there are several songs from that album (Hard in Heaven) that might hit your sweet spot.

[Clams]

t
4. that's how i got to memphis: reminds me of lodi with a fiddle. lazy strumming.
.

Is that the Tom T. Hall song?

smitty dropping truths. tom with a t has a spot in the van.

[cortez the killer]

New video for "Firewater Liquor."

Plus some additional dates when they return from Europe.

Nov. 3—Georgia Theatre—Athens, Georgia
Nov. 4—Terminal West—Atlanta, Georgia
Nov. 6—The Hi-Tone—Memphis, Tennessee
Nov. 7—City Tavern—Dallas, Texas
Nov. 8—Fun Fun Fun Nights—Austin, Texas

[cortez the killer]

These lovably sloppy Nashville garage-rockers first landed on my radar with two shots of Stonesy rock pissed through a Blood Visions filter, For the Love of the Game and Hard in Heaven. Both records were great fun, but the upcoming Dancin’ With Wolves is a step forward in the songwriting department, and a pleasing turn toward their hometown’s honky-tonk heritage. Mixing barrelhouse rockers with tear-in-your-beer balladry in a delightfully druggy haze, Natural Child has fashioned Wolves into a Flying Burrito Brothers record with the production of Goats Head Soup, and damn it if they don’t pull it off.

- Steven Hyden Grantland