R.L. Burnside – Spex: A Ass Pocket of Whiskey (PRESS, GERMANY)

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion perform on A Ass Pocket of Whiskey along with the songs Alice Mae and Highway 7 which were recorded at Lunati Farms at the same time as the tracks for .

“R.L. BURNSIDE

An Ass Pocket Of Whiskey Matador/RTD

Some time ago, someone asked Jon Spencer if he could imagine actually playing in rural blues clubs and juke joints. Spencer was somewhat reserved and mentioned that Southern Culture On The Skids had already faced this test. Eventually, their tour bus was stolen. (Not necessarily meant as criticism.)

On An Ass Pocket Of Whiskey, a similar but more productive confrontation of blues universes takes place. One afternoon in July, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion played with the elderly, but undeniably elderly, blues master R.L. Burnside. (Burnside returned the favor with a cameo appearance on the forthcoming regular JSBX album, Now I Got Worry, about which we will hopefully read much more elsewhere.)

It seems almost inconceivable how the bombastic punk rock band (guitarist Judah Bauer) and the electrified, traditional country-blues musician could possibly communicate. But JSBX manages to throw their two or three pieces of madness into Burnside’s cup of blues. His stylistic influences include Fred McDowell and John Lee Hooker, whose “Boogie Chillen” they cover. His voice is even very reminiscent of Hooker, although Burnside is noticeably less concerned with sini-streme mumbling. He cultivates more of a manic bark

Burnside and Spencer shriek at each other live and lowdown according to the more robust rules of Black Secret Technology. In the best tracks, they achieve bone-dry, nervous music that sounds abstract and funky. Although I would attribute the musical quality more to the hardcore modernist Spencer, Burnside’s contributions are not uninspired either: dark insults, ominous shaggy dog ​​stories, curses, filth, and the awareness that the blues is the father of all things

In Tojo Told Hitler, Burnside recounts how Japanese Prime Minister Tod-scho calls Adolf Hitler after Pearl Harbor is bombed. Adolf jumps out of bed in shock. Todo announces he’s going to kick Adolf’s ass. Hitler had, after all, concealed from him the fact that the Allies were good fighters. At one point, Burnside breaks off and continues with a rap about Adam, who, through his fucking, set the whole world in motion. But Eve must have been with someone else too, because there are far too many different people in the world. At these points, one begins to understand why the blues was once often called the devil’s music.
Christian Storms”