The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band / Bob Log III / Condo Fucks

In today’s high paced, media overkill society sometimes recording a few tunes and putting them out isn’t enough. Sometimes to get noticed there has to be that little ‘extra’ that makes your music stand out from the masses; some gimmick or back story to distinguish from all the other hopefuls. While the likes of Bon Iver and Seasick Steve would probably have hit the headlines anyway, their push into the mainstream was no doubt aided by having a ‘marketable’ story to tell. The following three records seem to have taken this on board, and run with it.You can say what you like about Seasick Steve, but his surprise success has opened the way for a renewed interest in roots and blues over the past few years. I have no doubt that without his arrival, it is unlikely that a three piece family band from Indiana playing guitar, harmonica drums and washboard would be getting column inches in the Sunday Papers. Yet here we are, discussing their latest release. The Big Damn Family Band is fronted by Reverend Peyton himself, a Brian Blessed lookalike with a guitar,a twang and a song to sing and ably backed by his wife Breezy providing raspy noises on washboard and his brother on percussion duties. Their stock in trade is the country tinged bluegrass stomper, often infused with rabble rousin, hard drinkin’ rockabilly. When Peyton’s feverish strums really let rip, as on ‘Your Cousins on Cops’, (a song supposedly written in reaction to Peyton spotting Breezy’s cousin in an episode of the police chase programme), or 'DT’s or the Devil' it is hard to believe that the ‘Big Damn Band’ is made up of just three people. It comes as no surprise to learn that the band were taken on tour with roots punkers Flogging Molly, and find themselves on the label that first bought us Gogol Bordello.There’s plenty of mornful slide and fingerpicking here too. It would be easy to dismiss Reverend Peyton and his group as shamlessly retro in their outlook, simply looking to make a quick buck on the new found trend for their style of music. Yet while they do play up their novelty, hayseed factor on the likes of single ‘Mama’s Fried Potatoes’, there is much more at work here, with modern concerns underlying the traditions: 'The Creeks are All Bad' takes the traditional fishing song and advises against eating your catch as there are “PCB’s in the Cat Fish, and Mercury in the Bass” while the slide driven stomp of ‘Walmart Killed The Country Store’ deals with global corporations changing traditional ways of life, and taking jobs, leaving many small towns and people unable to cope. While on first impressions The Whole Fam Damily may seem like a gimmick, given the chance the album reveals itself to be thought provoking and a rollicking good listen to boot.Another man hitching his wagon to the gimmick train is Bob Log III. Here is a man who claimed in the press release of his first album that his frenetic guitar style was the result of having his right hand replaced with a monkey paw, only to concede later that it is just "Very very hairy". Performing in a jump suit and a helmet with a telephone receiver used as a microphone adds another level to the ‘mystery’ of Log and also accounts for his trademark distorted vocals. Previous records have also featured ‘professional women’ providing ‘breast percussion’ on the self explanatory ‘Clap Your Tit’s’. My Shit Is Perfect is cut from the same cloth as Log’s previous efforts; full of bravado, imploring the listener to turn up his "funky guitar" and his "funky gui-drum" on album opener 'Goddam sounds good'. Elsewhere he suggests that you might like to "Bang Your Thing At The Ball" or even "Shake a Little, Wiggle It and Jiggle It Too", requests all delivered over the top of Log’s frenetic funky guitar picking and stripped down beats - think Souljacker era Eels produced by Beck. With a slide. While ‘Bumper Car’ sees Log slow things down, it isn’t too long before he’s back to his breakneck, dirty old one man band best. Fans of Log will be pleased with this record, and while there is nothing revolutionary here musically, Log’s persona and personality keeps the record together. Ultimately however, it is unlikely Bob Log III on record will ever live up to the sweaty, beer and rye soaked live experience. If you are still in doubt as to what Log may sound like, it may help to know that there is a track on My Shit is Perfect called ‘Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Baby! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump Pow! Bump Pow! Bump Bump Bump’. It does exactly what it says on the tin.The Condo Fucks were a cult garage rock outfit from New London, Connecticut with a passion for covers (as previous releases Condo Fucks City Rockers and Straight Outta Connecticut jokey titles suggest). Reformed just before Christmas for some shows in New York, the band went back into a recording studio, or, judging by the lo-fi nature of the recordings an abandoned garage and laid down a set of 11 covers, including the likes of the Beach Boys, Richard Hell, The Kinks and Slade. Except of course, these records only ever appeared in the sleeve notes for Yo La Tengo’s 1997 album I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. The fact that the new album goes out under the title Fuckbook also plays on the previous Yo La Tengo covers album, Fakebook is another indication as to their true identity. Hilarious. Or not. The album even comes with a sticker proclaiming ‘This is NOT the new Yo La Tengo record’. So far so gimmicky. As for the album itself, it rips through the impeccably chosen covers in little over half an hour, warts and all and sounds like everyone involved had a whale of time. ‘Dog Meat’ surges by on a trashy surf vibe, while Small Faces cover ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It?’ takes great delight as it falls apart half way through, feedback wailing, drums and cymbals crashing before coming back in to the muscular pop again to close. ‘Accident’ follows up much in the same manner, all heavy garage rock vibes swathed in fuzz and sneeringly delivered, ready to fall joyfully off the rails at any minute. Essentially this is a thirty minute tribute to what has gone before- a joyful, exuberant palette cleanser of a record that Yo La Tengo probably wouldn’t have been able to make without the ‘freedom’ of their alter egos.Despite tricksy marketing, all three of these artists have managed to transcend mere gimmickry, while sharing a few common values - that music should not be taken to seriously and be full of energy. While all the records here can stand in their own right, one can’t help but think it is in the live arena that these bands will really excel.The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: The Whole Fam Damily 73%Bob Log III: My Shit Is Perfect 75%Condo Fucks: Fuckbook 79%