On hearing Hayseed Dixie were coming to Paard I apped my friends to keep their Tuesday night free and get ready for a honkin' good time. At that point I hadn't seen any live clips of the band but I had a couple of their CD's and so I had an idea of what we were about to witness. It turned out even better than I expected - the guys are experienced entertainers and know how to put on a show. Leader John Wheeler a.k.a. Barley Scotch has been at it for 18 years now. On stage he proved to be very articulate, not just funny but intelligent and well-informed as well. I usually have little patience for between song banter, but with Hayseed Dixie it's part of the show - though, of course, it's their turbo charged bluegrass/rock hybrid that everyone was there for, and they certainly delivered on that respect. The rest of the band (seemingly consisted by a dwarf from Hobbit on mandolin and hilarious posing, the long lost 4th ZZ Top member on bass and Arnold Swarzenegger's twin -yes, I do mean Danny De Vito- on banzo) were also great showmen. The turnout that night may have been low (at best 150 people, many of whom had never heard the band) but, by the end of the night, Hayseed Dixie had made 150 new fans, not to mention almost sold out their merchandise.
It was a crazy idea: let's marry two genres that were never supposed to meet, hard rock and bluegrass country. Ever wondered how would AC/DC sound played by acoustic instruments? I'm not just talking acoustic guitars, but some of the un-rock-iest instruments ever: banjos, mandolins and fiddles. John Wheeler and company (a different line up to the one we saw at The Paard) thought it sounded like a great idea. So they formed an impromptu hillbilly band they called Hayseed Dixie (sounds a bit like AC DC doesn't it?) and made a whole album of AC/DC covers just for the fun of it. Some would have thought a whole album of it is overkill. You know, a joke may be funny the first time you hear it, raise a smile the second time around, but how long can you keep up with it? Well, guess what: 17 years and 15 albums later, Hayseed Dixie are still going strong. It isn't just a testament to their stubbornness or determination to milk every last dollar from their original idea - people love their music (dubbed rockgrass) because it's funny, rowdy and exhilarating. Some of the songs from their debut are reprised here, mostly in live versions, while others come from their 2nd "Tribute to Mountain Love", one from their 3rd album "Kiss My Grass" and still others are new. The 5 AC/DC tunes -especially the live versions- are a hoot, with the Reno brothers' banjos providing an unlikely but worthy substitute for the Young brothers' electric guitars. The speedball banjo on Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" is a definite highlight but some of the other covers are just as entertaining: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" and The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" have strong hooks that still sound great in these unfamiliar arrangements. Their version of Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" makes you think it was always meant to be sung by sleazy rednecks, while The J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" was, of course, already a rockfied country tune so they just had to return it to its natural state. Live staple "Will the Circle Be Broken" is typical country fare, as are the band's two originals, of which the scatological ballad "I'm Keeping Your Poop" is the better known - and Wheeler's own favourite among his compositions. He said it's a very personal song about his first girlfriend, which I frankly find mildly disturbing. Anyway it's a hugely entertaining album that combines nimble and buoyant playing with tongue-in-cheek humour, and a perfect introduction to the band. If it doesn't make you laugh, you may be suffering from depression. If it doesn't make you sing, dance and holler you're probably one of them Taliban music/life haters. Get it, and by all means if you have the chance to see Hayseed Dixie live, don't miss it.
**** for Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC), Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen), You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC), Ace of Spades (Motörhead), Detroit Rock City (Kiss), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Touch Too Much (AC/DC), Highway to Hell (AC/DC)
*** for Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC), I Believe in a Thing Called Love (The Darkness), Corn Liquor, Feel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company), Centerfold (J. Geils Band), I'm Keeping Your Poop, Will the Circle Be Broken (trad.)
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