Daddy-O

In case you're wondering, The Mountain did indeed manage to score tickets to both nights of the Pogues here in Chicago. Yay me. Tom Waits and the Pogues in less than a year. I can die a happy man. Though why they want to spend yet another St. Patrick's Day in New York is beyond me. Bastards. Hey, if you're gonna be in Chicago for their two night stand, let me know.


Anyway.


If you like your rawk a little trashy, a little rockin' bones, a little punky, a little snotty, and you think Esquerita and Charlie Feathers (or Benny Joy, according to them) are the true kings of rock'n'roll, then the fantabulous A-Bones are the band for you.


The A-Bones were formed by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, who went on to start the Norton Records label, which if you're familiar with the label, should tell you just about all you need to know about the band.


In the words of Johnny Carson, it's Wild Stuff. Eschewing anything resembling pop production, the A-Bones make a noise in keeping with pre-Elvis rock'n'roll. It's nasty, beer-guzzled slop, raw and raucous, the kind of music for a shag or stag party. Mixing surf, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, and straight up trash can aesthetic, the A-Bones pay tribute to all that was good in the vinyl world before Pat Boone came along. Feeding a skronking sax, tribal sexbeat drumming, two distorted chords and a half truth through a funnel of devil doesn't care shared vocals, The A-Bones will, like, move you, man. Dance, girl, dance.



The world needs more bands like this. Unfortunately, the A-Bones are no longer together, in the strictest sense of the word. Alas. Come back, A-Bones, all is forgiven. Instead we're stuck with pretenders like the White Strokes, or sumsuch. Fortunately Miller and Linna are feeding the need at Norton, with some ace reissues of their A-Bones material, and a catalog of other rock'n'trash classics.


Yummy.


The A-Bones: The World's Greatest Sinner (mp3)


The A-Bones: Satellite Dish (mp3)


The A-Bones: A-Bomb Stomp (mp3)


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