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Sundogs 'BB Gun Days' Review - Jambase.com - December 15, 2004
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SOUL'S CORE Shawn Mullins COLUMBIA |
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"Lullaby," Mullins' big hit about sad children of the Hollywood jet set, is a seraphic-chorused, electronic talking blues comparable to nothing on radio since David & David's 1986 "Welcome to the Boomtown." In Soul's Core's first five tracks, Shawn gets "stoned in San Francisco," calls L.A. "Nashville with a tan," then visits the Gulf of Mexico, Seattle and Oregon - he's quite the rambling man, addicted to interstate stops you can backpack to. (I keep waiting for him to write "Beautific in Butte"). But the guy's corn is endearing, and from teens shot in backwater-Mississippi Wal-Mart lots to trailer-park moms protecting microwave ovens from Kansas twisters, his character sketches exhibit an eye for detail that any journalist would envy. - CHUCK EDDY |
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"We heard about Kevin," Hutchens says, "and tried him out. Things just kind of took off. I love playing with him. But recording with him has especially been a treat. He is just so on the money. And he is just hellbent on playing. That is definitely good news in our camp.
"(Finding a drummer) really is one of those things that you just can't plan on," he adds. "Even if somebody can really play technically, that's just the first aspect - they have to fit in musically. There is a certain amount of chemistry or fate to it that you can't just map out. Playing with Kevin has been lots of fun. And I'm not just trying to brag on him." With their long-sought drummer in tow, Bloodkin recently returned to David Barbie's studio and completed their third album, which the band anticipates releasing sometime this fall. The yet-to-be titled project will feature songs that span Bloodkin's entire career, from "Wet Trombone Blues" and "Yeah" (two songs Danny and Eric wrote while in high school) to "Lifer" and "Taboo," which were written as the band prepared to enter the studio. "Lifer" will include a guest appearance by Maureen Tucker, former drummer of the Velvet Underground. Hutchens, who has toured Europe on several occasions as rhythm guitarist in Tucker's solo band, was thrilled to finally find a song that would fit Moe's talents. "I've been wanting her to come in and do something with us for years," he says. "But we never found the right thing. The end of 'Lifer' has this spooky little background vocal that really made me think of her. It's kind of like a childlike little voice that I really thought would fit her. She came in to do it and it was perfect." While Hutchens is undeniably thrilled by Tucker's guest appearance on "Lifer," the excitement in his voice peaks at the mention of "Wet Trombone Blues," which was actually the first song he and Eric ever wrote. |
"We've recorded several different versions of 'Wet Trombone Blues,'" he says. We even recorded it once with (Widespread) Panic at Johnny Sandlin's studio. I actually wanted that to appear on our first album, but it was left off due to the way some of the other things turned out. So I am really happy to finally get it on one of our recordings."
While that version of "Wet Trombone Blues" may never be heard by the public at large, the members of Widespread Panic have helped spread Bloodkin's music to the masses by regularly performing a number of their songs. Quite obviously, Hutchens is honored to have such an extraordinary band playing his material. "To me," Hutchens says, 'the point of it is to really get your ego out of the way as much as possible. Sometimes that's hard to do for anybody, but for me, the most important thing is the songs, not myself as a personality or anything of that nature. If it's somebody else singing the song, or whatever, the more people that can hear it, the happier I am. So I'm extremely pleased about these guys doing our songs. Plus, they are such a great band and I am always interested to hear how they interpret a song." Like so many others, Hutchens had little idea when he first pulled into Athens ten years ago that this amazing musical mecca would become such a huge part of his life. "I really don't know how or why we're in Athens," Hutchens says. "Eric and I were playing music, traveling, and looking for a place to live and start a band. When we got to Athens, we didn't know anybody. It was not a schemed out thing at all, we just kind of never left. I do like to get out of town fairly frequently, or it can start to drive me a little crazy. But if I am gone very long, I really miss do it." |
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By Fred Adams
Since the age of thirteen, as schoolmates in West Virginia, the duo of Eric Carter and Danny Hutchens have worked on writing Bloodkin's vast repertoire of raunchy, raw rock-n-roll classics. While these two sensational guitar-playing songwriters have honed their collective talents to become part of one of the best pure rock-n-roll bands that Athens has ever known, they have longed to find a steady rhythm section to complete the mix.
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Viper Room, W. Hollywood A 30-year-old Atlanta native and coffeehouse veteran, Mullins released a string of independent recordings before signing at Columbia. His label debut, "Soul's Core," is an impressive set of storytelling and songcraft. In a live setting, Mullins and a sturdy, skilled band rocked a little more than on record as his material reverberated with authenticity and truth. In his opening number, "Anchored In You," he sets himself up as the vagabond musical teller of tales. Characters are |
sketched with little details, like the daydreaming woman in "The Gulf of Mexico" who irons her man's uniform while punk rockers ride their skateboards through town.
Mullins has a rising hit on his hands with "Lullaby," part spoken word, part comforting chorus trilling "rockabye, everything's going to be all right," while anthem-echo guitar and lyrical lines of piano rise up, along with a sly take on L.A. - "It's kind of like Nashville with a tan." In a more personal "Shimmer," he aspires to radiate and never hate. From street-eloquent vignettes to thoughtful arrangements, this is a stand-out singer-songwriter and one to watch, for shine he does. |