With the heart of a genuine Texas bluesman, the head (banging) of a Zappa and Lemmy disciple, and boots resting in the dust outside of town at sunrise, Scott H. Biram journeys through the harrowing human condition like no one else. A walk on the Biram side straddles the chasm between sin and redemption and The Bad Testament lands somewhere west of the Old Testament and south of an AA handbook. It’s a record of hard-grinding lost love, blues and deep, dark Americana.

Scott H. Biram conjured the words and music for The Bad Testament during mad alchemical sessions at his homemade studio in Austin, TX.  Through stacks of amps, spools of cable, and a prodigious collection of microphones, he spread his technical wings wide, while never losing the immediacy honed from a life on the road. He added a drum kit and rustic vocal duet to his skill set (which already includes all guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals, and percussion on the album). And strip away the one-man band eccentricity, SHB is out-writing any meeting taker on Music Row. The man writes on a razor’s edge of aggression and deftness, thoroughly contemporary but steeped in the backwaters, back porches and back alleys of our collective musical heritage.

Many in the one-man band field find their groove and stay in it, but stay in a groove too long and it becomes a rut. SHB has the groove, but never falls into a rut.  On “Set Me Free” and “Red Wine” the wandering country soul of Jimmie Rodgers and the laid-back cool of Merle Haggard ride well with SHB’s distorted punk; it’s the 2-sided jukebox hit at the honky-tonk behind the looking glass of CBGB’s. “Righteous Ways” and “Still Around,” mellower, but no less determined, sound right out of the Folkways canon. Speaking to eternities and charlatans, Biram’s freewheelin’ with an edgy take on the Newport Folk vibe. With its surprisingly melancholy organ and in the back of the pocket tattered soul, “Crippled & Crazy,” recalls The Band.  The haunting harmonica-soaked ballad “Long Old Time” is a chilling taste of existential desolation, “It’s gonna be a long old time/ before I pay for the crime that I done.” This is one lost highwayman.

Fear not, though, Biram is still The Dirty Old One Man Band. His brand of unvarnished and unhinged aggro-roots remains as exciting as ever.  “Trainwrecker” blasts down the two-laner with the breathless fervor of a redneck metal “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone.”  Try NOT singing along in the best Nordic Doom Metal voice we all carry around buried within our darker selves. He’s downright blunt on the R-rated Boomhauer TX rant “Swift Driftin’”: “It takes a real piece of shit to be a real piece of shit/ You should really just be headed on your way.” Yet the stark acoustic guitar country blues is updated and self-aware – a profane reboot of personal heroes Leadbelly and Mississippi Fred McDowell.  The instrumental “Hit the River” is a throw the devil horns slide guitar boogie right in that sweet Biram groove. And. It. Will. Not. Let. Go.  It’s short, not-so-sweet, and leaves you panting for more.

Scott H Biram is THE one-man band.  The master of the realm. Why? Because even though he’s one man, he ain’t one thing.

Check out his new record!

Durwood

Durwood was formed in the summer of 2016 around singer/songwriter Ben Pickett. Pickett grew up in Austin, TX, and played in numerous groups throughout the underground music scene. During one fateful tour that brought Ben through Lafayette, La., he fell in love with the people, music and culture and knew he had to move there. Upon return to Austin, Pickett packed up, grabbed his girlfriend and relocated to Lafayette. While in Lafayette, Ben played in various metal, punk and bluegrass bands but had yet to realize his dream of bringing his brand of Americana to a wider audience. Eventually, Pickett started a three piece band with bass player Jeremy Steward (Frigg A-Go-Go). The three piece played locally and regionally at various clubs and festivals until it was decided to revamp the band. The decision to change the band lineup happened to coincide with the breakup of another local “Hard Country” group, Doublewide. The aftermath of the Doublewide break up left two professional musicians looking for a new project to sink their teeth into. Dave “Pappa Puff” Nezat (Chubby Carrier, Motorhome) assumed drum duties and Justin Lewis (Wayne Toups, Chubby Carrier, Jo-El Sonnier) took the wheel as Durwood’s lead guitarist. The four piece immediately started working on new songs and revamping existing songs. Durwood booked some studio time at the legendary Dockside Studios in Maurice, La. and started work on their debut album. While Durwood’s music does not fit neatly into any one genre, the Texas country music influence is apparent. Durwood writes songs about life. The struggles, heartache, defiance, day to day grind, are all captured in their brand of Rock and Roll.