Hooten Hallers' Scorching Chillicothe Fireball Album

Photo by Brian Heffernan

They say that there’s nothing new under the sun which can make things complicated when trying to make unique music that’s both fresh and inspired. But that’s exactly what Missouri trio The Hooten Hallers accomplish with their brash take on Americana roots and blues. They’ve developed what they call hillbilly soul yet don’t stop there by fusing it with their brand of Americana swamp country blues rock. If that wasn’t enough, they add a twist of junkyard stomp through both their instrumentation and performance. Their latest release, Chillicothe Fireball, sets the bar for an eclectic meld of traditional and current music.

"O, Jolene" Chillicothe Fireball

The album kicks off with a high energy Americana blues tune “O, Jolene”, which The Hooten Hallers made a killer music video for through Boxcar Films. The vocals alone are incredible, whether talking about John Randall’s soulful and haunting Tom Waits-esque singing, Andy Rehm's sultry swing-jazz style vocals reminiscent of Katherine Whalen from Squirrel Nut Zippers or the rest of the gang-style sing-along backing vocals. Straight out of the gate, however, Paul Weber’s harmonica swoons the listener along with Kellie Everett’s sax. Even the faint piano tickling of Chris Baricevic slowly builds in volume. The band builds on the blues in “It’s Hard to Trust Your Baby” while rocking it a helluva lot harder, especially as far as Randall’s sick guitar playing. The band simmers things down for more N’Orleans styled blues jam “I Know Everything”.

The Hooten Hallers mellow out beautifully with their more country influenced blues song “Trouble Is” while Randall serenades on guitar and he and Rehm croon together seductively. The country side of the record stands out on “Here Comes Authority” by way of both Randall’s acoustic strumming as well as his ability to swoon on slide guitar with the assistance of Weber’s harmonica. They pick up the pace again on country rock jam “Garlic Storm” when Rehm really goes to town on the drums only to slow things back down with bluesy N’Orleans gospel country tune “Grinding Up the Bones”. They really rock it out between Randall’s guitar, Everett’s sax and Baricevic on keys.

Chillicothe Fireball’s energy picks right back up through Rehm’s fierce drumming and Randall’s wicked guitar licks with country rock song “Coming Down the Mountain”. The Hooten Hallers get back around to the blues while reaching peaks of rockin’ out in “Used to the Truth”, especially with Randall’s hypnotic guitar. The album winds down impressively stripped down to Baricevic tickling the ivories something fierce with some light percussive assistance from Rehm and Randall and Rehm carrying the listener out with their invigorating vocals in N’Orleans flavored Americana tune “One More Heavy Mile”. Whether one has seen and/or listen to these cats before, Chillicothe Fireball is one helluva sensational record that will leave the listener foaming at the mouth for more.

The Hooten Hallers are scheduled to play Tuesday, Aug. 25th at Rips Bar located at 3045 N. 16th St. in Phoenix.

~ Garyn Klasek

Whiskey Shivers Delivers on New Album

Courtesy of Whiskey Shivers

Many bands try to blend traditional music with modern and rarely do it well. Austin’s bluegrass Americana quintet Whiskey Shivers does just that. One minute, they’re playing bluegrass at punk blitz speeds and the next they slow down for an Americana tune while still rockin’ out with an alternative edge. Their latest full length album, which is self-titled, has an impressive spread of folk tunes with their own current flair.

Whiskey Shivers kicks off with an intense bluegrass track called “Free” performed at a supersonic punk tempo. Immediately, frontman Bobby Fitzgerald stands out with his amazing fiddle skills alongside percussionist Joe Deuce who blows minds with his washboard abilities. Even James Bookert’s banjo playing is hands down magnificent and guitarist Jeff Hortillosa lays down some astounding solos. The following few songs reduce the pace down to a more old timey Americana feel. “Friends” has a train-hopping feel to it with occasional sing-along moments. The next song, “Pray for Me”, is more of an uplifting gospel country jam that has just enough of a poppy melody to make it catchy. This is followed by sprightly country song “Angel in the Snow”.

About a third of the way through the album is “There is a Time” which features vocalist and violin player Kelsey Wilson from Austin indie pop band Wild Child whose vocals wonderfully complement Fitzgerald’s soothing country tenor-ish voice. A radical direction is then taken in “Graves,” a gospel tune that sluggishly and eerily brings the hammer down with Deuce’s percussion being accompanied by full band vocals. The momentum is immediately picked back up again with the punkgrass jam “Hot Party Dads”. Fitzgerald’s talents on harmonica are very noticeable on the next song “Give Me a Reason”.

Whiskey Shivers gets extremely eccentric on “Been Looking For” by experimenting with a more alternative sound with astonishing acceleration and solos from everyone in the band. They immediately simmer down for a somber country jam called “Long Low Down” which is when I noticed Andrew VanVoorhees gifted upright bass skills in the forefront. The album is closed out with the swift bluegrass sounds of “Swarm”. In the long run, not only is this Whiskey Shivers album worthy of being played on rotation but it pumps the listener up to see their ingenuity in a live setting.

Whiskey Shivers are scheduled to play Sunday, August 23rd at Rebel Lounge located at 2303 E. Indian School in Phoenix with Some Dark Hollow and The Shivereens.

~ Garyn Klasek