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Livin' The Whiskey Dream

Scott H. Biram, Texas born, self-proclaimed "Dirty Old One-Man Band" outlaw, is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is best known for his genre blending style of everything from country to metal. His latest release Nothin' But Blood has audiences beggin' for more. I caught his Houston, Texas, show and witnessed what all the fuss is about. Biram plays many guitars throughout his performance, but it's the 1959 Gibson and the home-made stomp board he plays the hell out of that seemed to grab my attention the most. Biram rips on that guitar and stomps that board all while wailing lyrics you don't want your mama to hear.

Biram was at the Continental Club that night to promote his nineth studio album, fifth with Bloodshot Records. It was recorded at his home studio and Cacophony Studios in Austin, Texas. It's riddled with a lot of the same and a lot new. You can expect to hear everything that's pure and everything that's impure. The difference this time around is Biram seems to be more in touch with his mortality. My favorite song of the night was "Gotta Get to Heaven". Birams sings of sin proclaiming "It's a terrible time for a mean old man. Gotta get to heaven just as fast as you can... livin' in a whorehouse steepin' with sin, it's a whole lotta trouble, and a bottle a gin... said Lord take me down to the river, and drown me in your blood..." Then Biram speaks of his sadistic muse in "Churchpoint Girls": "Churchpoint girls don't give a damn, and it's such a cryin' shame. Churchpoint girls gonna wring you out, and they don't even know your name. You wanna fuss, and you're all fucked up, and be up and I'll fill you in about the way I lost my soul by all them God damn Churchpoint women". Surprising or not, Biram also recorded three gospel songs on the record: "Amazing Grace", "When I Die" and "John The Revelator", which features Jesse Vain.

So there it is: Whiskey, Sex, and God. You get it all in the colorful writings of one man, Scott H. Biram. He slams you to the ground, lifts you up, and then takes you everywhere. -- Angela Domaingue

[all photos by Violeta Alvarez]