January 28, 2012

Obsessed with Lincoln Durham


"If you dig Son House and Townes Van Zandt... Lincoln Durham is your man. Don't come no cooler." 
-Ray Wylie Hubbard

I heard my first Lincoln Durham song on the Drop on Galleywinter and I had never heard anything like it. I don't know how to describe it because I don't speak that musical language that all the real music reviewers use, but I know a good thing when I hear it. I went and bought his EP as soon as I could and I've been waiting for the release of his album, The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones for months. I have seriously had it written on my calendar at work since the day it was announced. I preordered it on Lonestar Music and I got my autographed copy in yesterday.



The cover of it is super creepy, like the name, and I like it. It fits his style I guess. Speaking of his style, he dresses like a 1920s paper boy. I have never seen him live but one of my friends did and came back talking about how weird he dresses, but I think that's all a part of his mystique.

One thing I know is that this kid is innovative. Check out the list of "instruments" included on some of these songs...


Bird feeder..trash can..cardboard box?


Anyway, I have been sitting in my room for at least an hour now doing that thing I do when I'm bored and one little thing manifests into hours of internet stalking researching until I know everything there is to know (on public domain) about somebody. Well, I think this bio I found on Lonestar says all you need to know...

born in Whitney, Texas. raised in Itasca. started playing fiddle at the age of four. that’s right, four years old. by eight, Lincoln Durham was performing in fiddle contests all over Arkansas and Oklahoma. in fact, at ten he won the Texas State Youth Fiddle Championship. come twelve, the young man hooked up a residency with the house band at the Oceola Opry. then, through his high school years, Lincoln decided to pick up the strat. he started a three-piece band playing who else but Jimi and Stevie Ray. took a spell, though, and put the guitar on the backburner for a while to pursue art and design. but, a couple years ago, he grabbed a resonator, a slide and an old Gibson j45. he impressed Ray Wylie Hubbard so much with his greasy, nasty sound that Ray signed on to produce his record.

I have been sitting here watching video after video of Lincoln, which I've watched most of them before, but I'm just as amazed as the first time. I can hardly listen to my iPod and work out on the elliptical at the same time - I can't imagine singing, playing the harmonica, fiddle, and guitar at the same time and not looking like someone from a Dr. Seuss book. 

Here's the first song that got me on this bandwagon:



And here's my favorite song (so far) from the new album:




No comments:

Post a Comment