(Norton) Without hesitation I can say that out of the hundreds of shows and bands I saw in 2011 the November set by Bloodshot Bill, the Canadian one wildman band, was by far the most amazing spectacle I beheld. He was really good in his new combo, the headlining Tandoori Knights (with King Khan) but that group got blown out of the water by their opening act...the stage-fillingly solo Bloodshot Bill! During an insane, sweaty, barefoot, pajama-clad solo set of the psycho-trash-blues-punk whatever music he plays his all-foot drumming was genuinely remarkable, his lightning fast guitar playing was bizarrely rich-sounding and weird, and his froglike vibrato alien creature singing was otherworldly. And he spits really good.And his interplay with the audience was magical. Un-fucking-believable show! While I cannot say that this platter captures his live magnetic madness, I will say that I've listened to it at least 300 times since I got it, and I never get bored. The spare rockabilly feels authentic and timeless (these could be 50s recordings) but there is something in his joyfully sinister voice that injects a potent syringe-ful of weirdness that was only found in the rarest of Eisenhower-hour etchings (the kind Norton always seems to find and reissue). Highlights on this include the hiccuping helluva hit title track, the original instrumental "The Hunt" that reminds me of the beloved Chet Atkins "Boo Stick" tune from "Teensville," a Cash-esque reading of Marvin Rainwater's "My Brand of Blues," and a cover of Ronnie Branam's "Puppy Dog Love" that invokes the spawn of Cerberus and Cujo! Play this til the grooves wear out, but more crucially, never miss an opportunity to see this genius in the bloodshot flesh!
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