#498 : Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre - Heirs of the Dog : A Tribute to Nazareth

2021 – Saustex Records

By Phillip Smith; May 1, 2021

Memphis musician Joey Killingsworth and his band, The George Jonestown Massacre have returned to the studio once again to record a tribute album for charitable reasons.  The most recent was their Mutants of the Monster album honoring Black Oak Arkansas, which featured BOA founding members Jim Dandy and Rick Reynolds.  This time around, they’re paying homage to Nazareth, whose Hair of the Dog album still sits among the top of my favorite albums.  Killingsworth, aka Joecephus and the GJM bring their A-game as well as a fistful of notable guests to recreate the Hair of the Dog in its entirety, in an outlaw country punk fashion, and it sounds great.  Guests include Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys (Nashville Pussy), Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters), Eddie Spaghetti (Supersuckers), Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Igniter) and Manny Charlton (Nazareth, and producer of original album), JD Pinkus (Butthole Surfers), Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Neil Fallon (Clutch), and Harvey McLaughlin.

From the moment I heard the clang of the cowbells, on “Hair of the Dog”, I knew I was in for a treat.  With Blaine Cartwright involved on this one, the energy is kept at high voltage and segues brilliantly over to “Miss Misery” which is recorded with Greg Martin and Ruyter Suys.  It winds down with a delicious dose of feedback, making way for the iconic ballad “Love Hurts” which features both Eddie Spaghetti and Suys.  I love the inclusion of lap steel guitar on this one.  I never thought of the song as a country roadhouse slow-dancer, but it sounds amazingly good. Then “Changing Times” with Jason McMaster and Manny Charlton kicks in.  That riff takes ahold and digs tightly in, backed with a monster beat.  J.D. Pinkus and Luther Dickinson join the band for “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman”.  Swampy and covered in kudzu, the song is an outstanding cover drenched in southern-rock.  About half the length of the original, “Please Don’t Judas Me” with Neil Fallon is a little less ethereal, and a little more ominous than the original.  Heavy bass, lingering guitar fuzz, small helpings of feedback, and a tambourine-fed pulse make for a cool-as-hell track.

From the viewpoint of a person who has owned the original Hair of the Dog album on vinyl for well over thirty-five years, Heirs of the Dog is an album I can enjoy as much as the original.  When it comes to making tribute albums, Killingsworth is a master.  This album stands entirely on its own, and is surely a record worth seeking out.   

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 *      All JGJM profits from sales of this album and a portion of profits from sales from Saustex Records will be donated to FSHD Society for FSHD Muscular Dystrophy research in memory of the band’s friend Jonelle Spicer.  www.fshdsociety.org

 

Track List

 

1. Hair of the Dog (feat. Blaine Cartwright)

2. Miss Misery (feat. Ruyter Suys, Greg Martin)

3. Love Hurts (feat. Eddie Spaghetti, Ruyter Suys)

4. Changin' Times (feat. Jason McMaster, Manny Charlton)

5. Beggar's Day 03:52

6. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman (feat. JD Pinkus, Luther Dickinson)

7. Please Don't Judas Me (feat. Neil Fallon)

8. Guilty (feat. Harvey McLaughlin)

 

 

For more information about the artist, or to purchase this album,  visit https://joecephus.bandcamp.com/

  

Mutants of the Monster: A Tribute to Black Oak Arkansas

Presented by Joecephus and The George Jonestown Massacre

2016 –  Saustex Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 27, 2016

Tribute albums may come and go, but Mutants of the Monster – A Tribute to Black Oak Arkansas is one special album not to be glossed over.   I’ve been anxiously awaiting this fabulous record for quite a while, and am pleased as punch to hear.  I’ve been soaking up its goodness for a week now, and grin like a possum for the duration of every listen.  Six years in the making, Mutants of the Monster started out as a labor of love of BOA by Joey Killingsworth (Jocephus & The George Jonestown Massacre). He recorded “Fever in My Mind” with the GJM and BOA’s Jim “Dandy” Mangrum on vocals. Shortly afterward, Killingsworth enlisted Shooter Jennings to record vocals for “Hot Rod”, another BOA track GJM had recorded.  Then Bob’s your uncle - and six years later we have Mutants of the Monster, a ferocious seventeen track album of Black Oak Arkansas covers, with a slew of terrific guest musicians and vocalists.

When I first heard “Hey Y’all” roll out at the top of the album with Nashville Pussy’s Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys , chills shot up and down my spine, with the realization this is going to be one bodacious and serious salute to one of the best American bands that rolled out in the Seventies. Jimbo Mathus belts out a rollicking “Uncle Lijah” with Robby Turner (Sturgill Simpson) laying down a thick coating of lush steel guitar.  Shooter Jennings rips it up on “Hot Rod” with a downright amazing performance backed by a cool-as-hell performance by GJM’s drummer Daryl Stevens. I can’t help but fall prey to the groove of “Swimming in Quicksand”.  I love the blasts of sax from Nik Turner (Hawkwind) on this favorite which JD Pinkus from Butthole Surfers masters the vocals on.  Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock) unleashes a racing punk performance on “Short Life Line” for a pure adrenalin rush.  With Jeff Clayton (AntiSeen) on the mic and Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers) wailing on guitar, “Lord Have Mercy On My Soul” sounds so damn good.  This is one of my favorite cuts.  For an unexpected treat, Jello Biafra from my favorite US punk band, The Dead Kennedys brings his unique vocal style to “Jim Dandy” while Ruyter Suys rocks out on guitar and backup vocals.  When Nine Pound Hammer tackles “Rock ‘N’ Roll”, my brain goes into Frank Zappa mode.  This one is very cool indeed.  Another sweet little treat for this outlaw fan is hearing Kyle Turley taking on “The Wild Bunch” with gusto and true grit.  In addition, this track also hosts Mickey Raphael on harmonica, adding to the cowboy imagery made famous by the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone.

Other notable guests include BOA’s own Rickie Lee Reynolds and Jimmy Henderson, Eddie Spaghetti (Supersuckers), Brian Venable (Lucero), Greg Ginn (Black Flag), Whiskydick, CT (Rwake) Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond), and The Kentucky Bridgeburners).  Mutants of the Monster certainly captures the essence of Black Oak Arkansas, a pioneering band who pushed beyond the paradigms of rock and roll itself.  Kudos to Joey Killingsworth and his band, Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre for gathering up this wondrous troop of musicians, to shine the spotlight on one of the greatest bands there ever was.    

Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre - Smothered and Covered -- From the Archives #5

By Phillip Smith    (Originally published 2008 for FoundryMusic.com )

Ask, and ye shall receive.  Upon stumbling upon this bands’ Myspace page, my interest was piqued enough to add Smothered and Covered to my Christmas wish list.  Christmas morning arrived and I found myself sitting in front of the tree opening a small package containing that very same CD by Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre.  It made my day.  I am definitely a sucker for the non-mainstream.  And also a sucker for a title that also hints at one of the many ways one can get hash browns at one of my favorite chain restaurants, Waffle House: smothered with onions and covered with cheese.  

Joecephus is Joe Killingsworth and is the brains, vocalist, and jack-of-all trades person behind this hellbilly/cowpunk crew.  The songs are way off-center and mostly about drinking.  The album kicks off with two energetic bluesy tracks,  “Jerk You Off My Mind” , about a man in prison who ended up there because he caught his wife messing around with another dude, and “Honky Tonk Night Time Man”.   One in particular I really enjoyed was “Bloody Mary Morning”, which boasted some mighty fine guitar playing.

Some of the other odd-ball, yet enjoyable songs of Smothered and Covered are “Drink Like a Fish”, and “Who’s Gonna Get us High?”.  The strangest, however, being a slowed-down version of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells”, which was recorded as a duet, and made clever use of the violin.   The song that almost got away, is an unlisted track at end of the CD.  This being, a cover of Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses”, the man whose daddy used him for alligator bait and could eat his weight in groceries.  

I really got a kick out of this CD, and look forward to hearing more music by Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre.