Legendary Shack Shakers: Hillbilly Hellfire
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Altercation: For those that might be unfamiliar, how did the Shack Shakers get together?
J: I've been doing a rockabilly band under the same name forever, but about four or five years ago I started playing in the kind of hillbilly section of town. I ran into a few more eccentric musicians. (Laughs) So we started goofing around with the music a bit more and stopped being so precious with it. So we recorded this album Cockadoodledon't, which caught the ear of a booking agent and a few other people. From there we started touring with Hank III, and have just been kind of leap frogging on to bigger and better things from there. We try to let the music go where it wants while keeping it grounded in the true American roots music style. We're honest about who we are and where we come from.
A: A form like rockabilly tends to breed a certain level of purist fan. Did you encounter much resistance when you first started to evolve your sound?
J: Sure. I mean, I play the blues harp, which isn't really a traditional instrument for rockabilly. So my first footsteps were in the blues, but of course I couldn't really pull that off either since I'm just a skinny white guy from Kentucky. (Laughs) No one is gonna believe that. Rockabilly they could believe, even though I wasn't born until the 1970's. You gotta just play what you like and channel what you feel, but at the same time keep your feet on the ground and let your real personality come out instead of trying to be period perfect to a time period that never really existed in the first place! It becomes kind of this comic book version of things. Rock-n-roll needs to be true and honest. If you achieve that, then you've got a good leg up over the "purist" method acting going on all over the place with some of these other bands.
A: Your most recent album certainly does a fine job at capturing the carnival aspect of your live show. Do you see yourself headed deeper into that territory creatively?
J: We've been reaching back further to more influences. The new album definitely has a carnival theme going on, whereas our previous record had more of a tent revival sort of theme going on. So we kind of traded in the big tent for the big top. I feel that every work of art needs to have a theme, so this time we're dipping into polka, gypsy and all of that kind of madcap styles. This music is very American too, which is something people tend to forget. Rockabilly people were the folkies of their era, they were listening to a lot of different styles. It wasn't just hony tonk and boogie woogie. Johnny Horton played a lot of latin styles, you know? And polkas are a Texas tradition. So you just gotta bear it all in mind that it's all a big melting pot of American music.
A: There's a healthy dose of gospel music infused into your sound as well, which is an unlikely partner for punk rock.
J: Just like Woody Allen made a million off being a neurotic New York Jewish guy, I'm trying to make a dime off of being a psychotic southern Christian! (Laughs) The way I look at it, it all comes down to being true to who you are. If you're kind of a character to begin with, then it certainly makes things a bit easier. We're not trying to do some Elvis parody, you know? This is who we are, and a lot of these so called "indie rockers" that claim to be so unique are just doing warmed over Rolling Stones or Neil Young. It should be a battle of passion, not a battle of hairdos. We try to keep it real and cut the jive, you know?
A: You've spent a lot of time on the road opening for the Reverend Horton Heat. Does opening for someone of that caliber kick you up a notch in terms of performance?
J: Oh yeah. We're in school when we go to see the Reverend. Not only in musicianship and showmanship, but in marketing as well. He really knows how to take this style of music to where a whole branding and community can grow out of it. There's so much more to music than just being a good picker, you know? He knows how to position himself and get people on board for what he's doing. Ultimately, that's what we want to shoot for. Not that you want a cult, but a certain community that are going to come out time and again to play along with your whole vibe for the night. It's fun to get into character, dance along to the songs and have that whole sonic release, it's kind of a modern, punk rock version of community spirit. (aughs)
A: Do you put more emphasis of importance upon the live show versus the albums you release?
J: I think they are about equal in my mind. When I'm on the road touring, I'm constantly trying to make the live show more impactful. When I'm in the studio, I'm constantly trying to get that sound as close as possible to the one that's in my head. If you care about your audience and how people perceive your art, you're going to be constantly trying to improve. You just strive to get better and better.
