Artist Biography by Chris Handyside
In the wake of the 1992 demise of the
posthumously-fabled Gibson Bros., three bands that were to define the
garage rock and blues music underground emerged -- Bassholes, '68
Comeback, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Of these outfits,
Bassholes remained closest to the rural isolated vision of traditional
American folk-blues while simultaneously taking the sound the furthest
from traditional rock & roll. Formed as a duo in Columbus, OH,
featuring Gibson Bros. drummer Rich Lillash and
songwriter/singer/guitarist Don Howland (taking the lead on everything
else), Bassholes have since reinvigorated the blues duo sound that such
artists as Lightnin' Hopkins had made so potent, and have added elements
of punk, folk, and the "Old Weird America" Greil Marcus described when
writing about Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. The band
has produced a prodigious amount of singles and full-length records, but
it's their albums that mark the high points of their career. Their
debut album (as with most subsequent releases) was released on In The
Red Records in 1992 and soon after, Lillash left the band and Howland
joined up with then-19-year-old drummer Bim Thomas. The pairing proved
fruitful as Thomas' enthusiastic, seemingly free-form drumming (which
was, of course, always grounded in blues and rock rhythms) provided a
launch pad from which Howland could make his guitar and voice wail,
weep, shout, and scream. Preferred Bassholes subject matter includes
sexual and social frustration as well as the introduction of rock, folk,
and blues' fringe underlying strangeness. Howland points to the lyrics
and music of such idiosyncratic country blues artists as Skip James,
Blind Willie McTell, and Furry Lewis -- as well as the Ramones first
album as touchstones ("There's a menacing undertone, something not quite
right, but really catchy," said Howland). Bassholes' records are, for
the most part, extremely lo-fi affairs recorded on the cheap. But
Howland still manages to get the point across. And it wasn't lo-fi for
its own sake, either. Bassholes made the best albums with the resources
they had at hand, connecting folk's one room microphone ambience with
punk rock's DIY ethics. High points in the band's recorded output (both
critically and according to Howland himself) include the albums Blue
Roots, Long Way Blues, and Deaf Mix. Each of these albums feature
Bassholes at their most eclectic, mixing genres, recording fidelity,
instrumentation, subject matter, and voice via an expansive musical
palette. Other recordings point toward
Bassholes' punk roots and revel in a rock & roll volume, pace, and attitude. Howland calls North Carolina home and Thomas stays in Cleveland, OH, but Bassholes continue making irregular music for misfit fans of misfit music nevertheless.
Bassholes' punk roots and revel in a rock & roll volume, pace, and attitude. Howland calls North Carolina home and Thomas stays in Cleveland, OH, but Bassholes continue making irregular music for misfit fans of misfit music nevertheless.
Tracklist
| 1 | Ear Candle Boogie | 1:07 |
| 2 | Bowling Ball | 2:37 |
| 3 | Florida Bus | 1:56 |
| 4 | Serena's Song | 2:49 |
| 5 | Swimming Blues | 3:33 |
| 6 | (Gonna) Write Me A Letter | 2:19 |
| 7 | Basshole Luv Theme | 2:52 |
| 8 | Daughter | 2:44 |
| 9 | The Cornfield Again | 2:23 |
| 10 | Wife Blues | 2:16 |
| 11 | Hospital Bus | 2:36 |
| 12 | In The Red Seats | 3:00 |
| 13 | The Ovenbird | 2:08 |
