Share the post "Album review: MARK “PORKCHOP” HOLDER – Death And The Blues"
[Release date 03.11.17]
Recorded as the follow-up to debut “Let It Slide” only 9 months ago, the Porkchop is back with another collection of wonderfully uncomplicated, dirty and mean blues cuts. You’d have to be comatose not to feel the natural inclination to bump and grind to this stuff – I defy you to keep every part of your body still during “Coffin Lid” or the fuzz-smothered “Big Boat”.
Holder calls life like it is and doesn’t overthink things, musically or otherwise…..”Blues is the music of poor people and poor people live closer to death than other people do. The message of the title track is simple; death and the blues are real.
I have a personal connection with the symbols of death; they remind me not to waste my time”. And he passes that message on and thanks fellow (troubled) bluesman, keys maniac and former Black Diamond Heavies bandmate, James Leg, for laying down the bottle, in the song of the same title.
To successfully plough this furrow of stripped-down, grubby blues, a band needs to sound tight and sloppy all at the same time, perfectly illustrated on “Be Righteous” – for Holder’s three-piece band, completed by Travis Kilgore on bass and Doug Bales on drums, this seems like shooting fish in a barrel as they stomp and holler through “Captain, Captain” and the Marty Robbins traditional composition of “Billy The Kid”.
As evidenced on his first album, Holder clearly has a soft spot for Johnny Cash-infused punkabilly. “Bless Me Santasima” seems a tip of the hat to incidental funeral music from a Tarantino blood-fest movie – almost Dick Dale surfer style on this too short segue-track.
With an unmistakable fuzzy, bottom-end growl to his guitar playing, this is junkyard-dog blues at its best – sometimes it don’t need polishing to still be a diamond. The Porkchop’s second album is a classic delta blues ride except this one is splattered with mud, has had its muffler tampered with but is comfortable as hell and the one you want to leave the juke joint with. ***1/2
Review by Mark “Mad Dog” Shaw
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: MARK “PORKCHOP” HOLDER – Death And The Blues"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
