Big Shanty mixes Delta Blues with Big Alternative Beats and denounces those politicians
who start wars and send our young people to sacrifice, he asks "when will we ever
learn".
Big Shanty's first two albums stayed atop online blues radio station charts for most of
2006 and was Nominated by Blues Critic as; Best Blues Song of 2006, "KILLING
FIELDS" and Best New Artist Debut "BIG SHANTY".
BIG SHANTY: RIDE
WITH THE WIND (KING MOJO) August 07
With the U.S. Government’s attempts to silence all forms of Independent Media, music
fans are finding-out the hard way that Indie. Media also includes Music. Many were naïve
enough to think that if we ignored everything else that was going-on we’d be
‘left-alone’ with our Blues, Rock, Folk and Reggae etc. Well, it’s now
evident, in 2007 that if we keep our mouths shut that Big Government a.k.a. Big Brother,
just gets bolder and meaner. “No man is an island” is something that comes to
mind and ‘singing out’ against Evil is a mandatory requirement if you want to
see Democracy survive. While many Musicians/Artists have run-in-fear from Big Brother,
others have stood-their-ground and challenged the ‘Schoolyard Bully’. Big Shanty
gets our respect and a big salute for Singing Out against the Evil that has dragged
America down and made it almost unrecognizable as a Nation that once stood for True
Democracy.
His “Killing Fields” is a powerful condemnation of old lies and self-serving
propaganda, delivered with raw emotion and a driving beat.
Big Shanty has a large cult following in The South and thanks to Internet Radio (which The
Government is trying to muzzle…) “Killing Fields” is getting played
relentlessly. (Now that commercial Radio is following the American Government’s
Don’t-Play-Ban on all the 1960s/1970s Anti-War and Peace/Love tunes, “Killing
Fields” would undoubtedly be added to that list along with “Give Peace A
Chance” and “Sky Pilot”). “Ride With The Wind” is Not typical
Blues but it is Blues Rock at its’ very best and drenched with Truths, Honesty and
great playing. There’s no doubt that “Ride With The Wind” would be a Hit
Commercial album if it were allowed to be and we can always hope that the collective Power
of The People forces this fine CD into the mainstream. D. Wooley a.k.a. Big Shanty plays
wicked guitar and on 5 of the 10 tunes whips-out his slide. There are some killer-diller
‘commercial potential’ songs on here and Shanty’s original “King
Bee” is a Hit or my name ain’t Fred. While the use of synths may put-off the old
fogey blues lovers, anyone who Loves great Rock Blues will not give it much thought as the
music is too damn fine.
There’s a big bunch of Georgia-area talent on here: Scott Robertson –
drums/percussion, Ed Sanchez – guitar, Liz Melendez – guitar/vocals, Eddie Jett
– guitar, Dustin Sargeant (bass), Bill Stewart (drums), Jack Hall (bass), Col. Bruce
Hampton (pedal steel), Matt Smart (harp), Ron Heath (keyboards & bass), Diane Durrett
(vocals) and Chris Blackwell (drums & synth) and the sum total is some of the finest
hard-rockin’ Blues/Rock you’ll hear on the scene today. “Born Up In
Trouble” sounds like Rob Zombie in Mississippi Hill Country and I say that in a
totally complimentary sense. What a tune to open with! It grabs you by the ears and it
don’t let go. “Killing Fields” is permeated with anger, disgust and
contempt for the White House maggots. A more powerful anti-War tune does not exist! And,
the music is as powerful as the uncompromising lyrics. “New Messiah” continues
in this vein with a scathing put-down of the TV Christians who really are no different
than Politicians as Bullshit Peddlers. “…the Law doesn’t touch him as
he’s crossed their palm…” I can visualize this powerful imagery and these
incredible songs need video representation. Saying that, it occurs to me that Big Shanty
paints visual pictures with his songs and he’s almost without competition in that
sense. “Gone Downtown” is a powerful tune about someone who went for the
downward spiral of Heroin. Beau Hill’s guitar solo is incredible. “Ride With The
Wind” is an ode to Motorcycle peace-of-mind while “Whiskey Woman” is an
excellent Pure Blues rocker, showing that Big Shanty can get down and basic if he wants
to. “Know What I’m Saying” is Southern-Fried Boogie that should slay the
whole Allmans/Gov’t Mule/Lynyrd Skynyrd audience. “King Bee”, as mentioned
earlier, is a Mega-hit waiting to happen and let’s hope it does happen as it’ll
score major points for Real Rock/Blues and have all those poseurs running for cover.
“Living On The Edge” is a Masterpiece tune closing out a Masterpiece album. It
deals with the Moral Cesspool we’ve sunk into and the manipulation of Truth and
Reality.
6 Bottles of Truth Serum for the biggest dose of Truth Rock you’ll ever hear.
Let’s see if the Bad Guys can keep this album suppressed…not bloody likely! Big
Shanty has arrived.
The cover of the CD is black.
“Big Shanty” is written in bones. There is a silver chopper, ridden by a
grinning man wearing a top hat and carrying the flag of the Jolly Roger. Naturally, there
is a woman riding on the back.
This ain’t no candy ass music. This is hard driving, blues influenced Southern Rock
and Roll. This CD wasn't made for sissies.
The songs are credited to a D. Wooley, with some collaboration on a few. We can assume
they belong to Big Shanty. The lyrics are angry, written by one who is sick and tired of
the injustice, the deception, the greed and corruption of today’s society. Big Shanty
is outraged, and he wants to tell you all about it.
That isn’t to say that there are no love songs on “Ride With The Wind.” The
title track is a good example. This is a love song, biker style. Big Shanty paints a
landscape that is tattooed on the soul of every true biker worth his salt.
The voice is similar to Lonnie Brooks. There is a throaty texture, enhanced by a
considerable amount of slapback and a touch of echo to Big Shanty’s vocals. Shanty
sings without trepidation; a voice as hard driven and purposeful as the heavy drums and
percussion of Scott Robertson. Robertson’s drums require very few rolls. This music
requires a lot of backbone, and Robertson delivers.
Big Shanty plays a smooth slide, leaving the lead solos to Liz Melendez, for the most
part, and other guitarists. As with the vocal slapback, Melendez doesn’t spare the
tube screamer to achieve the hard driving tone for this recording.
“King Bee” is far and away the most whimsical track, rife with boasting and some
hilarious banter between Big Shanty and Melendez.
If you like your music rock solid, if you want it given it to you straight, you can find
Big Shanty on King Mojo Records at: http://www.kingmojo.com
Blues Critic: - Big Shanty Four Stars “ Ride With The Wind” by Dylann
DeAnna
......Is Big Shanty "the white Jimi Hendrix" with a Neil Young grunge aesthetic?
He certainly is on the anti-war diatribe "Killing Fields". A loping drum beat
from Scott Robertson, wild guitar by Liz Melendez and Hendrix-like vocals by Shanty.
There's even a great video of the song out there in cyberspace. "Ride With The
Wind" combines 60s Rock, Delta Blues with funky beats. Adding "alternative
beats", often lazily dubbed Hip Hop, was a success for R.L. Burnside & Fat Possom
Records, but Shanty's use of funky drumming is fully integrated with the song rather than
feeling like a remix. In a sense he's a Bluesier version of Beck (or perhaps the other way
around). Just as good is the title cut, featuring Shanty's rapid fire phrasing, squealing
guitar and a trancelike rhythm. "Whisky Woman" owes a debt to the Beatles'
"Come Together", which ripped a portion of Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch
Me". The opener, "Know What I'm Saying", uses a Delta Blues riff &
Blues harmonica for what is essentially a booty shaker. Despite the eclecticism, Shanty is
Blues at heart. "Born Up In Trouble" may be the "Born Under A Bad
Sign" of our day. This is truly alternative music.
Big Shanty's not afraid
to mix Blues with Alternative Beats or denounce politicians who start ideological wars and
send heroic young people to fight, as he does on "Killing Fields" when asking
"when will we ever learn".
Not all Big Shanty songs exhort world peace but they tell stories… tales of lost
love, false prophets, girls gone bad, crusin' down blacktops and living large. Shanty
twists his Delta "Fusion" Blues, Club Beats, Alternative, Funk into hypnotic
dada rhythms that keep the dance floor shaking.
Big Shanty's first two albums stayed atop the online blues radio charts for most of 2006
and he was Nominated For; Best Blues Song of 2006, "KILLING FIELDS" and
Nominated; Best New Artist "BIG SHANTY" Debut 2006 - by Blues Critic.
Big Shanty song on Allstars Vol. 3
Debuts #1 First Week...
Midnight Special
Blues Radio, Paris, FR - Click image to jump
"Can't Hold Out" #2 for the month of June 07
THE PLAYERS
Big Shanty, Scott Robertson, Liz
Melendez
Dustin Sargent, Jack Hall, Col. Bruce Hampton
Diane Durrett, Bill Stewart, Eddie Jett
Chris Blackwell, Ed Sanchez
Ron Heath, Matt Smart
Produced by Scott Robertson Booking: email
Big vocals and air-ripping slide guitar zig-zag
in the fast lane of alternative blues.
Onstage Big Shanty growls out his songs to a capacity crowd, he stomps age old blues
rhythms on an wood coke case and tambourine as his slide guitar rips holes in the late
night air.
A gesture from Big Shanty and the band accelerates intensity and the narcotic dada beat
builds the energy into a high decibel rush. The front row of fans gather at the front of
the stage to view close up what'll happen next... the Big Shanty band keeps on Rocking.
Big Shanty continues to evolve music by mining treasures from eclectic jam rock and blues.
Percussive young musicians build new beats and ambient musical elements into the mix, then
it’s all twisted into a dada aesthetic all it’s own.
Without the benefit of big radio airplay, press coverage, MTV videos or any of the other
trappings in the music biz’s star-making machinery, Big Shanty has grown a large and
vocal international fan base via Satellite and Internet radio.
Success for Big Shanty is a reality, because to quote him "Success is being able to
play music with some of my best friends and with some of the most gifted young players in
the music business." He added, "For me its all about the journey… because
it can all go away tomorrow. But today… it just doesn’t get any better.”
......The continued rise of the blues bopper in clubs seems stuck in the fifties
and sixties when DJs seem quite prepared to accept later recordings in jive and
rockabilly. Rockin’ blues continues, though, and track one of this self-titled
collection from this stout Fender toter entitled Born Up in Trouble sounds ideal dance
floor material with its insistent beat. American Big Shanty plays principally slide guitar
on 100 per cent originals, some of which have socially aware lyrics that are worth a
listen but not a dance. As his name suggests, Big Shanty has a big voice, and no doubt a
big personality ... Check Out Big Shanty's Video "KILLING FIELDS". .
.
Taproot
Radio:
......Death Metal Blues? That's the best I can describe Big Shanty's CD Ride With The
Wind. Some of the heaviest guitar sounds I've heard on a "blues" CD. The opening
track is an anti-religous screed followed by a full-on anti-establishment anti-war anthem
"Killing Fields." The third track returns to his issues with religion on
"New Messiah." Having got that out of his system, the CD starts sounding less
preachy and more heavy metal funky. The title track, "Ride With The Wind" is a
motorcylce road tune that would fit into pretty much any biker bar juke box. "Whisky
Woman" is another biker bar tune with a homage to Jim Morrison both in terms of
subject matter and vocal style. "Know What I'm Saying" keeps the heavy guitar
sound but it brings down the tempo just a bit and sounds more like the blues.
Big Shanty twists Club Beats,
Alternative Rock, Funk and Delta Blues into dada rhythms and fresh "Fusion"
Blues.Read More... Available at iTunes. Add Big Shanty to your friends at MySpace Click
Here
“ Ride With The Wind” by Dylann
DeAnna 
Big Shanty song on Allstars Vol. 3 
