Hello Reader,
Welcome back to the site. I hope all is well with you.
Today we’re going to delve into the background of one Scott H. Biram. Mix blues, outlaw country, and punk and Texas hillbilly and you have a character that is called Scott H. Biram. I’ve owned a few of his 2010s and prior year albums on vinyl. But even more impressive than his albums are Scott’s live shows. I’ve seen him a handful of times and I’ll attest that a Scott H. Biram show is truly a memorable experience. To name a few things you’ll see or hear at a show: dancing, sweat, passionate and gritty vocals, excellent musicianship, and a lot of stomping and hollering, both from yourself and Biram himself. It’s a passionate, united experience. A sight that I think that all music fans should experience and participate in.
Biram is best known by his often used “One Man Band” moniker, but before that he was part of one punk band and two bluegrass bands. Biram’s been in the scene for nearly three decades now. It’s easiest to explain Biram’s solo career to someone for the first time by breaking his solo career into two parts. Biram’s first four studio albums and one EP were released via Biram’s own KnuckleSandwich Records. His first solo album was This is Kingsbury? (2000), followed by Preachin’ & Hollerin’ (2002), Lo:Fi Mojo (2003), Rehabilitation Blues EP (2003), and lastly, The Dirty Old One Man Band (2004). Going back in time one year to 2003, the vehicle that Biram was in was in a head-on collision with a semi-truck and Biram suffered greatly. A broken femur, knee, foot, and arm, and severe internal injuries resulting in metal rods and pins were placed in the aforementioned the broken bones. He also had to have one and a half feet of his intestine removed from his body. Three months later, a few days after he left the hospital, the resilient Biram, recorded Rehabilitation Blues EP.
The Dirty Old One Man Band was re-released in 2005, Biram’s first of eight consecutive studio albums via the Bloodshot Records label. The others? Graveyard Shift (2006), Something’s Wrong / Lost Forever (2009), Bad Ingredients (2011), Nothin’ But Blood (2014), The Bad Testament (2017), Sold Out to The Devil: A Collection of Gospel Cuts by The Rev. Scott H. Biram (2019), and Fever Dreams (2020). Biram notes, “I view my albums as collages, combining elements from punk, metal, blues, country, and bluegrass. They reflect the diverse aspects of life – it’s not a concept but an expression.”
And on Friday March 29th, for your listening pleasure Scott H. Biram has a new album, The One & Only Scott H. Biram out via Bloodshot Records. Biram talking about what he intended when creating the album’s sound: “I’m constantly trying to go back to the junky, lo-fi sounds of my early records. But it’s harder to do now. The more you learn about production the harder it is to convey that genuine unproduced feeling. I have to compromise between overproduced and lo-fi, so it sounds pro, but still keeps that grittiness. It’s a mix of blues, country, folk, and influences from heavier genres like metal and hard rock.”
And now for some hype for your ears!
A rocking, energetic song about an area you might want to avoid, “No Man’s Land”:
(All credits and rights to Scott H. Biram)
The sobering and gorgeously done, “Inside a Bar”:
(All credits and rights to Scott H. Biram)
Neat pop culture moment for both George Romero and Biram fans, “Death Has No Mercy”:
(All credits and rights to Scott H. Biram)
Overall, The One & Only Scott H. Biram certainly fits within Biram’s discography. He’s got an unparallel, unmistakable sound. You get all that you’ve come to love and expect from previous releases in terms of sound, vocals, lyrics and themes along with some new experimentation. The album in particular isn’t the best nor the worst of his work. It fits somewhere in the middle of his discography. The production, musical instrumentation and lyrics all sound good to me.
“No Man’s Land” kicks off the album with high energy. The guitars are righteous and boot stomping in all the best ways. Biram uses an awesome microphone effect for his vocals. The lyrics tell of growing up poor in rural Texas. Biram talking about the song, “I was remembering a bumper sticker I saw as a kid that said, ‘Oil Field Trash and Proud of It!”
The second song, “High & Dry” features an old timey microphone vocals to tell a story about someone really down on their luck a top a melody of both picking and strumming on acoustic guitar.
“Easy Rider” has Biram offering his own take on the song that blues great Lead Belly originally recorded in 1940 after initially being a traditional song. One can play the what if game, but I think Lead Belly would love that a song he recorded lives on and possibly the melody modifications with new equipment. Biram’s melody composed of harmonica and clap-able beat is a lot more modern and livelier than Lead Belly’s and it is guaranteed to make the listener get up and dance. The outdated lyrics and song title about what’d one might call a promiscuous woman, remain unchanged.
“I’ll Still Miss Ruby” features Biram delivering his vocals in a ballad form. The tone is serious and melancholy as childhood memories of Ruby are explored within the lyrics. The melody underneath is a beautiful acoustic guitar highlighted by picking style. I like what Biram did here with this song composition.
The song, “Givin’ Up on Man” starts off with a record scratch effect and rocking melody. Guitars and drums really push the beat forward in a charging rhythm. The lyrics are frustrated in tone with the subject at hand, the state of things.
“Dig a Hole-Big Liar” really plays the blues guitar well (to start the song). The melody increases in pace after a kickdrum is struck. The wonderfully feverish pace ramps up with some electric guitar complete with vocals by Biram. The lyrics are in the moment but also reflective and bitter.
The next song, “InterTransmission” begins with a noise. I would describe it as a swipe back and forth sound effect followed by lyrics of an unknown language over a production beat. It’s an interesting departure and break from the previous songs so far.
We hear the can open during the first seconds of “Inside a Bar,” then a slowed melody paired with what I would describe as a gospel vocal delivery pace. Biram the skilled guitar player that he is, makes his guitar sound like pedal steel. The lyrics might be Biram’s most insightful and well written on the album so far. Biram notes, “I was going for the sound of loneliness and alcoholism colliding.” Kudos, Biram as this song is a gem.
“Sinner’s Dinner” has Biram speaking with ferocity, the Reverend is at the pulpit. You hear sirens and a lot of crowd noise amidst a constant underlying beat. The lyrics were inspired by the January 6th riots but they also call out those that mistreat others and themselves. I love the energy of this song.
The next to last song on the album, “Rather Be High,” is a high energy jam. Ferocious guitars from start to finish. Vocals screamed by Biram in a controlled manner. The lyrics look towards the past, longing at times but also are in the present about desires, and the rest of the time the lyrics often repeat the titular phrase. It is a well-executed composition.
The closer, “Death Has No Mercy” has a lovely guitar strum. The lyrics are matter of fact. Biram’s vocals are delivered to the listener in an at the end of rope manner, fittingly. Perfectly done.
The One & Only Scott H. Biram gets 3.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It is a good album relative to other 2024 releases. I’d say that this album falls into the upper echelon of the 3.5 range which would be around 69th-71st percentile. Thus, The One & Only Scott H. Biram album won’t blow you out of the water or rank among Biram’s best but it’s still a solid offering! Biram fans especially should get The One & Only Scott H. Biram on any format of their choosing, but you know I’ll recommend vinyl to start with. These guitars and vocals deserve the floor speaker and receiver treatment! That goes for first time Biram listeners as well. Add it to your collection.
The One & Only Scott H. Biram Track listing (song length)
- No Man’s Land (4:18)
- High & Dry (3:14)
- Easy Rider (3:58)
- I’ll Still Miss Ruby (3:20)
- Givin’ Up on Man (2:56)
- Dig a Hole-Big Liar (3:19)
- InterTransmission (1:25)
- Inside a Bar (4:17)
- Sinner’s Dinner (2:51)
- Rather Be High (1:26)
- Death Has No Mercy (4:31)
Total runtime: 35:35
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. This process is usually an hour or less from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
For tour info, socials, and merch visit Scott’s site here!
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
