Southern Culture on the Skids - Doublewide and Live

Genre rock Publisher Yep Roc Records External Links Official Southern Culture on the Skids Website Official Yep Roc Records Website

Imagine if you will a filthy, LSD-induced orgy involving Dick Dale, the Reverend Horton Heat, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, and Emmylou Harris. Lets say Lynn or Harris conceived that night a mutant red-neck surfer trash hipster from the south. That baby would be Rick Miller, the alpha-Billy of North Carolina rocka-billy party band Southern Culture on the Skids.

Apparently, these guys referred to as SCOTS by their cultish fans, frequently request that they attend shows equipped with fried chicken for eating and that they wear the chicken buckets on their heads. Also, they seem to enjoy throwing banana pudding on them. Sounds like good clean fun really. This wild raunchiness that has been so popular among college boys and grease monkeys alike across the south for the past fifteen years has finally been brought to life on a recorded live session called Doublewide and Live from somewhere in their home town of Chapel Hill North Carolina.

After listening to the album once, I could only imagine how freaking awesome it must have been to have been in attendance that night. The set list partied through sixteen tracks that go from Cash-style trash country to Dale-ian surf fuzz to Reverend Horton Heat rocka-billy; I guess we could call this surfabilly. No?

The best thing about Doublewide and Live is that the songs are good enough to keep the trailer park party rolling all night long. Most live albums are no fun to listen to because they simply just don't sound as good as the recorded versions of the songs. On a good live album you want to be able to feel the excitement of that night every time you listen. The fans must be as enthusiastic as SCOTS when they play through songs like "Big Pine Tree and "Ditch Diggin'." The live show must also be a perfect mix of fan favorites and songs that the band really loves to play.

SCOTS tear through "'69 El Comino," the gritty "Cheap Motel" and the ska-ish "Liquored Up" like psycho hillbillies from hell. The highlights of the session however, are the Dick Dale tributes "The Wet Spot" and "Meximelt" where Rick Miller shows off his gnarly ability to get radical on the strings.

This album covers more genres and styles than a three day mix-music festival. Whether you're into surfing and partying on the beach, drinking whiskey and whooping some ass, or forcing new pledges to do dirty things to sheep, this album is perfect for the occasion.