The Lost Writing #2

Same as before, I got an interview and the JFP & a few others turned it down. I did the interview about mid-September for an October 1st show here in Jackson.

Scott H Biram Interview

Scott H Biram, as his website puts it is, “no candy-ass singer/songwriter …, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways. HELL NO!!! His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot.” He is also the second feature artist in Ardenland Productions Duling Hall concert series here in Jackson.

Biram’s music has been described as everything from depression era death metal to the missing link between Hank Williams Sr. and Slayer. This has earned him a wide audience around the world. He has played all over the United States and Europe for over a decade. His music has been feature in TV shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Sons of Anarchy, plus movies like The Darwin Awards, Seven Signs: Music, Myth and the American South and The Folk Singer: A Tale of Men, Music and America. Artists like Hank Williams III, Nashville Pussy, and Shooter Jennings have covered or featured Biram’s music on their albums.

As he prepares for his south eastern United States tour, I got to speak with him about his past, what he is working on now and about his first time playing Jackson.

Musically speaking what were your influences growing up and how have they helped form your sound?

Influences are all over the place. I’m a pretty big music connoisseur. My dad got me listening to a lot of great music when I was a kid. I grew up listening to Leadbelly, Doc Watson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and you name it. Then thru high school and stuff like that, I liked And Still the Day and all the punk rock standards. Black Flag was a big influence on me. I learn to play guitar listening to old Metallica records. I got a lot of family members that played instruments too when I was a kid.
As far as becoming a one man band or getting into the kind of music that I play, I was in punk rock band all in high school. And then blue grass bands in college, then it all kinda melted together and turned into whatever the hell it has turned into. People ask me what my music sound like, its hard to say, but I tell I’m a good cross between Jerry Reed, Bill Monroe, Muddy Waters and Black Flag.


You touched on being a one man band, what are the advantages and disadvantages of being a one man band? Do you miss playing with other musician as a band?

All the time. Its one thing when you are on stage when you are in a band and something really cool happens. You can look over at your buddy and get a grin on everybody, knowing that you pulled something off. But there is nobody up there to look at but the crowd, and they are usually drunk. But the advantage is definitely, freedom to do whatever I want. I don’t have to find a practice space; I can sing to myself in the car or play my guitar in the living room or whatever. I don’t have to split the money; I can switch songs in the middle of a song if I want to and play something else. The disadvantages are I have to carry all this shit myself. I got my friend Skinny Mini that helps load in and out, that helps. I got more stuff than most three piece bands and it’s just me. Sometimes I wish I was just a folk singer, but I would be playing at coffee shops and I don’t care for that to much.

Do you ever think about forming or playing with a band?

I have people play on a lot of my records. The Black Diamond Heavies, they’re friends of mine, played on my last record, and we did a full band set up. Then we toured together, they would leave their stuff on stage, then I would play my show, then at the end they would come up and we would play three or four songs together. I get asked this question a lot, I would put together a band, it just has to be the right thing and the right circumstance. Right now this one man band thing is working out pretty good, I’m holding my own.

In 2003, you were in a head on collision with an 18 wheeler, how did that effect you and your music?

It’s something that happened, it hurt and it messed up my body pretty bad. I got rods and pins in all my limbs except my left arm but I can still walk. I’m grateful for that, thankful for being here most of the time. I got a people coming up to me and saying ‘I don’t know how you did it, that’s crazy. How you get through that?’ Anybody would get through it. You just got to do what you got to do.

You are known to be a fan of the “Truck Driver lifestyle”. How did that come about?

It’s a few things, I have always worn these trucker hats sense I was a little kid. My grandfather always wore them. I use to play on the CB all the time when I was a kid. I really like the way that sound is, the way it sounds coming out of the CB radio mic. Being on the road all the time, staring straight down the highway, pretty much constantly, year round. I have found that being a musician on the road is very similar to being a trucker on the road. You are driving somewhere everyday for long period of time. You got to get there and unload. The only difference is I got to play a show at the end too.
I like truck drivers. Sometimes I wish they would get the hell out of my way or stop trying to run me over. For the most part I like truck drivers.

You have a new album coming out on October 11th, is there anything you want to say about it? Anything new and different on it?

It’s similar to my other records. I think ever record I have put out so far, it kinda steps up to other level each time, another notch. I’m learning more about production and honing my song writing skills. I’ve been writing songs since I was seven or eight year’s old and playing guitar for 25 years or something like that. It gets better and better ever time I think. I worked really hard on this one. I think the collection of songs I came up with are pretty good. We are doing a lot more promotional stuff this time.
We just shot the second video the other day in Kentucky. The first one we film “Want My Mojo Back”, I just saw that one today, it looks pretty good. We put out a seven inch vinyl single, with a B side that is not going to be on the record. It comes with a downloadable track that is not on the record. The LP when it comes out will have some extra download stuff, extra songs. I went in thinking I was going to record 12 songs and I ended up with 23. So I had to cut it down to 13. Now we are just using the extras as bonus tracks.

Is there anything you look forward to about playing in Jackson?

I’m on the road 150 tour dates a year, I have only played in Mississippi like four times and it has always been in Hattiesburg, I’m glad to be hitting Jackson, and getting out there. I’ve never been there, I’ve driven through it, I’m excited to play some blues in real blues country. I look forward to play some new song, preview them for ya’ll.

You can come out and see the show at 662 Duling Street on October 1st, at 9pm.
Get tickets for $10 at the coliseum box office or at ticketmaster.com. For more information call 601-292-7121 or visit www.ardenland.net
You can get a free song from the new album Bad Ingredients at http://www.scottbiram.com to get a preview of what the show will be like.