Americana Music Reviews

 

Simon Stokes
Honky
Uppercut Records

by Jud Block

Somewhere out there is a serial killer in need of a soundtrack, an aging biker looking for the motivation to not hang up the leathers and park the hog for good, a Confederacy of Scum band member wondering if all the tattoos and mornings spent coming to, as opposed to waking up, are still worth it. Thankfully for them Simon Stokes has come along to fill their empty spaces with his new release, Honky.

Simon Stokes, for those who have heard of him, is best known for giving us the first banned album cover in the history of the United States with his group The Black Whip Thrill Band. But aside from that tidbit, there is little else floating around about this mysterious singer/songwriter who has recorded with Timothy Leary and is apparently a favorite with the hard-core biking community as well as Southern punk bands such as Antiseen, Hellstomper, and the rest of the polyglots that make up the aforementioned Confederacy of Scum. I had never heard any of his music as far as I knew, but judging by the cover photo of him with long gray hair sitting at a bar drinking a pint of something stout next to what appears to be Wilford Brimley doing his best Billy Gibbons impression, I had a feeling that I just might like this guy.

Before I was even halfway through the CD, I could understand why Simon Stokes is so popular with bikers - - he writes and sings about their way of life. Now before I go any further, I think it's important to define what I mean and don't mean by the word "biker." I don't mean the CPA who once a year dusts off the old Harley, grows a goatee, and heads out to Daytona for a week of make believe; what I do mean is the genuine outlaw biker who knows what a 1%er is, and whose bar you don't want to walk into wearing the wrong colors. It is aggressive, disturbing music that revels in the violence and misfortune that may lie just around the corner.

Through it all, Stokes growls, screams, and rants, sometimes sounding like a manic Billy Joe Shaver, about the life and people with which he is obviously conversant. And on songs such as "Amazons & Coyotes," you get an insight to his hard-edged view of life and Fate.

Death's a dirty cheater
So you got to play hard
His mate a nympho angel
Whispers in your ear
"Win or lose now, Simon,
You ain't gettin' out of here"
Just then in walks a beggarman
Claims he's doin' fine
Offers death a slug of his white port wine
You got a funny feeling
That tonight's not your night
Hop on your Harley and you hit the night

"From This Outlaw to You" is the best song on the disc. It's the most country sounding - - in the best sense of the phrase - - track on the CD, and could've easily found a place on any of David Allen Coe's 1970s offerings. In fact, Stokes' voice has a slight similarity to Coe's as well as Waylon's at times on this song. After hearing this, I hope to hell he has plans for a country album in the future, because if he doesn't, we're all missing out.

Come over here darling
And sit down beside me
And tell this old outlaw your name
You know it ain't been easy
Believing in nothing
'Cept believing it's all just a game
Your eyes tell me baby
Your heart tells you maybe
There's more here than meets the eye
Come over here young thing
And sit down beside me
And give this old outlaw a try

The remainder of the disc ranges from the odd ("Laughter in the Sky," which is about escaping Earthly troubles via spaceship) to the violent ("Ride On, Angel" and "Johnny Gillette," which deal with permanent solutions) to the unsettling ("There's Someone Waiting to See You," a sadistic take on love and mortality).

Simon Stokes is, if nothing else, a true musical outlaw. His music is definitely not for everyone, but if you're not afraid of a challenge or are tired of hearing words like "renegade" and "maverick" wasted on PR creations like Montgomery Gentry, then give Honky a listen. It might just leave you in a fetal position.

* If you think you can handle it, step on over to www.uppercutrecords.com to find out a little about Simon Stokes as well as purchase your very own copy of Honky.


Contact Jud Block at jud-at-rockzilla.net

 
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