Big Jeezus Truck - Ottawa Canada
Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario Canada, Big Jeezus
Truck is a fun country/punk band who's website is worth taking a look at just for the experience!
Since the initial "sound experience" of BJT was what I could access from
their website, it was limited in number of songs, but total balls-to-the-wall energy in
what I did hear. The driving country rhythm of Tom E. Hawk on guitar,
"Spaghetti" on bass and T.E.D. on drums with the screaming vocals of Slim Reaper
can be visualized as "Charlie Daniels meets the Sex Pistols".
Last February, the Comedy Network
featured the animated version of the band on The Kevin Spencer Show. The
episode casts the boys in the band discovering that "There's something wrong with
that kid" when they hire Kevin on as a Roadie. Complete with music from the band's
latest CD "The Big Hoo Haw", this promises to be an episode not to miss, and you
can see the video on their official homepage. The following excerpt from their website
covers more of what the cartoon was about.
Slim Reaper will be the first to
tell you
Big Jeezus Truck act a little cartoonish during their live shows. But who'd have thunk the
Ottawa psycho punkabillies would take 'animated' that one step further to the cartoon
drawing board? And of all places, the lewd and crude world of Kevin Spencer? "
The dialogue we have on that show would make Lenny Bruce proud," says Reaper, BJT's
guitarist. "It's definitely not for the young." The band will celebrate their
network TV debut with a live appearance and a broadcast of their Kevin Spencer episode
Saturday night at Barrymore's, joined by real-life openers Treebeard and the Aquaphiles.
Perfectly suited Affinity Productions, the
people responsible for the Comedy Network series KevinSpencer, approached Reaper and
company after witnessing one of their -- no pun intended -- animated live shows. Affinity
also took notice that BJT's second album, The Big Hoohaw, featured a song that perfectly
suited the whole Kevin Spencer attitude.
"They heard our song Welfare Alcoholic
which somehow got ducktailed into the plot of their show," Reaper says. "So we
went in last October, did the voiceovers from the script they prepared for us and really
encouraged us with this twisted tone. It was really fun to do." The episode casts the
boys in the band discovering that "there's something wrong with that kid" when
they hire Kevin on as a roadie.
Designed by animator Greg Lawrence, BJT
move in a similar two-dimensional cutout vein as Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Meat Loaf and
Primus did on South Park's Chef-Aid episode. Other than B.T.O.'s Randy Bachman and Fred
Turner's recent appearance on The Simpsons, BJT remain perhaps the only other Canadian act
to make the transition into 'toonland. Meanwhile, the real-life counterparts in BJT
continue their flurry of activity following
The Big Hoohaw's release last June, from live shows for H.O.P.E., Lassitude and their fun
'n' spooky Zombie A-Go-Go Halloween party. Fingers are crossed for a possible repeat
appearance at Toronto's North by Northeast Festival this summer. "Word of mouth about
us really grew last summer and now we're getting bigger shows thanks to that," Reaper
says. "And we don't put much into the live shows. Just a whole lot of energy to
enlighten and entertain people. That's all you really need."
From what I've heard, I look forward to hearing more of BJT on an international level. I
suppose some could consider their lyrics obscene, or in the very least vulgar, but I
couldn't help laughing as I listened to their MP3 samples. Even the subtle humor make this
band something that will cross the rock, punk and country barrier. Their song Welfare
Alcoholic has a final 3 words that are very faint, but sum up the feeling of the
group effort.
Their website was heavy with
flash and embedded sound files. If you have highspeed connections and a 400mhz processor
or better, you'll have a fun experience when you visit.
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