NOW HEAR THIS - WILLIE J & THE BAD BOOKS
Words by: Tom Wilson @thetomwilsonexperiment - Sense Music Media | Sunday 19th December 2022
Press shot by: Marcus Coblyn
Your Next Five Favourite Songs
Backdoor Man, the new single from WILLIE J & THE BAD BOOKS, is a punchy mix of rock swagger and smoky blues. With recording sessions for their debut album on the horizons, they’ll be launching the single at the Northcote Social Club in January, so we got them to take the NOW HEAR THIS challenge and give us five of the best.
Harry Manx – Reuben’s Train
I was first introduced to Harry Manx when I was in a kid, he played at Bilyana in my home town of Eldorado. Harry has an incredibly unique sound that blends blues with Hindustani classical music; he plays a Mohan Veena, which is a lap steel guitar/sitar hybrid to put it simply. I’ve seen him live countless times and to this day, the live show always gives me the chills. This is one of my favourite songs of his for no particular reason, I love everything he does. I’d recommend putting on any of his records on a slow morning, it’s mesmerising.
David Rawlings & Gillian Welch – Cumberland Gap
Rarely I hear a modern song that grabs my full attention immediately. In this case it was watching the Guy Ritchie film, The Gentleman. The calibre of songwriting and production on this track is ridiculous – Gillian & David are true musicians and producers, leagues above most. The melodic structure, the lyricism, the chromatic shred and the fact that they self-record to a tape machine with a few microphones at most blows my mind. Gillian played drums on the recorded version. What she did requires a level of restraint most drummers simply can’t do – the groove is on point. This is a song I will listen to on repeat for hours on end, again and again. Do yourself a favour.
THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND – Crow Jane
Originally written and recorded by blues legend Skip James, Derek’s take on this standard blows my mind. I’ve never heard a guitarist so vocal, so pure and so damn good who has the band that can keep up. In my opinion, he’s the best guitarist of all time. No one sounds like him, and his playing is recognisable within seconds. For me, that’s everything to aspire to.
Nina Simone – Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter (Live)
This is how it’s done. The journey this song takes you on is incredible. The first half of the track is a tension build with perfect lyricism – the archer drawing back the bow, so to speak – and then the spear hits, the drum break is insane. This is a groove and a half. You can’t help but boogie, and with lyrics like “nothing worse than an educated fool” it’s a hard-hitting banger with real power and meaning.
LITTLE GEORGIA – Rome
What better way to wrap up this list than with something amazing close to home? This is one of the hardest-hitting songs I’ve heard in the last decade, Ash Mannix delivers a heartfelt vocal performance that has the lyrics and melody that’ll leave anyone with goosebumps. LITTLE GEORGIA are world-class, and their records are on high rotation at home. I love everything they do. Please give them a listen.
Backdoor Man is out now.
More from WILLIE J & THE BAD BOOKS…
Tickets
FRI 6 JAN | NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, NORTHCOTE VIC (Single Launch)
SAT 28 JAN | THE BLUES TRAIN, QUEENSCLIFF VIC
