Austin's most talked about music duo Black Bone Child, whose debut album from last year garnered rave reviews worldwide from fans and critics alike, are back with not one but two new CDs scheduled for release on March 9th. The partnership of Donny James and Kenneth M has yielded a fusion of styles that has been captivating audiences across the US. Between an exciting fresh take on slide guitar and driving distorted bass lines, this energetic and rhythmically based rock is sure to keep the dance floors packed and listeners hanging on every note. And now Black Bone Child has done it again with their two new albums.
The first of the two entitled 'Alligator,' is a swampy, sweaty, and sexy celebration of rock as it should be. Fully electric and ready to party, 'Alligator' delivers the same carefree vibe as the debut, but with a higher dose of energy. The other half of BBC's two disc release entitled 'Take You Blind,' is a complete departure from the fully electric sound. Stripped down to just acoustic, harmonica, percussion, and vocals 'Take You Blind' is sparse sonicly, but hardly lacking. Songs like "Baby Baby" and "By My Hand" exemplify the vibe of this stripped down fun and groove oriented album. The albums together, although very different from each other, maintain a cohesive sound that is undeniably Black Bone Child.
"Our first of the two records 'Take You Blind' is bit of a departure from our regular rock-n-roll electric sound," says Kenneth M. "It's stripped down but still full. We wanted to capture the 'porch' sound of us just sitting outside playing these songs acoustically to just bring a whole new perspective on what it is that we do. Our biggest fear in doing this was that it would turn out to be just a boring album of acoustic versions done poorly, but the new format has breathed a fresh air onto some older songs as well as fresh interpretations of songs from our other new record 'Alligator.' On the contrary to 'Take You Blind,' 'Alligator' is a fully electric album more from the vain of our first album, but more guitar driven and 'rocked out.' We tried to capture the more live element of the band with this record. We tracked the album live in the studio with our live band, which didn't exist during the sessions for our first album. The result has been a more explosive, energized performance which translated to the other side of the microphone and into the final product. People should look for a no holds, electric, enegized, example of rock and roll in its purest form. We are pretty proud of both, and to present them together shows a diversity in us that many bands today haven't shown yet. It's an exciting release for us." "We spent the majority of the winter in the studio," adds Donny James. "The two records were recorded pretty much during the month of November. The goal was to have a recording that represented what the live band sounds like and have one that went into other areas that we hadn't touched on before."
In the spring of 2008 Black Bone Child self-produced their eponymous debut album at White Door Studios in Austin. The result is a product that showcases not only BBC's songwriting and playing abilities, but also their talents from the other side of the microphone as engineers and producers with even their eye for graphic design. With the acquisition of Steve Hudson (live drums) and Jason King (live guitar), Black Bone Child hit the live music scene in Austin in the fall of 2008. Within 2009, the band established themselves as one of the premier Rock bands in Austin. Touring incessantly, playing over 100 dates, multiple regional tours, and two national tours has chiseled the band into a live force to be reckoned with; with 2010 showing no signs of slowing down.
"Black Bone Child is an exciting new group and one of my favorite discoveries of the summer. A little Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, a little Black Keys, a little blues, and still distinctive, dynamic, and original." - Shadoe Stevens (CaboWaboRadio.net - Los Angeles, CA)
"I still love the first record that we did," says Donny. "It was so exciting because it was so new. I love the fact that we didn't come out with two new albums that sound exactly the same as the first one. The thing I enjoy most about the new stuff is that it shows diversity and gives our fans something new, a fresh look at what they know as Black Bone Child. Both records are light-hearted and energetic, open up the cover to 'Alligator' and you'll get the picture." "If the first album is the toe tap, 'Alligator' is the fist pump, and 'Take You Blind' is the hand clap," adds Kenneth. "If that makes any sense at all."
In support of the two new Black Bone Child releases, Kenneth, Donny, Steve and Jason will be performing several select dates:
March 19 - Austin, TX Threadgills Opening for Bob Schneider (DURING
SXSW) 11:30PM
April 2 - Dallas, TX TBA
April 3 - San Angelo, TX The Deadhorse 9pm
April 9 - Austin, TX Encore 9pm
April 23 - Tyler, TX - Click's 9pm
April 24 - Jackson, MS - The Ole Tavern 9pm w/The Bad Reeds
April 30 - Austin, TX - Midnight after party for The Dead Weather (Jack White's new band) at Stubb's
"The live band is in top form, we are putting on our most energetic, tight shows of our career, and just having a blast," says Kenneth. "We all just love doing this and I think it shows when we play."
And what does the future hold for Black Bone Child? "We are all looking forward to getting out on the road again and representing this release in multiple cities," says Kenneth. "After all we are a band and the best thing bands do are play. It is great to be in the studio and put out a physical representation, but the band belongs on the road performing it." "We are all dying to hit the road again and deliver a good old fashion rock 'n' roll show from Austin to the rest of the Nation," Donny concludes.
Black Bone Child's 'Alligator' and 'Take You Blind' CDs are available through the band's website, iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3 and many other on and off-line vendors.