Toe-Suckin’ Geek Rock!

Those of us who have ventured beyond California’s cozy confines are privy to the fact that there is indeed a whole other world out there; a world not everyone should revel in, but a world that everyone should at least, to some degree, become exposed to. Within the borders of our fellow states, we may notice that alternative cultural practices produce behavior and music that may be contrary to Cali’s safe little contributions. It is with this understanding that we allow ourselves to become influenced and consumed by this art. And though we covet our sun-scorched fairy tales and “surf’s up” aesthetic, we are equally intrigued by outside contributions. For all intents and purposes, broadening our collective horizons may be an utterly positive endeavor to attempt. There may be no better way to achieve that than to peruse the risqué world of swamp rock with its current main purveyors, Southern Culture On The Skids.
Eccentric may be the best way to accurately describe the ambiance of this North Carolina quartet, as each member seems as if they were spawned from opposite ends of the music spectrum. Between bassist and vocalist Mary Huff’s B-52’s style hairdo and vibrant, new wave clothing and Chris “Crispy” Bess’ farm boy, overalls and straw hat look, the band turns heads wherever they play. Perhaps I’m still a bit naïve when it comes to recognizing and pigeonholing genres of music. But it seems that though I’ve heard the term “swamp” before, I most readily identify it with that scene from The Never Ending Story where Atreyu and Falcore are trudging through the swamps of sadness. This then led me to assume that any music spawned from said location must be sad, and its musicians must lead a life of unhygienic misery. Luckily, SCOTS lead vocalist and guitar player, Rick Miller was able to correct my assumptions, via telephone, with an open mind and a Southern drawl that made me feel well at ease.
“It’s like Creedence Clearwater, like swamp-pop. That’s what they used to call that stuff. To me, swampy [music] has always got that good rhythm and it’s got that tremolo and reverb guitar, it kind of gives it a pulse. I don’t know why they call it swampy so much, but I kind of grew up with that term too,” elaborates Miller. “We don’t really use the metaphors of the swamp, even though the ‘Great Dismal Swamp’ is the second largest swamp in the United States, right out in Eastern North Carolina!”
While Miller recognizes that his group has an extremely distinct sound, and that he is apprehensive to use metaphors from the swamp, he is by no means reluctant to use analogies from some of the South’s many esteemed eateries to confidently pinpoint Southern Culture on the Skids’ sound.
“Down South here when you go out to eat lunch, most of the places you go are called a ‘Meat and Three.’ They got a whole bunch of stuff that’s been in pots all day. They throw it on your plate and it all runs together, so you end up with a new taste from the combination of all the other tastes. [The taste] depends on how much salt ‘n’ pepper you put on it, how much hot sauce and chili peppers, but I think that’s how our music is,” explains Miller. “I just kinda like that cookin’ groove, you know that simmerin’ kind of thing, but we do a lot of fast stuff too. And live, the energy level is a lot higher. Higher than some of the records anyway, obviously.”
The band is somewhat of an anomaly. Although they boast a cult-like underground following, SCOTS is no stranger to the mainstream side of rock ‘n’ roll after scoring a minor radio hit in the late 90’s with their tune “Camel Walk” while the group was still a part of the Geffen records roster. Since then, SCOTS has signed to TVT Records and Miller insists that they are a bit relieved by the switch. “We have more creative control. Of course, we always had creative control when we were on Geffen because we didn’t ask for a lot of money. But if they couldn’t get it on MTV in four weeks, well, the record was over because they didn’t have the funds or the resources to market it any other way. They started saying stuff like ‘Well Rick, we’d like to see you tour more with some bands that appeal to a younger audience, like some of the punk / metal stuff or the ska bands’ and we were like,’ this sucks!’ We had the option of leaving or staying and we opted to leave,” explains Miller.
Southern Culture on the Skids has always walked the road less traveled. Miller insists that the group has always done things their own way and that they took the necessary steps to make that a consistent occurrence. This could not be explained more clearly than by way of one of the group’s near-infamous tour stories. Any group who performs a style of music like SCOTS (who have also been known to toss fried chicken into the audience mid-performance) is bound to have some ludicrous tales. “We’ve had a few weird ones. We did a topless / bottomless bar at the Claremont Lounge in Atlanta and we had this one woman who had peroxide in her hair. She was a black woman who they called ‘Blondie’ who had peroxide in her pubic hair and her regular bouffant peroxided blonde, so when the lights went off, it was like this dancing vagina [laughs] and just the hair on her head. It was crazy man,” explains Miller.
SCOTS is currently in the studio working on their forthcoming album, which will hopefully be released by the beginning of next year. “We’re going to be mixing it right before we head out to California,” states Miller.
Amidst the scorching summer heat of our beloved West Coast reality, we long for the things that make the misery bearable. Miller reiterates: “Our music is kind of on the weird side, but it feels good!” And perhaps a group like Southern Culture On The Skids is exactly the shot in the arm we need to maintain our sunburnt egos. Just watch out for the fried chicken.

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