Audio By Carbonatix
Andrew Douglas’s art-house documentary Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus gave David Byrne a good enough reason to expand his worldbeat label with a soundtrack. Accompanying troubador Jim White down the back roads of the ol’ Confederacy with a 300-pound statue of Jerusalem Slim in the trunk, this collection features Appalachian chestnuts from old-timers Doc Watson, Clarence Ashley and Lee Sexton alongside brooding numbers by the Handsome Family, Sixteen Horsepower and New York Doll David Johansen. Not to mention the most hilariously off-key version of “First There Was” that murder balladeer Johnny Dowd has ever pulled off: Our unemployable hero robs a feed store, buys a pair of Beatle boots to impress the ladies, then guns down a movie usher for calling him a creep. By the time Trailer Bride’s Melissa Swingle plays a dog-and-wind-muted version of “Amazing Grace” on musical saw, it feels like all roads to hell lead straight through Dixie.
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
