Firewater Sessions: Vol. II, the new EP from Grandaddy Short Leg, is almost like the missing link between John Lee Hooker and ZZ Top. The songs strike a balance between refried boogie and pure blues, with a southern rock tint that respects their musical heritage but places it in a modern context. Born in blood, bottled in bond, and hardened by the crucible of mountain life, all three band members are the latest scions of a five-generation tradition of music and spirits.
Though their approach may seem tongue-in-cheek to the casual observer, when it comes to playing music this band is all business. Firewater Sessions: Vol. II not only musically nods to blues and rock, there are subtle and not-so-subtle tips of the hat to everything from Link Wray to Flatt & Scruggs woven into their framework.
Combining their love of distilling with their passion for playing, you’re as likely to see these gentlemen cooking the corn in a 21st century digitally controlled still, as you are to find them cooking on stage with vintage guitars and Marshall amps.
Inspired by real events, “Walk A Good Line,” the first video from Grandaddy Short Leg in support of their new EP, Firewater Sessions Vol.2, is as true-to-life as the law allows. While the video has its own story to tell, the song itself is heavy blues with the kind of southern rock infusion that would have made it a mainstay on FM radio in the 1970s.
“It all got built up from this riff,” singer/guitarist Lester Tugnut explains. “I didn’t even have a melody or anything. I took it to Cletus (Massengil – drums) and Smoke-Eye (Kielbasa – bass & vocals) and Cletus came up with the beginnings of the lyrics, and then everything else just fell into place.”
