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Sunday, May 25, 2014

A Must Have: Henry's Funeral Shoe - "Gimme Back My Morphine" From the Album Donkey Jacket



Henry's Funeral Shoe - Donkey Jacket Album

"A raw, fuzzed-out, garage-boogie attitude and a riff-o-rama sensibility. Their sound can be heavy as a 2000 lb. budgie, menacing as a back-alley swaying drunk, and when they crank up the riffing or let rip with some high-octane slide, it's as transporting as anything by post-Mississippi Fred McDowell".

Following on from a highly-praised debut, South Wales duo Henry's Funeral Shoe unleash their distinctive punk-energy-blues-drenched-rock 'n' roll, on second album "Donkey Jacket". With their incendiary guitars and hard rock-like energy, fans of Radio Moscow, Left Lane Cruiser, and The Black Diamond Heavies will find much to like in Henry's Funeral Shoe.

The duo has shared the stage with classic acts such as The Groundhogs, and Status Quo, and will soon be playing with Ten Years After. Comprised of brothers Aled and Brennig Clifford, this second offering evokes images of the Deep South, rather than the Welsh Valleys from which they hail. "Donkey Jacket" features a number of guest appearances from a plethora of acclaimed musicians, including long time Van Morrison collaborator John "Ned" Edwards on harmonica, slide guitar and mandolin, Pete Hurley of legendary 70s Welsh band Lone Star on bass, and Justin Beynon of the Broken Vinyl Club tinkling the ivories. Taking its name from the coat worn by Welsh miners, "Donkey Jacket", is a collection of rousing numbers ranging from the hard-hitting 'Love Is A Fever', 'Dog Scratch Ear' and 'Anvil & Chains', to their contrasting softer side on acoustic-driven tracks 'Heart on Fire' and 'Across The Sky'. Henry's Funeral Shoe recorded the album in Wales with Tim Hammill at the helm, whilst mixing duties were undertaken by Jim Diamond (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Go) in Detroit.

Playing bluesy hard rock with plenty of attitude, a classic rocker's appreciation of history, and a punk's sense of concision, Henry's Funeral Shoe is a power duo from South Wales consisting of Aled Clifford on guitar and vocals, and his younger brother Brennig Clifford on drums. Aled's early musical inspiration came from his father's collection of LPs, as the youngster began checking out the work of iconic rock bands such as the Beatles, the Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as a variety of blues acts ranging from Robert Johnson to Peter Green. Aled took up the guitar, mentored by musician Ned Edwards (best known for his work with Van Morrison), and he began playing solo acoustic shows, focusing on blues-oriented material.

After several unsatisfying experiences playing with bands, Aled chose to return to solo work when he was asked by his brother Brennig to get together and jam. Brennig, ten years younger than Aled, was inspired to take up drumming by the fiery stickwork of Keith Moon, and the brothers soon found that Aled's forceful, blues-rock style and Brennig's frantic percussion made for an effective combination. In 2008, the two began performing as Henry's Funeral Shoe (the name coming from an unpublished short story written by Aled), and while several bassists were auditioned to round out the group, the Clifford brothers felt that they worked well enough as a two-piece to do without.

The group came to the attention of Alive Natural Sound Records, an American label that's home to several contemporary punk-blues acts, and in 2009, the label released Henry's Funeral Shoe's first album, Everything's for Sale. After extensive touring in Europe and the U.K., the duo returned in 2011 with their second LP, Donkey Jacket, featuring guest appearances by Justin Beynon of Broken Vinyl Club on keyboards, Pete Hurley (a former member of Welsh hard rockers Lone Star) on bass, and Aled's one-time teacher Ned Edwards on harmonica.

Buy the album on vinyl/CD at: Link

1 comment:

Anonymous said...



Excelente grupo.No lo conocía.Gracias