Hellbettys and Barfights: An Evening With Hank Williams III

By Willie Burmeister

My whole life, I’ve tended to shun country music as some hillbilly garbage that just isn’t worth listening to. At this point I still haven’t put a whole lot of time in to listening to country, but I have given a fair chance to a select few artists. What I’ve found is that country music is just like any other kind: When the artist makes honest music it can be incredible, and when the artist tries to sell tons of records and be played on the radio it generally turns into trash. Just like most genres, the stuff that we’re bombarded with the most isn’t worth a listen. However, with some searching it is possible to find some real music where the artist has something to say and totally nails their message.

This weekend Hank Williams III and Assjack played at Saint Andrews Hall. I was initially fascinated by the crowd that shows up to see these guys. The first half of the show is country music, and the second half is thrash metal. The result of this is that part of the audience are hillbillies, part are metalheads, and most are some mutant combination of the two. What everyone had in common was the desire for a balls out show with nothing held back.

The show was absolutely incredible. I was in awe of just how musically talented every member of the band was; the lap steel, banjo, and violin players could really shred and they straight up stole the show. But what really made it a great performance was how perfectly pissed off the music was. From the classic “Cocaine Blues” to “Dick in Dixie”, these guys were more rock and roll than rock and rollers. They were able to perfectly nail their message: Life is fucked up, let’s have some fun. They’re proud of their roots and they have every right to be. They represent all that is real and cool about southern hellraisers.

As far as metal bands go, there are better bands out there than Assjack. However, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t go out on that stage and kick ass. In this medium, the band was able to really let their anger out. They were intense and energetic, and they nailed a Slayer medley, which to me was the highlight of their portion of the show.

The point I want to make here is that even if you don’t think of yourself as a country music fan, you should treat yourself to checking out Hank III. There is nothing inherently wrong with country music. There is, however, something wrong with the artists who’ve sold their cocks and balls for fame. After this weekend’s show, I decided to listen to a little of the music that Hank’s grandfather wrote. What I found is that Hank Williams could really wail also, and if country music would have stayed on the path that he started (instead of tumbling downhill like popular music always tends to do) the genre would still be packed with artists that go out and break faces, honky tonk style. I think we can look at Hank III as yet another example of the fact that there will always be real musicians who want to make honest music for themselves and their fans.



Photos Courtesy of starpulse.com and culturebully.com