Here is the direct post from an interview with Triggerman from Saving Country Music and Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory.
The release of Hellbound Glory‘s newest album Damaged Goods
on November 15th symbolizes a big opportunity for independent country
to put its best foot forward in the form of one of the most cunning and
engaging songwriters country music boasts at any level.
Leroy Virgil is not a post-punk recovering metal head with neck
tattoos. He’s not a period piece with an anachronistic approach. He’s
not aping Waylon. He’s just a simple and honest guy with great songs who
even before the release of this album, is already making noise with
people outside of the predictable underground country music scenes with
the sheer power of the words to his songs. And now he has a project not
saddled with such a volume of salacious language, but without
sacrificing the authenticity and edge that made Hellbound Glory engaging
in the first place.
I talked to Leroy just before a show at The Dirty Dog Saloon in Austin, TX on Oct 21st about Damaged Goods, and the impact the different approach to the music might have.
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Triggerman: You have a new album coming out in a couple of weeks called Damaged Goods. Why don’t you tell folks a little bit about it.
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| Hellbound Glory - Damaged Goods album cover |
Triggerman: Chico the drummer is no longer in the
band. Some of the tracks have minimalist drums, and some have full
drums. What became the drumming approach when Chico left? Or did it kind
of work in your advantage to change the sound up, addition by
subtraction so to speak?
Leroy: Hated to see Chico go. We were able to turn
things down a little bit. I wanted to make something a little bit less
in-your-face. Love Chico but he was just sick of the road. Some of the
songs on the album I wanted to sound more like they do live, something
more quiet, more lyric-driven and instrument-driven. On the other albums
Chico’s just an animal. He’s a great drummer, but he’s a loud, powerful
drummer.
Triggerman: So what came first, was it Chico leaving
or a new approach? Because I know for a while you were talking about
doing a project called “The Excavators.”
Leroy: Basically The Excavators became Hellbound
Glory. The Excavators was something I was doing on the side back in Reno
just to stay working. I just wanted to be able to hire fewer musicians
and still be able to work. When Chico left the band, I knew it was going
to be hard to replace him with anyone else, so I set up a completely
different live show. The live show is basically Hellbound Glory, but
it’s also The Excavators, and my new band “The Damaged Good Ole Boys”
all in one.
Triggerman: In this new album there’s not the excessive drug references, but I remember you saying about Old Highs & New Lows,
that you had taken all of your songs that had drug references and
compiled them in that way, and I think maybe that was misleading to some
people.
Leroy: Absolutely. That album, some people might
think we’re a one trick pony. This album, there are songs about drugs,
but it’s just more a picture of Reno nightlife.
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| From Left, Leroy, Eric, Zeke, Frank |
Triggerman: People may get the wrong impression
though if the first two things they take from the new album is that
Chico is gone, so there’s not the pounding drums, and also there’s not
as many drug references. Some people might think there’s no energy, or
that “they’ve changed” or whatever. But when you listen to Damaged Goods,
there’s still a lot of energy and bite to it. How did you keep that
energy while losing a great drummer, while taking tricks out of your bag
so to speak?
Leroy: We just bring it no matter what. We’re all
energetic people, we all live these songs. I just think the album is
more soulful more than anything. So hopefully people get a better chance
to listen to the lyrics.
Triggerman: As far as the new direction with the new
album, in the last couple of years, things have changed in your
personal life, you have a wife and kid now. I guess the old chiche is
you have a wife and kid and you start to settle down.
Leroy: I don’t have an option to settle down, this
is all I know to do, is to play music. And it’s fucking hard obviously,
the home life is difficult being away from my kid so much. But I think
having a kid has just made me more hardcore.
Triggerman: I’ve heard some other songs live that are not on this album. Do you have more material coming up?
Leroy: Yes. In fact I’ve got a new song I’m going to
play tonight called “Small Town Shit Going Down.” This next album is
going to be about small town life, that isn’t on TV, that isn’t being
covered by fucking Jason Aldean or Toby Keith. Because when I travel
around this country, and we’ve been traveling through the country the
last 6 months, playing shit towns and shit honky tonks where they have
to play rap music between our sets. And we go out and party with these
people, and their life isn’t being portrayed on CMT. I want to do
something that’s a little more real deal, gritty, down home.
Triggerman: What is your hope with this album? When
it comes to Hellbound Glory, there seems to be a consensus amongst
critics that it’s great stuff. But as you go from town to town, there
could probably be more people there. Hellbound Glory is a critic’s
favorite, but that doesn’t always translate to people at shows, or money
for your kid.
Leroy: Well I’m just going to keep slogging away at
it the only way I know how: work hard. This is the hardest way to make
easy money. I love what I do. I don’t get paid to play music, I get paid
to drive around with stinky bastards in a pickup truck.
Triggerman: Anything else you want to tell people about the album?
Leroy: Well, just listen to the words.
