Krugger Motorcycles, Custom Brake Caliper Mounts

Fred Krugger builds some amazinglybikes

The world of custom motorcycles and fabrication is filled with a amazing batch of talent. One builder we especially dig is Fred Krugger out of Belgium. One thing we enjoy viewing is the amount of engineering that goes into his work and how clean the overall design resonates. 

He doesn't pay attention to any sort of trends, but rather builds bikes and custom parts that are meant to be rideable and fully functional, with a sleek look. These details are what help to separate his work from just an assembly builder to a true bike fabricator.

Check out all things Krugger Motorcycles

Brake Caliper mounts created by Fred Krugger out of Belgium

Brake caliper mounts made for a tight and unique fit

Threaded bungs and caliper brackets welded on

For a sense of scale, the size relationship of the brackets next to the helmet

Adding on the Eringer Brake calipers for test fit

Brake Caliper mounts that are almost completely hidden on the rear axle

Caliper mounts on the front axle

Custom brake caliper mounts by Krugger Motorcycle

Slick as hell on the front tire, minimal design for a sleek look on the front axle

Kara Clark, Joins Rusty Knuckles Music

Talent is inborn and it is up to each individual to find the motivation and spirit, to fully manifest the skills, for which they want to hone in on. A talent on the level of Kara Clark is a like a ship passing in the night. Once you have seen it on the horizon, you want to fully understand the journey for which it is steaming towards and become captivated by it's presence. 

After hearing about Kara from a few friends and then diving into her music, there is no doubt she is an amazing song writer and one in which her best days are ahead. Another aspect that stood out for us, is her uncompromising attitude and work ethic. That driving spirit and the yearning to perfect her craft are what allows talent, to be honed into an element stronger than its original construct. It is akin to heating steel and refining its core structure. This quenching process allows for the element to born anew. 

Kara Clark has a new batch of material in the works and we will be re-releasing her previous album to help build a larger audience. We are damn proud to work with her and know that once she sets the hooks in yall, it's game on.

Listen to more of Kara's music on Reverbnation

Kara Clark joins Rusty Knuckles Music

How did you first get into songrwiting?

It's actually a strange, funny story. I never did any music growing up or never "dreamed" of being a superstar as a child. I was already through college and a mother/wife, working full time as a medic in WV. One night, in a bar, to everyone's surprise (including mine), I got up and sang and realized that I could. Looking back on my life, I did write poetry and always loved music but never had written a song. I bought a used Yamaha guitar at a pawn shop and a capo, taught myself a few chords and just tried it. The lyrics (stories) just started flowing so fast, I couldn't write enough music to them. At first, I was primarily a lyricist, even after moving to Nashville, I would need help with melodies but had already written hundreds of  stories. Now, it is easy for me to write both.

As a composer of songs and constantly writing new music, what drives you?

A good hook. I write everything around a hook. Whether it comes to me in the car or when I am falling asleep, I write it down. I always write about real life and I have gotten flack in the past for being too complex or too deep but I am good at it. I just have no desire to sit in a room and be given a topic and try to force a song. My songs come to me quick, if I can't have it almost complete in 30 minutes, I put it away. I am driven by old school topics.
Whether it is an experience I have been through or someone I care about, I write it.

Are there lyrical topics for which you regularly go to?

Lately I have been writing about things that I think need to be addressed, such as the bullying epidemic  that is going on right now, it saddens me. I like to write about real life issues. I am constantly surprised when I read fan mail saying how my music gets people through sad times, my music is sad. People like the  genuine side of me and my songs I guess. I am fully capable of writing silly ear candy, I just choose not to, it's not for me. In my opinion, some of the greatest songs in history were sad or ballads.

What is one of the best accolades you have received from a song? (maybe a fan letter or something to which you received solid feedback from)

I had a fan tattoo "Living Proof" on her wrists, I was pretty blown away. That song touched a lot of people. I get a lot of positive feedback from "I Don't Drink Anymore" as well. Had a fan toss an AA keychain at me on stage and mail stating how supportive people are in my  recovery, even though the song is fictional.

How is the new music coming along and what can we look forward to in 2013?

I think an artist should constantly evolve and grow, not change. It's frustrating to fall in love with a record and then the follow up record is totally different. All of my songs have a common denominator, style. I don't think you can deny that it's me when you hear something new. I am working a lot on the piano now, I taught myself and it opened another door for melodies. My lyrical writing remains the same, in a dark place, but the piano sound might soften me just a bit, more vulnerable. I used to worry about my "image" so much that it probably held back my creativity. Now, I am ok with everything I do so if it comes off "too clean" or "too soft", I don't really care at this point, it's still me, I still wrote it and if I put it out there, I stand behind it.

Rusty Knuckles Belt Loops Featured On Craftsman Slideshow

The biggest honor I think one can ever receive is when folks dig your work and talk on it. We have been producing our signature belt loops for about six months now. They are a clean style and made to function perfectly, plain and simple. It is a great honor to know they are featured on the Craftsman Tools Flickr slide show on Craftsman.com. Sears Craftsman tools and toolboxes have been a staple item with us, since getting our first three drawer tool box as a kid filled with sockets, a few ratchets and some other hand tools from the bearded one up north. Stoked beyond belief, is probably the best way we can sum things up.

Got a tool junkie in your family? Order them some new tools

Rusty Knuckles Belt Loops designed for Rough Design Co. featured on Craftsman.com photo page

Let Daisy Lowe Be Your Sunday Relaxation

Model: Daisy Lowe 
Editor: Tosca Donato 
Music: Velvet Underground & Nico 
Stylist: Celine Marioni 
Hair: Jean-Luc Amarin 
Make-up: Tiina Roivainen 
Jacket & Jeans by Levis. 

Shot on location in Paris along side a fashion shoot for BLAST magazine. blast.fr

The Greatest Underground Country Albums of All Time, From Saving Country Music

"The underground country movement started roughly in the mid 90′s on lower Broadway in Nashville that at the time was a run down part of town. Young musicians from around the country, some from punk backgrounds, came together from their mutual love of authentic country music to create a counterbalance to the pop country that was prevailing on Music Row a few blocks west.

Underground country started with mostly neo-traditionalists like Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Big Sandy, and Dale Watson, but spread to the punk and heavy metal world through acts like Hank Williams III and Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers. This list does not just consider the appeal of these albums, but also the influence they had on other underground artists and albums, and on country music and music in general.

Please understand that this list is just for underground country albums. This means artists better defined by the Deep Blues like Scott H. Biram or Possessed by Paul James, or Texas artists like James Hand or Ray Wylie Hubbard, or country artists who may work on the fringes of underground country but would not necessarily be considered underground like BR549 or Roger Alan Wade, are not included. Americana acts are not included. This is strictly underground country’s opportunity to bask in the spotlight."

 - Triggerman

Link to original post on Saving Country Music

16. The Boomswagglers- Bootleg Beginnings – 2011

 

This very well may be the most authentic album of music put out in the modern era for any genre. The Boomswagglers have always been and continue to be more myth than reality, with original Boomswaggler Lawson Bennett long gone and a cavalcade of replacements shuffling in an out with Spencer Cornett. Even if they never put out another album, The Boomswagglers made their mark, and it is a deep one.

“The music is wildly entertaining and deceptively deep. If you’re going to be a Boomswagglers song, someone’s got to die, and likely a woman. Some may find this silly, monotonous, or even offensive, but you have to listen beyond the lyrics, and unlock the carnal wisdom that is hidden in these songs.” (read full review)

15. JB Beverley & The Wayward Drifters – Dark Bar & A Juke Box – 2006

 

Dark Bar & A Juke Box was an instant underground country classic, and so was the anti Music Row song that the album got its name from. JB and his Wayward Drifters grit out a superb selection of songs displaying taste, restraint, and a sincere appreciation for the roots of country music, which may have surprised some who knew JB more for his work with heavy metal bands like The Murder Junkies and the Little White Pills. Dark Bar & A Juke Box also boasts appearances from the famous son and grandson of a country music royal family, who due to contractual issues had to work incognito (wink wink).

14. Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours – Del Gaucho – 2011

 

Some (including Lucky himself) may point to Hillbilly Fever as being the seminal Lucky Tubb album with its big budget and appearances by Wayne “The Train” Hancock. But Del Gaucho is where Lucky Tubb came into his own, found his sound, and the unique musical flavor only he has to offer the world. Dirty, rowdy, rocking, but still steadfastly neo-traditionalist country, Del Gaucho scores off the charts when it comes to style points. When you’re talking about some of the greatest neo-traditional country albums and artists of all time, Lucky Tubb and Del Gaucho deserve to be in that conversation.

13- Bob Wayne & The Outlaw Carnies – Blood to Dust – 2008

 

They say you have your whole life to write your first album, and what makes Bob Wayne’s Blood to Dust so special is how true and touching he told his life’s story through song. His subsequent albums aren’t too shabby either, but with signature songs like “Blood to Dust”, “Road Bound”, and “27 Years”, this still stands out as his signature album, and a signature album of the underground country movement. It was performed, produced, and recorded by an all-star cast of contributors that included Donnie Herron, Joe Buck and Andy Gibson, and brought Bob Wayne out from behind-the-scenes as Hank3′s guitar tech, and made him one of the movement’s most well-known songwriters and performers.

12. Jayke Orvis – It’s All Been Said – 2010

 

This is the album that launched Farmageddon Records, and that launched Jayke Orvis as a formidable, premier front man in underground country. One of the founding members of the now legendary .357 String Band, Jayke was asked to leave the band because of irreconcilable differences and almost immediately began touring with The Goddamn Gallows and trying to make this album happen. The result was a slick, tightly-crafted LP showcasing excellent songwriting and instrumentation. From ballads to blazing instrumentals, Jayke Orvis has proved himself to be one of the singular talents of underground country roots.

11. Lonesome Wyatt & Rachel Brooke – A Bitter Harvest – 2009

 

This album was destined to become an underground country classic. The mad genius music mind of Lonesome Wyatt of the Gothic country duo Those Poor Bastards has the uncanny ability to procure the absolute most appropriate sounds to evoke the desired dark mood in his music. Then you combine that with one of the best voices not just in underground country, but in all of music in Rachel Brooke, and magic was bound to happen. The creativity on A Bitter Harvest is spellbinding. More of an artistic endeavor than a toe tapper, Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel create a soundtrack to human emotion and despair. For people looking for a place for country music to evolve, A Bitter Harvest shows how you can take authentic country themes and an appreciation for the roots of the music, and envelop it in layers of textural color culled from the wide experience of human sounds.

10. Justin Townes Earle – Midnight At The Movies – 2009

 

Midnight At The Movies was Saving Country Music’s 2009 Album of the Year. Today it would be difficult to characterize Justin Townes Earle as underground country because the quality of this album launched him into the inner sanctum of Americana.

“Justin Townes Earle has done an awesome thing with this album; he has figured out a way to unite all the displaced elements that make up the alternative to mainstream Nashville country, while still staying somewhat accessible to the mainstream folks as well. You might even catch the bluegrass folks nodding their head while listening to it. Folkies like it, and there’s a few tunes blues people can get into. This isn’t just the REAL country album of the year, it is the “Alt-country” album of the year and the “Americana” album of the year.” (read full review)

9. Slackeye Slim - El Santo Grial, La Pistola Piadosa – 2011

 

El Santo Grial was Saving Country Music’s 2011 Album of the Year.
“Every once in a while, an album comes along that changes everything. It’s an album that inspires other albums, and dynamic shifts in tastes and approach throughout a sector of music, while at the same time dashing the dreams of other artists, as the purity and originality are way too much to attempt to rival. Slackeye Slim’s El Santo Grial, La Pistola Piadosa is one of those albums.
“El Santo Grial is a masterpiece, exquisitely produced, arranged, and performed. This is a patient, uncompromising album. You can tell time was never introduced into this project as a goal. The goal was to flesh out Slackeye’s vision without ever settling for second best, and that goal was accomplished.” (read full review)

8. Wayne “The Train” Hancock – That’s What Daddy Wants – 1997

 

Thunderstorms & Neon Signs is the Wayne Hancock album most people gravitate towards as their favorite because it was their first, and the first to showcase Wayne Hancock’s unique blend of country, Western Swing, rockabilly, and blues. But pound for pound, That’s What Daddy Wants is just as good of an offering, boasting some of The Train’s signature songs like “87 Southbound” and “Johnny Law”. Wayne Hancock has never put out a bad album, and distinguishing between them is difficult. But it’s not difficult to say that the underground country movement would have not had as much class if That’s What Daddy Wants hadn’t seen the light of day.

7. .357 String Band – Fire & Hail – 2008

 

“They were all the absolute best possible musicians you could find at their respective positions, each challenging each other, pushing each other to keep up with the band’s demands for artistic excellence in both instrumental technique and creative composition.

“Listening back now at Fire & Hail, with so much talent in one place, no wonder the project was untenable, and no wonder the respective players have moved on to become their own trees instead of respective branches of the same project. Still, the loss of .357 String Band may go down as underground country’s greatest tragedy.” (read full review)

6. Hank Williams III - Lovesick, Broke, & Driftin’ – 2002

 

BR549 and Wayne “The Train” Hancock spearheaded the neo-traditionalist movement in the mid 90′s, but Hank Williams III was the one to carry it into the oughts and introduce it to a brand new crop of fans he brought along from his dabblings in the punk/heavy metal world. After having to tow the line somewhat for his first album Risin’ Outlaw, Hank3 was unleashed and able to showcase his own songwriting, heavily influenced by Wayne Hancock and Hank3′s famous grandfather, but still all his own. His voice was wickedly pure with a heart wrenching yodel and commanding range. The songwriting was simple, but powerful. This is a masterpiece, and remains an essential title of the neo-traditionalist era.

5. Hellbound Glory – Old Highs & New Lows – 2010

 

Hellbound Glory had already been around for years, but they burst into the underground with this magnificent, hard country album highlighted by head man Leroy Virgil’s world class songwriting. Despite the “hell” in their name and the hard language in their songs, Hellbound Glory hadn’t gone through any retooling as post punk refugees. They were pure country through and through and Old Highs & New Lows combined excellent Outlaw-style bar stompers and ballads with some of the most wit-filled songwriting since Keith Whitley. As far as honky tonk albums go, it may be years before this one is trumped. And when it is, it might be Leroy Virgil and Hellbound Glory doing the trumping.

4. Dale Watson – Live in London…England – 2002

 

Dale comes out on stage and starts slinging guitars, cutting classics, and speaking the truth. Before Dale was the hometown boy and house band for Austin, he was pissed off and willing to sing about it. Dale’s anti-Nashville classics “Real Country Song”, “Nashville Rash”, and “Country My Ass” can all be found here, but Live in London isn’t all pissing and moaning. Songs like “Ain’t That Livin’” showed off Dale’s superlative voice and suave style. Honky tonk albums are sometimes hard to make because it is hard to capture that live, sweaty energy in the recorded context. So what better way to solve that problem than making a live one? Live in London remains the best Dale album to date.

3. Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers – Cockadoodledon’t – 2003

 

This was one of the first albums to bust out of the burgeoning music scene on lower Broadway in Nashville where one can argue the undergorund country movement started. It showed the world what kind of mayhem could be created by mixing country, blues, and punk music together without compromising taste and soul. It is the album which acts as a guidepost to the eclectic, yet intuitive and inter-related mix of influences that you will find in underground country: honest to goodness appreciation to the roots of American music, with a punk attitude and approach. And if you ever wondered why Joe Buck is considered part of underground country, appreciate that he played most of the music on Cockadoodledon’t.

2. Wayne “The Train” Hancock – Thunderstorms & Neon Signs – 1995

 

There are two albums that you can look back on an make a serious case that if they did not exist, underground country music may not exist–the album below this one on this list, and Wayne Hancock’s Thunderstorm & Neon Signs. There are two types of music artists: originators and imitators. Sometimes imitators can be very successful, and very creative artists themselves. But it always takes the originators to set the plate for the imitators to do what they do. Thunderstorms & Neon Signs was an original album from one of America’s most original country roots artists of all time. It doesn’t get much better or more influential than this.

1. Hank Williams III – Straight to Hell – 2006

 

This album isn’t underground country’s Red Headed Stranger. It isn’t underground country’s Honky Tonk Heroes. It is both. It is the album that both was a novel concept, a breakthrough sonically and lyrically, and had a massive impact on the business side of music, for artists winning control of their music and inspiring and showing artists how to do it themselves. The deposed son of country music royalty had taken on a major Nashville label, and won, and all while being one of the first to successfully bridge the energy and approach of punk and heavy metal music with traditional country, all while keeping the music solidly country in nature.

It was the first album to be put out through the CMA with a Parental Advisory sticker. It was the first to ever be recorded outside of a traditional studio setting. Of course only a select few were paying attention, but it broke through many barriers that to this day have changed music in significant ways, sonically and behind the scenes.

The approach also had wide-ranging impacts outside of underground country and country music in general, to rock music and punk and heavy metal, inspiring thousands of rock kids to put down their electric guitars and AC/DC records, and pick up banjos and Johnny Cash records. The impact on mainstream music may have not been seen, but it was felt, and just like all great albums, it’s legacy will grow and be more appreciated and understood as the future unfolds."

Need Some Night Train In Your Life?

Winter is the time for the shop and in a major way. Once we can clear a few projects out of our way, it will be back into repair time on the bikes and truly looking forward to it. On the other hand, if you are looking for a new ride, one of our good friends Wes of the Crude Crew is selling his Night Train. The bike is a solid runner and gets ridden more than most old lady's. 

If interested give Wes a shout - wthomas138 at hotmail dot com

Biker adoption program, this Night Train needs a new home

Review of Hellbound Glory's - Damaged Goods, From Norway

After a year of being out, Hellbound Glory's amazing album, Damaged Goods, continues to sell in great numbers and has them poised to start hitting bigger stages. Their hotly anticipated tour with Kid Rock and Buckcherry is going to light up a whole new audience into what is Real Country Music. If you haven't sipped on some good bourbon and listened to this great batch of songs, now is the time. 

Below is a great write up from a blog over in Norway. Some text or language flow might seem a bit odd, but do not fret as we are translating from Norwegian. If only we had some great black metal in town today to correctly translate for us, haha!

Link to original post 

Hellbound Glory's - Damaged Goods reviewed on Norwegian site

"I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" sang Johnny Cash, and it may sound like the guys in Hellbound Glory has witnessed little of each in his hometown, to make a record like this.For we are starting fresh in 2012 with a real juicy tenderloin of a country album. Hellbound Glory has a sound that combines authenticity and Honky Tonk Outlaw Country with the fresher Americana genre through a hefty dose of punk and rockabilly in a way that I have rarely heard before.The band was accompanied himself americana indie before there was a genre, and has since its inception in 2000 traveled land and sea around the U.S. and shared the stage with everything from Lemmy from Motörhead and Lee Rocker from the Stray Cats, Hank III and Drive By Truckers. They now describe themselves as "scumbag country" and it is perhaps a good indication... And from the disc firing on all cylinders with the song "Bastard Child" and vocalist gives us the following lines, then this album is a downright delight for the ear ...Mama never was no angel
Daddy never was no sain't
There aint a pretty childhood picture
These family lines can paint
But this aint no sob story
This aint no complaint
I'm proud of who I am
And proud of what I a'int
 
I was was born a bastard child


Tough words, and the tougher it will be in "'Til The Lights Go Out":Hey there bouncer guess you think you're tuff
cos you get your kicks beatin up on drunks
Well I'm spittin blood but still still runnin my mouthAin't going down till the lights go out

It's just tough times for the guys in Hellbound Glory, and titled "Damaged Goods" truly reflects the content of the disc. Here are the stories of life back, and fighting, partying, drugs and stolen like women are recurring themes. The lyrics are well written, and the band sounds tight and well - and you can really hear that they've signed a few thousand gigs in his career."Knocked Off The Horse" is a good example. It tells the story of a drug addict who tries to find his place in society again after coming out after detoxification ...
 
You get knocked off that horse
you get back on again
Just the way it is and
the ways its always been
No moral to the story
it just comes to an end
you get knocked off that horse
You get back on again
 
It came out last year and have been unheard of in the pile for too long. For this no doubt had defended a spot on last year's top 50. The highlights are in the queue, and I have not found a single light text. I can save the enthusiasm for the song "White Wolf", but that is only because it is anmasende - not because the text is poor. Lead singer Leroy Virgil has just the perfect shaggy, slightly worn voice that gives the impression that he has lived all the stories themselves. Something that makes the lyrics and the songs that much more believable and real.After a series of songs from adverse and / or dishonest men and women, then concludes the disc with the lovely ballad "Baroom Beauty" and the lovely "Livin 'With The Shades Rolled Down" which shows that this band has a depth far beyond their own stamp as "Scumbag Country". This band and this album simply can not be recommended enough.

Hellbound Glory featured on Norwegian music site

Rusty Knuckles Tool Bags On Five Shots Of Whiskey

Hard work and effort get validated when your work is shown elsewhere. Damn proud to see one of our leather tool bags posted up on the tumblr blog, 5 Shots Of Whiskey. Thanks Mad Dog for showing off your new tool bag. See yall in Ohio for Cyclefest! 

Check out Mad Dog Matt over at 5 Shots of Whiskey
 

Our tool bags work great on the sissy bar or the forks. Making new saddle bag set ups as well

Our tool bag featured over on 5 Shots of Whiskey

Spotify Is Working To Make Music Discovery More Personal, From Mashable

The way we explore and enjoy digital music is going to become quite a bit more interesting in 2013, especially on the Spotify platform. I personally enjoy the service and use it to find new music or peruse older albums, I don't currently have loaded onto Itunes. The new features which are highlighted below from an article on Mashable will open up quite a few new possibilities and further cement how much Pinterest has changed the way we view information online.

Find out more tech and music industry info from Mashable

Spotify gets more personal in 2013

Spotify has plans to make music discovery more personalized and more social.

We've always classified discovery as Spotify's Achilles' heel. Because Spotify's catalogue is so large, finding new music or rediscovering old favorites is difficult.

For a time, Spotify was happy to relegate discovery details to the service's desktop apps. And while Spotify will continue to leverage those apps in helping users find new music, discovery will now be an intrinsic part of the Spotify service on all platforms.

The new features -- which will start rolling out in January -- are the most significant product upgrades that have hit Spotify since the service launched in 2008.

Check out this video to get a look at what the company wants to do.

The Follow Tab

The core to Spotify's new experience is what it's dubbing the Follow tab. Think of the Follow tab as Apple's ill-fated Ping service, but done correctly.

In a view that looks similar to Pinterest, users can get real-time info on music their friends and influencers are listening to.

More than just showing the activity of your Facebook friends, the Follow tab is designed as its own network of sorts for Spotify users you want to follow. 

The Follow tab will also be a way for influencers, celebrities and artists to share their tastes and song picks with an audience. Just as bands can share their favorite photos to Instagram, they can share their latest albums or their picks for what bands they dig on Spotify.

The Discover Tab

The second component to the next Spotify update is about music discovery. This tab will show users relevant artists and playlists based on what they have in their library, what the people they trust listen to, as well as listening history.

The Discover tab pumps in info from Songkick, Tunigo and Pitchfork to deliver information such as reviews, nearby concerts and related or similar acts.

Other New Features

Spotify is also rolling out some other improvements. One of the biggest is "Collection," which is just what it sounds like. Rather than having to create a playlist for every album you want to save, you can just add it to a collection instead.

Rival services such as Rdio and Rhapsody have used the collection motif successfully for years so it's great to see Spotify catching up.

Spotify will also introduce audio previews -- a way to briefly hear a new song before deciding if you want to move away from the song you're playing now.

Another big move for artists is that Spotify will now offer mobile push notifications for new album releases for artists' users follow. For us, this has huge potential for artists and labels who want to use Spotify as a promotional strategy to work alongside traditional retail and digital releases.

The Future is Now

The Follow features will first appear on the desktop version of Spotify in the coming weeks. In the new year, the mobile apps and the new web app will get the features as well.

When we spoke with the Spotify team, it was clear that everyone involved was excited about what the advent of true social discovery could mean for the service. With more than one million paying users in the United States and the support of artists such as Metallica, it's crucial that Spotify move quickly into personalization and discovery.

Mike Snody Talks Gangsters & Hustlers

Our favorite knife maker is good ol' Mike Snody of Snody Knives out of Aransas Pass, Texas. His awesomely personal videos on youtube have become one of our favorite tv channels to watch on a regular basis. If there is anything you desire to know about knife making, he is the dude to check out. The how to videos and solid work ethic are damn great viewing material. Cannot wait to get our first Boss knife from him. Check out the below video as he talks about the difference in a gangster and a hustler.

Check out Snody Knives