Album Notes

It’s called Maximum Honky Tonk, and it ain’t no background music.
Bob Wire continues to slam up against the boundaries of humorous honky tonk, socio-political commentary, and questionable taste with his new CD, Buffaload. It’s a walloping collection of 11 original tunes and one kick ass cover designed to hit you squarely between the eyes— a lot of these songs grab you by the shirt front and say, “Listen here, punk.”
It’s not that Bob Wire pummels you with aggressive music; on the contrary, there are some very sweet melodies woven in here between the bouncy, foot-stomping roots rock. It’s really the lyrics that will perk up your ears, and Bob has dished up a provocative set “for adults with a sense of humor who like to think for themselves,” as he likes to say.
“What’s the Monthly” kicks off the disc with a rubber-neckin’ blues boogie similar to “Cadillac Jones” off last year’s Sentimental Breakdown. It’s a sly number about buying things on credit, the title phrase being the pivotal question on whether you can afford it. Full Grown Men’s saxman Phil Hamilton provides some punchy horn breaks, and Idaho psychobilly weirdo White Trash Watson contributes one of his patented unhinged guitar solos.
Blues, country, rockabilly and good old stripped down rock and roll are Bob’s territory, and he stomps gleefully among these genres while spinning out tales of drinking, cheating, twisted relationships and broken-hearted misery. But it’s not all fun and games. “Bread” is a firsthand account of the day-to-day struggle of a homeless American, told to a loping, country-rock beat. Sample lyric: “Millions of Americans are living off the grid / We don’t give a damn how the stock market did.”
Another bittersweet offering is the epic “Out on the Salt,” a Springsteen-esque yarn of a Gold Coast Florida boy who finally breaks free of his hometown, only to meet up with love and tragedy further up the road. The song features another guest artist, Richie Reinholdt, singing harmony. Reinholdt also contributes some stinging lead guitar elsewhere on the CD.
Bob and his band, the Magnificent Bastards, have been tearing up stages all over Western Montana for years, and one of their most frenzied live offerings has been a cover of “Una Mas Cerveza,” by Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs. The recording here careens at a dangerous pace, and successfully captures the frenzied energy of their live version.
Written, produced and recorded by Wire in his home studio, the “Hilltop Basement Recording Complex and Grille,” Buffaload is a wide-ranging collection that goes from pee-your-pants hilarious to cry-in-your-beer heartbreak. If you’re open to the idea that an artist doesn’t have to fit tightly in a single pigeonhole, you’ll find Bob’s latest to be one of the most satisfying CD’s you’ve heard in a long time.

Buffaload is available in Missoula at Rockin’ Rudy’s, Hastings, Budget CD’s, and Ear Candy. It can also be purchase online at CDBaby, and tracks are available from several online services including iTunes, Amazon and Rhapsody. For more information including lyrics, show dates, music, news and photos, visit www.bobwiremusic.com. Also, catch up with the Bob Wire blog at www.NewWest.net/Bobwire.