Southern Culture On the Skids- Album Review

One might classify Southern Culture on the Skids as a gimmicky 90s band as one would say, Squirrel Nut Zippers. And the truth is everyone had a unique ‘gimmicky’ sound. You could probably list nearly a dozen bands that fit the bill (Supersuckers, Deadbolt, Bad Livers, Rev Horton Heat, Los Straitjackets, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Legendary Shake Shackers, Nashville Pussy and so on). For SCOTS, their sound in the most simplified terms are a Cramps inspired band but as if the Cramps were Southern fried (and not just Nashville but a bit of Athens, Georgia).

They popped up with some colorful EPs and then when major labels were signing anything to throw it against the wall and see what stuck, they released 1995’s Dirt Track Date for Geffen Records. Dirt Track Date stands out even now as a classic of the genre- whatever kind of surf meets rockabilly meets roots rock genre that might be.

I haven’t followed the band that closely but they never rested. Largely releasing records on their own label, they don’t quite grab headlines. “At Home with..” was released this March with little fanfare.

Maybe that isn’t surprising. SCOTS are no longer the new guys, and the album is essentially a Covid record- forced to record in the studio because touring wasn’t an option.

But in this case, we really have a hidden gem of the record. Perhaps, it’s a bit subdued if you haven’t listened to the band in some time, but it works to the bands advantage. When you consider the Cramps final records failed because that band wouldn’t try to recreate themselves, a mature SCOTS brings humor to a more traditional sensibility.

At Home sounds like the an Up and Comer and less the work of a band that has crisscrossed the country on endless tours and a dozen-plus records in. It actually holds together over the breadth of the album with the only real misstep (in my opinion) being an unusually SCOTS-ed but faithful cover of Traffic’s Dear Mister Fantasy.