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Lone Star Magazine — February 15, 2018

A welcome and familiar sound on stages of various size in the Texas Hill Country, Bob “Slim Bawb” Pearce has spent decades (and several self-produced albums) honing an engaging blend of blues, country, funk, folk, and Cajun mixed together so seamlessly that he’s practically his own genre at this point. Pearce has done some cross-pollinating with the Americana genre via a recent stint with the Chubby Knuckle Choir and influencing younger country artists like Jordan Minor and Troy Stone that he occasionally plays backup for, but for a generous helping of unfiltered Slim Bawb music, his latest release, Rooster, is as good a place as any for a listener to start.

His multi-instrumental chops (steel guitar, mandolin, resonator etc.) have been evident for years but his studio game has sharpened recently, finally giving his records the additional edge and clarity they deserve. Few could manage to throw both banjo and accordion on a track (the instrumental throwdown “Earl,” namely) without audience aggravation, but Slim Bawb finds the charm in just about every instrument he bends to his bayou-obsessed will. Howard Yeargan’s accordion and keyboard grooves remain an excellent complement to Pearce’s barbed-wire picking and Ron Sherrod’s boney percussion rattles; Yeargan also occasionally takes the vocal lead, giving a smoother counterpoint to Slim Bawb’s Billy Gibbons-esque growl.

Pearce & co.’s New Orleans fixations are often right there in the lyrics (opening groover “Second Line Fever,” the bilingual “Comment Ca Va,” the zydeco shout-outs on “Hotel Mini-Bar”). But they’re almost always at least implied by Yeargan’s prominent squeezebox work, plus no shortage of swampy funk (including just straight-up covering the Meters’ “Fire On the Bayou”), co-writes with Baton Rouge folkie Steve Judice, and detours into call-and-response gospel (“Build the Foundation”) and straight-up blues (“Rained On Rooster”). Good vibes prevail – even “K No Bawb Today,” cracking on the local radio station for not spinning his tunes, comes off more like a playful elbow in the ribs than a kick in the ass. Looking on the bright side of a dearth of radio singles, Slim Bawb’s particular grooves are so specific and immersive, they are perhaps best enjoyed one full album (or, better yet, concert) at a time. — MIKE ETHAN MESSICK

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Feb.  2016

In the years he’s spent gradually transitioning from California import to Central Texas mainstay, Hill Country singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Bob “Slim Bawb” Pearce has seemingly put out a lifetime’s worth of albums.  Prolific as he’s been – albetted by his penchant for self-produced home recording – 2015’s latest model might be his crown jewel so far.  The masterful chops (on guitar, banjo, steel guitar, resonator) and playful songwriting skills have always been in evidence, but here he’s upgraded his production talents for a fuller, crisper sound than he’s delivered in the past.  Bandmate Howard Yeargan Jr.’s contributions on accordion lend an appealing Cajun flavor to the mix, and his occasional lead vocal turns provide a handily smooth and breezy counterpoint to Pearce’s distinctively salty growl.  Bound together by the percussion of James “GatorBait” Curry, the oddball grooves of standout tracks like “Ain’t My Monkey,” “King of Something” and “Voodoo & Tattoo” jump out of the speakers with the same sort of vitality that the band has built its regional live-gig reputation on.

–MIKE MESSICK, Texas Music Magazine

 

 

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Starting the New Year with a Little Review And A Lot of Looking Down the Road.....

Hello Gang!!
As I referred to in the last installment, I poured myself a little beverage, sat back and listened to a great new CD by Slim Bawb & his Fabulous Stumpgrinders.  Sonically the CD is very good! The songs are so full of inspiration from a number of different genre's, its like a cajun boiling pot of blues, jazz & rock. The second thing that stood out to me was the obvious presence of my good buddy Howard Yeargan. For those who may not know it, Howard and I played together for many years in the 80's and 90's in Innerview and Hat Trick. Howard was always a prolific writer and an amazing musician. Now Howard has transformed himself once again into a Cajun Squeezebox King! He even wrote tracks 3 and 7. The tunes in general are unlike anything I've really ever heard. I like the entire record but my personal faves are 'Aint my Monkey' with it's apolitical sentiment. 'Sister Hoodoo' is a groovy little tune and 'Dollhouse'. I recommend you go get this CD just so you can expand your horizons with something I believe to be completely different, even by Slim Bawb standards. The guys play around the New Braunfels area often so get out there and support them!!

Dennis Peek Jr.

http://dennispeekmusic.blogspot.com

 

Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders (from the album Ain’t My Monkey) - The music of Slim Bawb has been marinated in swamp rhythms and back bayou Cajun touches. He emigrated from Sacramento, California in 2006, setting up his guitar in Texas and assembling The Fabulous Stumpgrinders (Lil Howard Yeargan -accordion, keyboards, harmonica, vocals, James "GatorBait" Curry – drums, vocals). Ain’t My Monkey is the recent release from Slim Bawb and the Stumpgrinders, and the album stays true to the course set on his 2005 debut (Ghost Dawg), Slim Bawb musical sounds of the swamp. The ride is a rattle of rhythm as Ain’t My Monkey hitches up on the “Devil’s Courier”, shakes the walls of “Dollhouse”, and sings a seasonal song for Santa as the man of the month reaches for “Hair of the Reindeer”. Slim Bawb and the Stumpgrinders slowly turn the wheel to wring the Blues from “Sister Hoodoo”, herald the “King of Something” through beat pumps and circumstances, and deliver some Cajun funk on the title track.

Listen and buy the music of Slim Bawb and the Stumpgrinders from AMAZON or iTunes

 

The Alternative Root “On the Radar” Dec. 4 2015  - Danny McCloskey

 

Bob Pearce came of age in California bar bands a couple decades ago, honing the multi-instrumental chops that now serve him well as one of Central Texas’ busiest & most prolific independent artists. Under the "Slim Bawb" moniker & accompanied by a rotating stripped-down cast of musicians, he’s as reliable as George Strait (albeit at a fraction of the budget & attention, thus far) when it comes to cranking out new music on a regular basis. This year’s model is as charming as any, a characteristic blend of greasy slide-guitar driven blues & quirky, mandolin-or-banjo-driven country with a big helping of Louisiana funk. Inspired by the likes of Tony Joe White & Doug Sahm – with a hint of the gritty weirdness of early ZZ Top

Pearce has a couple of invaluable collaborators in tow. Billed as the Fabulous Stumpgrinders, Howard Yeargan (accordion, keyboards, harmonica) & Jay Warren (drums) help to make the fullest-sounding Slim Bawb record in years. Yeargan in particular gives the distinctly gravel-throated Pearce a smooth vocal counterpoint on ballads like "Redneck Riviera" & "Bayou Shine", & both bandmates prove simpatico on cheerfully rambling jams & stirring, skillful breakdowns ("Job, Job", "Last Call For This Fool", most of the album really). It’s lo-fi for sure, but there’s high times to be had here.

 

Mike Messick - Texas Music Magazine (Oct 1, 2014)

 

 

Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders – Gristle and Guts

Self release through Swampgrass Records

www.slimbawb.com

11 tracks / 46:30

When thinking of Sacramento, California, high-test swamp music might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but this is where Slim Bawb cut his teeth with the Beer Dawgs, playing five nights a week for 20 years. Their take on swamp rock and blues was a powerful force, enough to gain them entry into the Sacramento Area Music Hall of Fame. But all things change over time, and Slim Bawb (also known as Bob Pearce) moved to Austin, Texas eight years ago, where he founded Swamp Studios and his latest band, Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders.

Slim Bawb has released six albums, the latest of which is Gristle and Guts. The new Fabulous Stumpgrinders line-up for this CD includes Jay Warren on drums and "Lil" Howard Yeargan on accordion, keyboards, and harmonica. Pearce takes care of the vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, mandola, and the boot bass. The latter is a custom foot-operated bass pedal assembly that Slim Bawb uses to bang out the low end. It might seem weird on paper but it works very well in the real world (and on this disc).

Gristle and Guts includes 11 original tracks, all of them penned by Pearce and Yeargan. This is not unusual, as Slim Bawb has been playing his own music professionally for the last 35 years, which is an impressive feat in this era of used-up cover tunes. And when the first track "Job Job" starts, it is hard to believe that Pearce is a California native, as this song is straight-up Cajun country. Piano and accordion are used to set the mood over some heavy-sounding slide guitar work. Bawb’s voice has a pleasant whiskey rasp, and the lyrics are clever and use good rhyming techniques. By the way, the song is not referring to the Biblical figure, but rather to the idea that "She wants me to get a Job Job."

One of the standout tracks is "Down to the River," a gospel-tinged Cajun tune with some super sweet vocal harmonizing by Pearce and Yeargan. This is a fun song with good interplay between the squeezebox and the resonator guitar, with a kicking snare drum driving the way. Bawb also throws in a well-placed mandolin solo, which lends a little folk feel to the proceedings. This is backed up by "Bottle is Home," a swamp blues track that provides a grim contrast to the hopeful feel set by the previous song. What album would be complete without a song about the misery of the hard-drinking life?

But the Fabulous Stumpgrinders do not limit themselves to bayou music, as they serve up some hearty funk with "Last Call for this Fool," which features hard-core syncopated electric guitar from Pearce and terrific harp work from Yeargan. They also put together a beautiful ballad, "Redneck Riviera" which may be the best track on the album with its gorgeous melody and laid-back vibe that paints a vivid mental picture. This band is not a one-trick pony by any stretch of the imagination.

The title track, "Gristle and Guts" was written to honor Slim Bawb’s grandson Jon, who was hit by a drunk driver when he was 15. This swamp blues song tells the story of that night in chilling detail, accompanied for the first half by a somber guitar ostinato and a simple kick drum to hold the beat. After this, synthesizers are used to add to the mood and then all hell breaks loose to end the tune on a positive note. By all accounts it was a terrible accident, but fortunately Jon is recovering and getting stronger every day.

Though the spooky accordion-fest "Bayou Shine" is listed as the final, there is a hidden reprise of "Job Job" for track 11, and it is a jangly 60-hertz snippet with glorious feedback and hiss. It is not exactly something people would buy all by itself, but it is a fun closer and gives and idea of what a neat spirit Slim Bawb has.

Throughout Gristle and Guts, Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders keep coming up with new musical approaches for each song so that the album never gets dull and it remains consistently entertaining. These guys have made their own niche of Louisiana-style rock and blues, and it works well for them. They are gigging regularly, and their shows are well-reviewed by critics and well-received by their fans, so check out their website for their schedule if you are anywhere near Austin. Also, if you are in the Sacramento Area, Slim Bawb comes back each year for a Beer Dawgs reunion show, so keep your ear to the ground or you might miss it!

Reviewer Rex Bartholomew is a Los Angeles-based writer and musician; his blog can be found at http://rexbass.blogspot.com.

 

Rex Bartholomew - Blues Blast Magazine (Oct 9, 2014)

 

 Looking like an inked out Nicolas Cage & singing like Tom waits, Slim Bawb is Austin's resident funky bluegrass expert.

San Antonio Current (Aug 27, 2014)

 

 

SLIM BAWB

and The Fabulous stumpgrinders

Austin is famous as the World’s Capital of Live Music. You can hardly go anywhere in that city or one of its suburbs without seeing or hearing music. That being said, it isn’t easy to carve out your own niche, but Slim Bawb has done it. Eight years ago he moved from Sacramento California with his own brand of Cajun sound and formed Slim Bawb and the Fabulous Stumpgrinders. Slim Bawb is a talented singer/songwriter and plays banjo, reso-guitar, mandolin, mandola, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, and foot pedal bass. Actually, to better define his style of music you could say Cajun-country with some folk and funk twisted in.

Slim Bawb (aka Bob Pearce) has been a professional musician for 40-years and, although that isn’t a record by any means, this has been his only job and for 35 of those years he has only played his own music which isn’t something to brush off.  In fact he recently released his nineteenth album. In Sacramento he led the band Beer Dogs for 20 years. During the last weekend of each summer they hold a reunion concert at an outdoor venue near the Sacramento River.

STEAM  Being from California, how did you come up with such a Louisiana flavored sound? I wasn’t able to see your show the other night as I was with my daughter, however I could hear you and I really enjoyed your sound. Even through the wall you sounded good.

Thank you. Well, you know I spent some time there and listened to it while growing up. My dad used to listen to all kinds of different music, including Al Hurt and that kind of stuff, so it must have had some influence on me and it just kind of soaked into my songwriting. This band is kind of new with Howard Yeargan (accordion, harmonica, keyboards, and backup vocals) and Jay Warren (drums). Howard came in about a year ago and Jay started with us last December. They are both very talented and picked up my style very fast.

Tell me about the album just released “Slim Bawb and the fabulous Stumpgrinders, Gristle and Guts”.

We cut it a few months back and it’s just us three playing. It’s basically how we sound live. I wrote the title track, Gristle and Guts, after my grandson was hit by a drunk driver. That song and some other events really got the album going. I dug out some tunes from my California days and added my Cajun style. Howard has two songs on the album that he wrote. For the most part I write everything by myself, however I did co-write Journey Man with a friend; we’d written the first two versus in 1978 and I finished it this year.

I think you have a very distinct writing and it’s not something you’d expect out of anywhere but Louisiana.

I’m a faux-Cajun. An honorary Coonass. (laughing) This is the first album I’ve had a three-piece on. The last two were just me and a drummer, because I play bass with my feet.

I wanted to ask you about that. How did you come up with this idea of playing bass with your feet? Was it out of necessity or ingenuity?

A little of both. I have always stomped while playing and I play the pedal steel, so I thought I could try bass. I got some Roland foot pedals, which are kind of like organ pedals, and I picked it up quickly. What I really like is that I can leave holes where there is no bass and songs can go up and down dynamically, whereas you can’t always get a bass player to leave holes; a lot of them like to play through. I used these pedals for years until they started breaking. I found a company in Austin, Livid Instruments, who custom built a bass pedal using video game buttons, so I have the prototype and a backup. I can play this easier than the organ pedals.

Well that leads right into your show… Sometime during the night you bring out an alligator skull to play bass for you. It’s a great bit, how did you come up with this idea?

Well, when I was using the organ pedals I used to carry around a brick wrapped up in a rum bottle case, it looked like a miniature fiddle case, and I would bring it out and set it on a pedal, so I could go wander around the club playing. Since I had these buttons made I needed something much lighter and I had this ‘gator skull; he fits with what I do. You know a lot of performers take themselves very seriously and I try not to do that. I want to make sure folks are having fun, so I bring the gator out.

And where can we see your show? Rumor has it that you could be coming to the coastal bend?

We play the last Sunday of each month at Gruene Hall and the first Sunday at Oma’s in Gruene. Howard is from New Braunfels so we’ve been playing there more, but you can catch me all around Austin. To keep my schedule full I also pedal steel with Jordan Minor and Tony Taylor as well as picking and singing in the "Chubby Knuckle Choir". I’m talking with a couple clubs in your area, but the best way to find out where I’ll be is on my website.

www.slimbawb.com

Tamma Hicks - Steam Magazine (Jun 1, 2014)

 

I don’t think there is anything Slim Bawb can’t play and if he couldn’t use his hands, well, he’s got that covered too. He’s a singer,songwriter and plays all things baring strings to playing bass with his feet. Yes, I said feet. Slim Bawb or aka Bob Pearce is a native Californian moved by way to the outskirts of Austin, Texas and has a swampy-blues Lousiana sound, that you would think, just arose out of the fog off the banks of the Mississippi. Along with his crew, drummer Ron “cornbread” Sherrod and Perry Lowe playing some appropriate percussion with a Cajon and Dejembe adds a most interesting array of instruments. All coming together to capture that “swamp” sound faster than an alligator’s snapping jaws.

Slim Bawb’s “Pardon me” was released on July 24, 2012 on Swampgrass Records and is a musical concoction of country, funk, blues and more. Playing with his feet “lefty” and “stinky” on his Roland “boot bass”, Slim Bawb has quite an original way of serving up his Lousiana swamp-style with a side of gumbo and some Cajun cornbread to soak it up. The opening track “Swamptime”, feels more like a funky, disco jam with Tom Waits then maybe for it’s intended cajunfied boogie. Traditional swamp classics such as “Lousiana Man”, “Man of Constant Sorrow”, “Blues in a Bottle” and “Beaucoup de Vine” were great focuses on the traditional sounds straight from the heart of Dixie. Putting the album together in three in and half days in his own studio, Slim Bawb certainly knows how to kick out the jams quickly.  A whirlwind of genres, although with a generalized focus, is a good beer drinkin’ good time and a  great theme album for all you Cajun honky-tonks.

Final Grade: ***1/2 stars (Out of five)

-Stephanie Groves

Stephanie Goves - austinme.com (Aug 30, 2012)

 

 

BEST OF 2012 – Second Quarter

Slim Bawb – Pardon Me – Austin-area picker/singer/writer Bob Pearce puts out a lot of records (roughly one full-length a year for awhile now), plays a lot of instruments (anything with strings), and touches on a lot of styles (Cajun, several strains of blues, swamp rock, classic country). Sticking to lo-fi production because it matches the raspy mojo of his vocals without diminishing the fleet-fingered, funky grace of his picking, he’s not one to over-edit himself. Unfiltered Slim Bawb is like a hearty homebrew when the usual generic light beer doesn’t do the trick anymore.

January 7, 2013 by Mike Messick

http://www.txmusictv.com

 

Mike Messick - txmusictv (Jan 7, 2013)

 

 

SLIM BAWB
Pardon Me
Swampgrass Records

Buy Now

 

Although Slim Bawb — aka Bob Pearce, former frontman of Sacramento, Calif.’s long-running band the Beer Dawgs — has only called Austin home since 2006, anyone who’s heard him live can attest to him being one of the most phenomenal guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, bass, and pedal steel (whew!) players in Texas. Whether he’s doing his own thing, playing pedal steel with Jordan Minor, or mixing it up with the Bastrop-based Chubby Knuckle Choir, Slim Bawb’s chops routinely cause jaws to drop. I once even witnessed him whip up a mosh pit at a bluegrass festival with his song “Farmer’s Tan.” Pardon Me, Slim Bawb’s latest mostly one-man-band solo effort (recorded with drummer Ron “Cornbread” Sherrod), opens with “Swamp Time,” a song somewhere between the theme from Shaft and a ’70s porn soundtrack, and once that gets your feet tapping and your head bobbing, there’s no turning back. The vocal processing on a few tracks, like “Rescue Dog Blues,” is a little distracting, given that Slim Bawb’s gravelly but expressive voice is best heard sans such treatment, but that’s not enough to spoil the Cajun-fried, back-porch vibe that runs through the entire album. While maybe not quite as good as last year’s double-disc Calexiana, Pardon Me still makes for a fine introduction to the Slim Bawb experience for the uninitiated.
— CODY OXLEY

Cody Oxley - Lone Star Music Magazine (Oct 1, 2013)

 

 

Fence Post Review of Pardon Me By Slim Bawb Pearce

Written By Casey Hubble (Fence Post Records)

Album: Pardon Me (Swampgrass Records-No affiliation with Fence Post Records)

Artist: Slim Bawb Pearce (BMI)

Released 6-24-2012

Format: Americana

Run Time: 44 min. 16 sec.

Recorded at "The Swamp"

I was sitting at home, unemployed (off the road on a Friday night), and I started looking at the local music venue calendars in Fredericksburg, Texas. I came across a name that looked slightly out of place. A guy named "Slim Bawb" playing at The Auslander? Since when did our friend, Jeff Jeffers (owner), hire rap music at his venue? Skeptical, but intrigued, I clicked on the link to Slimbawb.com and his song "Big Easy" started blaring over my speakers. "Holy Cow! The Louisiana Coonass French have invaded the Fredericksburg, Texas Germans!" I knew where I was going to be on this Friday night, rocking to some funky Cajun music.

Contrary to my habit of being incognito when checking out an artist for the first time, I arrived to see Slim Bawb Pearce and seated myself in the front row where I remained immovable for the entire three-hour show. Slim Bawb sat on a strange contraption with pedals at his feet and a guitar rack filled with banjos, a resonator guitar, and a couple mandolins. When he and his side-kick-drummer, named ‘Corn Bread’, started the show, I immediately asked myself where the bass was coming from? It took me about ten seconds to notice that Slim was playing the bass with his feet! (So that’s what those pedals are for...) I know what the music critics are thinking, and NO it did not sound like some synthesizer bass that you would hear on a keyboard, it sounded REAL! He achieved amazing tone with the contraption and had a pocket with Corn Bread that was flawless. Like I said, he kept me in my seat for three hours…no gimmicks--just raw talent, a warm-hearted-Louisiana personality, and a pleasantly strong dose of ingenuity when it came to showcasing his ‘stuff.’

I preface this Pardon Me album review with this story for a reason…to entirely appreciate Slim Bawb, you really need to see how he makes his music! On his CDs, you can tell that he is cutting these tracks live, with little concern for imperfections. Those imperfections seem to shine when you are an average instrumentalist. When you are playing at the caliber of Slim Bawb Pearce, the imperfections make the record shine. After talking with Slim, I learned that he records his albums in his own home studio (The Swamp). I’ve been invited to check out his set-up but have not made the trip yet. In my mind, I have a preconceived idea of the studio setting: "a lonely log cabin, covered in moss, in the middle of a sticky swamp in Louisiana." I know Slim’s studio is located in the outskirts of Austin, Texas, but he puts me in a place, musically, that stretches my imagination a little further east. For Slim to record an album in some high-end, pro studio, with some hotshot producer, would be the ultimate transgression and would detract from the authentic feel of this album.

Now for my more specific thoughts on Pardon Me.

The Heart Beat: I always give extra credit to an album that has a live groove; everything should be built around the foundation set by the drums and bass. Props to Slim on that! I’m all for overdubs but the rhythm section (the heart beat) on Pardon Me exuded "the human element" while staying perfectly in the pocket.

My Brutally Honest Side: Here comes Casey’s sound-engineering side. I was not entirely sold on the mixing and mastering. This record was NOT made on some hand-held recorder; the instruments can be heard clearly and have their own position in the mix. My only real complaint was the overall heaviness under 200 Hz. The SAME can be said on some of MY engineering projects, so who the hell am I to criticize? Overall, the mix was great, and the low end was not that distracting. Now that I’m done nit-picking let’s get to my favorite stuff.

Slim’s Special Ingredient: While the low end was a little hot for my personal preference, I love the sound he gets out of those pedals. Knowing that Slim is playing these bass parts live, and WITH HIS FEET…I’m astounded! The bass lines could easily be mistaken for a seasoned funk player using the typical strap-on bass guitar. The pocket, played with his trusty side-kick, Corn Bread, is really locked in and you never loose the groove. Those bass-making feet are Slim’s special ingredient…hopefully people read the recipe on the inside of his album jacket and find out how he’s doing what he does.

Production Thoughts: As a producer, I thought the tracks were beautifully arranged by Slim, HIMSELF. (Even more extra credit there.) Slim is fully aware that his atypical, rusty vocal cords are not suited for an accompaniment of multi-layered, new-stringed, acoustic guitars and the typical formulas that so many songwriters (including myself) conform to. I love his decision to use the "Shure Bullet-sounding" microphone (actually a megaphone) sporadically throughout the album for his vocal tracks. It gives an authenticity to the Louisiana feel he is going for.

The Tracks: Overall, almost all of the songs on Pardon Me "did it" for me. If I were working in Americana Radio, I’d be giving this album some time in rotation. "Rescue Dog Blues" is the kind of gritty tune that I love to rattle through the car speakers late at night when I’m by myself. He named the album after the "pardon me" line in this song, which I think is cool from a creative standpoint…again, props to Slim for being the creative soul that he is. I’m also a fan of the juxtaposition used in "Foot On The Gas." The punch line "one foot on the alter, one on the gas" brings up imagery in my mind that could work as the soundtrack for one of these contemporary comic-romance movie scripts. Maybe if Hollywood comes up with a Swamp People meets Runaway Bride script, we could get Slim a publishing deal with that track alone! Great songs Slim!

Final thoughts: As a singer/songwriter, I appreciate the long miles Slim has put in over his career and is conveying to others on this album. I also appreciate the lack of ego on this album as he covers Man of Constant Sorrow. The fact that Slim is such an amazing instrumentalist, lyricist, and creative soul puts him way ahead of most songwriters I encounter. I have seen the way Slim makes his music; I have felt his energy coming from the stage; and because I am a fan of the "realness factor" in music, I too, am a fan of Slim Bawb Pearce. I don’t claim to be an expert in gauging the authenticity of Louisiana swamp culture, but I would be willing to put Slim’s entertainment up against these new reality Swamp television shows-ANY DAY!

 

Casey Hubble - Fence Post records (Aug 28, 2012)

 

Slim Bawb (1 p.m.), Chris Ruest (6 p.m.) at Gruene Hall. It’s blues, etc., time at the old Hall. Slim Bawb Pearce, who plays just about everything with strings, sings and writes songs, and drummer Ron Sherrod play swampy, funky blues, country and more. The duo digs deep and gets to the primal meat of the musical matter. The latest Slim Bawb CD is “Boo Dan.” Ruest, an excellent slide guitarist, heads to the electric side of the blues road.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/music/article/Night-After-Night-Dec-22-2011-2419913.php#ixzz1hgYz2dbY

- mysanantonio.com (Dec 26, 2011)

 

23. Slim Bawb – 88/44 Blues (Boo Dan) – Somewhere between a hillbilly, a bluesman, and a stripped-down psychedelic rocker, Bob Pearce has been kicking ass under the radar for years. On this hyper ode to a pistol-packing pianist, SB gives a hearty, dusty howl while his tumbling guitar licks recall shades of Merle Travis, JJ Cale, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and whatever else makes it from his mind to his remarkably adroit hands.

Mike Messick - The Texas Music Scene (Dec 1, 2011)

 

 

 

 

 

Slim Bawb - Boo Dan (Swampgrass, 2011)

With sleight of hand, Slim Bawb has slipped out a brand new album on an unsuspecting public, hot on the heels of his double-disc masterpiece "Calexiana," which, in turn, came out not quite so hot but pretty damn warm on the heels of his masterpiece "Hillbilly Fellini." When is he gonna stop? Will he ever run out of songs? One thing is for certain: swampedelic Cajun hick hop music, the product of Bawb’s musical genius, is on its way to an exclusive section in walk-in and on-line music emporiums everywhere.

When Slim Bawb (aka singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/humorist Bob Pearce) told me he was working on a new record, I told him to hold off a while. "Calexiana" had been out barely six months and still had plenty of mileage left on it. Stretch it out a bit. Let it breathe. Besides, I still hadn’t finished writing the review of that album I had promised him six months earlier.

 

Not long after that, Bawb called me and confessed that he didn’t heed my advice and had the new album in the can and ready to go to market. You see, he had this new drummer named Ron Sherrod and was anxious to get the two of them on record for posterity and public gratification. He had the songs and what the hell? Now he had the album.

When I first listened to "Boo Dan," two revelations immediately stuck in my mind. First, thank Gawd he didn’t listen to me! Secondly, I’d best keep my mouth shut from now on and let creative genius plow its own field. And Farmer Bawb plowed himself another brilliant one, a foot-stompin’, thought-provokin’ (if yer so inclined) baker’s ten- (that’s eleven) song collection with the pickin’, scratchin’, slidin’, note-bendin’ catchy tunes and clever lyrics that all together beget the signature Slim Bawb swampedelic sound.

With such a short break between "Boo Dan" and his previous album, "Calexiana," containing no less than thirty tunes on its two discs, you might expect this latest effort to sound hurried and thrown together in the studio with songs that had not reached their full fruition, but you’d be absolutely wrong. "Boo Dan" is a solid piece of craftsmanship, with the organic quality of your grandma’s vegetable garden - homegrown with loving care and reaped with well-deserved personal pride.

Ron Sherrod takes his seat at the drum kit following in the foot pedal steps of the skin-pounder who put the hick hop in the back beat, the one and only Gator Bait, and the two drummers bring a distinctly different style to the table. Bait’s approach is rudimentary and no-frills, essential to the music on "Hillbilly Fellini" and "Calexiana." Sherrod adds a N’awlins flavor to "Boo Dan," constantly filling in the basic beat with fluid rolls and other percussive embellishment. The common thread is that both Gator Bait and Ron Sherrod are exceptionally talented musicians, the kind you’d want behind you in your otherwise one-man band.

"Boo Dan" begins with the instrumental overture, "j’ai beson d’une biere," Cajun for "I need a beer." Lending an aura of symphonic majesty to the proceedings, the melody is borrowed from a song on "Hillbilly Fellini" with the title of, you guessed it, "I Need a Beer."

With a sophisticated opening like this, one might surmise that, with "Boo Dan," Slim Bawb has matured artistically. He hasn’t. "Big Easy" is back in Bawb country and bellying up on Bourbon Street, ready to "pull a hurricane through a plastic straw." The song, written by "partner in crime" Steve Judice and James Best, is one of only 2 and a half songs on the album that Bawb didn’t write or co-write. The lyrics are rife with colorful New Orleans references, including the ghost of Marie Laveau, the legendary 18th century Creole voodoo priestess who’s got, among other tools of the trade, "a bag of spells with a reservoir tip." Was she practicing safe sorcery? There’s also plenty of music scene name-dropping from the Nevilles and Preservation Hall Jazz band to splitting a case of Dixie beer with Marcia Ball.

The buoyant "Monkey Dance," with its elastic acoustic guitar cadence and rolling New Orleans-style drums, keeps the Cajun spirit in the fore with imagery of shining Creole moons and crawdad heads, and a chorus that bookends the English-spoken line "do the monkey dance," with Cajun verbiage that means, you guessed it, "do the monkey dance."

"Empty Chair" is a poignant ode to Bawb’s late father that contains elements of the Beatles’ occasionally somber tunes, performed here on banjo and bass rather than cello and violin, but with equal effect. The chair of the title is the iconic favorite sitting place of the deceased parent, and seeing it empty is the defining moment when the loss is fully comprehended and the detailed memories begin to flow. Bawb interweaves the melody line from "You Are My Sunshine," a favorite song of the elder Pearce, who was a professional yodeler and included that song in his repertoire. OK, I take back what I said about Bawb maturing artistically. This is an eloquently written, beautifully rendered song that respectably avoids the tear-jerking contrivances of many similarly-themed tunes.

The funky, dance-inducing "Stuck in the Swamp" is propelled by an invigorating drumbeat and scratching rhythm guitar, and is peppered throughout with quick vocal outbursts of the James Brown variety. Without skipping a beat, the song immediately segues into the equally funky "Trouble in Funkytown," scratching guitars and pulsating drumbeat intact.

"88/44 Blues," a title playing off that of the Robert Johnson classic "32/20 Blues," relates the story of a hapless saloon piano player whose hands are increasingly occupied by his pistol and, after he finds the Lord, his bible, thus interfering with his Professor Longhair-trained livelihood.

The poor bastard in the drunkard’s waltz "Gettin’ Over Me" can’t get past his own pitiful behavior in order to lament the loss of his lover. The foot-stompin’, good-time Cajun party song "Voodoo Wedding" is paired with a rare retelling of Jerry Reed’s swamp classic, "Amos Moses." The light-hearted lyrics of "Hurry Up & Wait," set to a breezy mandolin rhythm, depict a suitor inviting the punctually impaired object of his affection to join him in a mutually untimely relationship. Bawb grabs a rod and the tackle box to wrap up this festive outing with a hearty, banjo-enriched reading of Taj Mahal’s front porch favorite, "Fishin’ Blues."

There’s no shortage of fine playing and plenty of homegrown wit and wisdom to savor on "Boo Dan." Slim Bawb fans will not be disappointed. Newer listeners will surely become fans. And if you’re pleased by what you hear and yearn for more, check out the rest of Bawb’s quickly growing catalog of swampedelic Cajun classics, available on his website www.slimbawb.com or at a walk-in or on-line music emporium near you. (Just don’t ask me what section they put him in.) It’ll quench your thirst for good music, like drinking a case of Dixie with Marcia B.

Steve Cagle KVMR 89.5

 

Steve Cagle - KMVR (Sep 21, 2011)

 

On Aug. 6, the Friends of Conroe Inc., A&H Electric, the Judy Campbell family, KPFT and Ruthie Martin bring blue-eyed, soul/Texas honky tonk R&B legend Delbert McClinton and his eight-piece horn and harmonica-driven rock ’n’ roll orchestra to close out the 2011 Sounds of Texas Music Series at the historic Crighton Theatre.. Opening this concert will be Slim Bawb and his new drummer, Ron Sherrod who recently replaced GatorBait. Slim Bawb’s music is defined as “Swampadelic Cajun Hip Hop” that will have you dancing in the aisles and watching in amazement as Slim Bawb and Ron Sherrod march through the crowd doing the New Orleans second line wearing rubber Mexican wrestling masks and Slim Bawb playing the mandolin behind his head!

Jay Martin - www.yourhoustonnews.com (Jul 29, 2011)

 

 

30 Best albums of 2011

27. Slim Bawb – Boo Dan. Both rootsy and inventive, Slim Bawb brings a whole rack of instruments to life, coaxing wild tunes out of just about anything with strings and bringing a cast of crazy characters to life with his streetwise, gravelly croon. Bluesy at it’s heart, rockabilly and Cajun around the edges, it’s a treasure worth digging up.

 

Mike Messick - txmusic.com (Dec 30, 2011)

 

 

Slim Bawb – Calexiana (Swampgrass)

While not quite the "swampadelic Cajun hip-hop" it claims on the tin, there’s still much to be savoured on this latest two-disc offering from Bob "Slim Bawb" Pearce and his side-kick drummer James "Gator Bait" Curry. The main course of Calexiana is found on disc one where their basic two-man hillbilly attack force of guitars, banjos and drums is fleshed out by a big cast of friends adding extra layers of voices and instruments including violins and harmonica. In the process the default Cajun stomp is broadened into a range of countrified styles from gruff early Waits-style ballads ("Rose of Sharon", "Unchain My Heart") to country blues ("Blonde at the Bar"), bluegrass ("Little River Town", "Beehive Hairdo"), while with songs like "Last of the Old Geezaderos" they show more than a touch of Willie Nelson spirit via the Flying Burritos. Pearce’s own songs blend well with covers and traditionals in a varied collection that never gets too eclectic for its own good.

Disc two is an altogether rawer affair in which the two principals roar unaccompanied through fifteen (generally fast and furious) slices of back porch blues which might be a little rootsy for some tastes. They’re decent songs, enthusiastically delivered, however, and draw out more of the inner-rock singer in Bawb’s vocals. This should be well received by anyone unconvinced by Seasick Steve and looking out for a realer deal.

www.slimbawb.com

Neil B.

 

Neil B. - Leicester Bangs Reviews (Feb 14, 2011)

 

Third Coast Music Network tommy (the perfessor) with his top 10 from 09. 1.Keep Your Soul (Tribute to Doug Sahm) - VA 2. I'm That Way-Beth McKee 3. Hillbilly Fellini - Slim Bawb 4. Leap of Faith-Seth Walker 5. Last Exit to Happyland-Gurf Morlix 6. Borders y Bailes - Los Texmaniacs 7. This is Tommy Duncan-Billy Mata and Texas Tradition 8.Hit Tha...t Jive-Shout,Sister,Shout 9.Welcome Home-Shelley King 10.Vive L'Amour - Bonsoir Catin

Tommy (the perfessor) - Third Coast Music Network (Jan 9, 2010)

 

SLIM BAWB – Hillbilly Fellini

Bawb’s self-produced album has much in common with the beloved beverage immortalized in his former band name, the Beer Dawgs. In each case, combining a few simple ingredients in perfect measure with skill and loving care results in a unique and flavorful product that transcends the basic elements it came from. Drawing from an amalgam of music genres to create a root stew he calls “swampgrass,” Slim Bawb applies the bare minimum of instrumentation needed to produce a sound bigger than the sum of its parts. Add his gravelly, no-frills yet sincere and honest vocals singing simple and straightforward lyrics that speak volumes, and you have a hand-crafted, beautifully under-produced home-brewed masterpiece. The music flows with ease from the trance-inducing drum/banjo beat of the opening title song to the velvety pedal steel note-bending of the closing rendition of “Georgia On My Mind,” with every song in between a highlight in its own right.

Steve Cagle KVMR FM Nevada City CA

LISTENERS’ GUIDE – Dec 09 / Jan 10 - RECORD REVIEWS

Steve Cagle - KVMR (Nov 9, 2009)

 

SLIM BAWB - Hillbilly Fellini

slim-bawb-and-gator-bait

Slim Bawb (Bob Pearce on national steel, mandolin, banjo, bass, and sometimes pedal steel and who knows what all else) and Gator Bait (James Curry, who once played with Blue Cheer, on drums) are still members of the Bay Area (that’s California) band the Beer Dogs (they play at least one show a year to roaring crowds). But the gold in California has turned to pyrite, and so our adventurous duo wagon trained to Austin a few years back. Bob plays often with the Texas Sapphires, and Rebecca Lucille Cannon and Justin Kolb both lend their talents to “Hillbilly Fellini,” which opens the disc with Bawb on banjo (I would swear this is a song about the Beer Dogs): “First they play a two-step, then they play a Cajun waltz … if you don’t dance, it’s your own fault.” And, yeah, Bawb plays banjo!

Slim Bawb’s gruff voice sounds like another instrument when he sings and plays live — as I saw the duo out in Elgin the other night. These guys are seasoned musicians (grizzled and travel-worn) who are a lot of fun and have a lot to sing about. With so many weapons at his disposal, Slim Bawb can make the twosome sound like Scott H. Biram sometimes and like Tom Waits at others.

Musicians on this record include Bastrop’s Tres Womack (Slim Bawb does live in Cedar Creek), Charlie Irwin, fiddler Josh Drogemueller, Perry Rowe, Kat Kairns, Bo Ely, Dave Moats, Ron Sherrod, Steve Stizzo, and Flaco Jimenez on “Barcelona Rain.” The record is strewn through and through with Cajun music (”Louisiana,” notably — and quite a story can be found in this song), even though Bob has never lived there or even (so he says) played a Slim Bawb show in the Bayou State.

“Sophistikuts” is another song about a music venue, “a small town place” where “you can drink and you can cuss and you can know who you can really trust.” Sounds like Sam’s Town Point, a joint that this band ought to KILL in. “Black Jack Road” gets busy with the pedal steel and dobro — and Gator Bait’s percussive drumming (never overpowers, just keeps the beat interesting). One of my favorites here is “Bourbon Cowboy,” even though I only drink Irish whiskey (and that for medicinal purposes). Beer lovers get “I Need a Beer,” “No Bar Too Far,” and really the whole record. This is danceable music, drinking music, and music to laugh and tell tall tales with your friends to. As the boys close the bar, the final song of the night (choose your partner and hold her close) is a rendition of “Georgia on My Mind” heavily laden with Bawb’s dobro. One final note — Bawb says that Rebecca Lucille is back with the Texas Sapphires after a “brief” leave of absence (girls just gotta have fun). And that, too, is very good news.

Duggan Flanakin - flanfire.com (Oct 20, 2009)

 

Bob Pearce a.k.a. Malignant Bawb and drummer James Curry a.k.a. Gator Bait form the pin of this cd, completed with bass player Charlie Irwin on several numbers and changing gastmuzikanten, among which even Flaco Jimenez in Barcelona Rain. Live stepping them generally as a two-high rolling mill, with worstel-maskers on their head. The indication Hillbilly in the title does not appear there for nothing, because the banjos, mandolines, dobro and fiddles fly your sometimes litteral for the ears, so that whole the sometimes high bluegrass get quality. Toch it is more than that, this are no traditional bluegrass such as we that hear as much as more. Bob Pearce mixes there rock, blues and so much more doorheen, so that whole captivating and fresh remains. Joint thereby a voice with a delicious grit and it assumes the more direction link such as The link, The Gourds and Bottle Rockets. Louisiana for example are this way contagious rockend, already whole only on a mandoline, obtuse box, Gatorbait's float drums and of course those prachtstem of Bawb. In stop ace or Sin the hoedown quality are then very high, this is Deliverence on speed, but oh this way contagious! Black jacket Road let hear our Bob on dobro, pedal stalk, resonator and still a lot of a more, splendour of a song which illuminates which other, what squares more Americana of malignant Bawb. Barcelona Rain as said a song with aid of Flaco on accordion and has natural conjunto kantjes. A second song with what the same environment is I Need A bear, also Mexican accordion consonances here in this number with pleasant tempowisselingen. Steve Stizzo take however of Flaco. By this Mexican sounding songs we get alternation still more. To complain be possible we of this certainly, already do not have influence concerning the entire cd the bluegrass what the bovenhand gets, in Short Change we bluesy resonator and ditto sfeertje. Spirits seems also the red leiddraad doorheen the cd, because it terrible country getinte Bourbon follows cowboy shortly after No bar To Far and the higher mentioned I Need A bear. All three very nice songs moreover. Initially is called Dawgs the first version of its link also The bear, and decorates hundreds empty bierblikjes the cover. Malignant Bawb conclude with Hoagy Carmicheal's Georgia on My Mind. Already Ray Charles this made song unforgettable and put down he of it the definite version. These bluesy, sober version on resonator and obtuse box if percussion passes element, Bob's vocal over-performance for me on the Second place. The pedal stalk of Nathan Fleming entirely on end finish t entirely. Splendid slotsong for alternation-full cd on which is with difficulty a label to stick. To let we t for all freedom Americana (with a capital letter) call.

Ron - rootstime.be (Oct 20, 2009)

 

Slim Bawb and Friends offer ‘Hillbilly Fellini’
BY TERRY HAGERTY
The Bastrop Advertiser

“Hillbilly Fellini”, A new album by Cedar Creek’s “Slim Bawb” Pearce has the feel of a late night drive through the Louisiana swamp.
Pearce, who prefers to go by ‘Slim Bawb’, is actually a California transplant, a talented multi- instrumentalist with a deep throaty vocal.
And he brings into a play a range of Bastrop area musicians as well as a guest appearance by Flaco Jimenez on accordion for the second cut of the album, “Barcelona Rain”.
Slim Bawb has been playing regularly around the area with his regular playing partner – drummer James Curry. They have a regular gig at the Water Hole, a popular music venue just a few yards west of the Bastrop/Travis county line.
The duo, with Slim Bawb playing more than a half dozen instruments at various times, puts out quite a sound. (Curry, also a California transplant, once played drums for the 60’s rock group Blue Cheer, known for their blistering version, and a record hit, of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues”.)
But on “Hillbilly Fellini”, Slim Bawb has substantially upped his musical contributors, with talented local and Central Texas area musicians backing him up. They include Bastrop’s Tres Womack, who has his own fine band, Perry Rowe, Josh Drogemueller (an outstanding fiddle player), Charlie Irwin, Kat Kairns, Bo Ely, Justin Kolb, Dave Moats, Rebecca Cannon, Ron Sherrrod and Steve Stizzo, among others.
The album was produced by Billy Black and recorded and mastered by Fred Bouchet at Swamp Studio in Cedar Creek using Roland gear, according to album notes.
The opening number, also titled “Hillbilly Fellini”, has Bawb cranking away on the banjo, talking about “playing down at the Stumble Inn”, and “Ole Roy bangin’ on the skins”. Tres Womack backs Bawb up on the vocals.
Jimenez’s accordion playing is one of the highlights of the second cut, “Barcelona Rain”.
Drogemueller’s fiddle playing on the third cut, “Sophistikuts”, reinforces the notion that he is perhaps one of the best fiddle players in Texas, combining sheer clarity of sound (also evident during regular club performances at Big Mouth) with emotive playing.
If the singing and playing talent of Slim Bawb and his ensembles-which vary from song to song- don’t grab the listener, the tunes’ titles should: Besides the aforementioned title cut, there’s “Black Jack Road”, “Farmers Tan”, “Bourbon Cowboy” with the line, “Some people say I’m down right crazy. . .but I never had no problems finding ladies”, “No Bar Too Far” and a stirring version of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on my Mind”.
To catch up with Slim Bawb’s playing calendar, see his web site: Slimbawb.com.

Terry Hagerty - The Bastrop Advertiser (Jul 2, 2009)

 

Slim Bawb is a member of a long running Sacramento,Calif band called the Beer Dawgs. But he decided to branch out a little and release a solo album. Ghost Dawg is based on a true story about Bawb's lost dog who kept walking thru homeless people's camps along the Sacramento River. The dog would never accept food,just keep on walking thru. But this album is a nice bluegrass/country mix. Starting w/the title track,Bawb's raspy and raw blues-tinged voices zips along,mixing huge horn sections and sad strings to create a wonderful CD. Bawb's voice is rough and will take time to get used to hearing,but stick w/it,its worth listening too....recommended!...

Here and There Ezine

 

Rating 5 of 5 (see web site for full review) http://www.befuddled.org/2006/02/tuesday_tea_wit.html:... This CD is only a couple Lagniappe's shy of being perfect, and I plan on bumming more than just a couple beers off Slim Bawb, when I see him at his CD release party this coming June. So, Slim Bawb & Gator Bait get a rating of 5 for their Ghost Dawg CD. (5 plus two cold ones is as near perfect as it gets.) - Tim Null..... Rating 7 of 10 Patrick Wilkins americana-uk.com:... Slim Bawb is Bob Pearce, main man in the Sacramento based Beer Dawgs for getting on for a couple of decades, backed by a pair of co conspirators called Gator Bait. From that background you would figure Bob knows what he's doing, and you'd be right. Self described as 'swampgrass' music, this album is a mish mash of roots influences, bluegrass, blues, zydeco, country, and even some alt.country. Listing the instruments Bob plays gives you a reasonable idea how this is going to go, 'Banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, hambone, mojo stomp', Gator Bait provide double bass and fiddle. Bob has a fine croaky voice that sounds like a morning after Lowell George, and the songs do have the odd unexpected quirk, 'He Don’t Talk About That' ends with (supposedly)Kenny Rogers yodelling! 'That Dawg Don't Hunt’ adds some sax to an uptempo bluesy mix, and with slide guitar also thrown in, sounds a little like the sadly departed Chris Whitley. With 14 songs sprawling over 57 minutes it's a too much to eat in one sitting, but very satisfying if you take it in bite size chunks.

- befuddled.org

 

What do you do for fun when you’re in a band that plays almost every night of the week? Well, if that band is the Beer Dawgs, apparently you start a musical side project, record an album and find time to squeeze in some more live shows. That’s what Bawb Dawg did. He put together this little Cajun/bluegrass flavored combo called Slim Bawb and recorded this finger pickin’ good little nugget. Aside from Andrew Browne on bass, and Olen Dillingham on fiddle, all the pluckin’ is Bawb. Banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro… and also some hambone and a little something called the mojo stomp for good measure. Horn Dawg Otis Mourning supplies the occasional sax, bass clarinet and accordion. With these guys the musicianship is always top notch, but the real treat of a guest performer is Bawb’s dad, Bob Pearce, Sr. who yodels up a storm on “Chime Bells”. Ultimately, though, this is Bawb’s album. Anyone familiar with Bawb’s sweet raspy voice already knows how nicely it works with a cajun-blues, as the Beer Dawgs stray in that direction every once in a while, and on songs like “New Ghost Town” and “Song Save Me” Bawb is as good as ever. Even takes on a little French lyric with “Mon Pere” with lovely results. With “You Better Rest” the CD takes a brief funky detour that is all hand claps and stomping (the mojo stomp perhaps?) but it gets right back to the gritty/pretty with “New Promised Land”, a surreal little character piece in a Blood On The Tracks vein. Bawb closes out the CD with the goofy honky-tonk styled nod to drinking too much and then declaring “I’m Phime”. Fans of the Beer Dawgs (and God knows there are a ton of you) would be quite neglectful not to have this release, but the same goes for fans of a more bluesy styled bluegrass. Bawb is truly in his element here, and until he finds time for a third project, you’re just gonna have to make do with Slim Bawb and the Beer Dawgs playing 8 days a week.

jerry perry - Alive & Kicking

 

Slim Bawb
HILLBILLY FELLINI
©2009 Swampgrass Records
Review by Lucky Boyd
Co-founder, MyTexasMusic.com

What Southern Culture on the Skids did for rockabilly, Slim Bawb has done for bluegrass, zydeco, country, and the blues. Not since Reese’s dropped peanut butter into chocolate have we experienced such a smooth blending of staple favorites. Features of mandolin and banjo intertwined into blues and even rock rhythms make for one of the most interesting albums of the year. Bawb is Bob Pearce and the persona is in tact throughout as Pearce pens eight of the cuts, co-writes three, two with fellow MTM member Bob Cheevers. You’ll even hear left-turn takes on “Oh Lonesome Me” and “Georgia On My Mind.” The true hero of the album is the music as Slim Bawb takes you on a journey that introduces you to ‘swampgrass,’ a term you’re going to hear more about as time goes on. Described by some as a marriage between bluegrass and bayou music made popular in Louisiana, and depicted by others as a concoction of delta blues and Kentucky bluegrass, true ‘swampgrass’ encompasses the swampiness of southern blues, the dance factor of zydeco, the instrumentation of bluegrass, and the rhythm section of R&B, country or rock. It’s a coat of many colors, not just influences, but the actual expression in some form of all the aforementioned styles…. together….at once. It takes a special musician to pull it off, too. Pearce is a multi-album veteran of the West Coast music scene who finally found his calling as a Texan. He picks up musical styles and makes them his own much like tracking mud in on your shoes. Regardless of the style, the more he’s exposed to it, the more it sticks to him, and the more it shows up in his music. The disc is a feel good release with no downers per se, and no filler at all. Every track is a gem and listeners will see right through the mock redneck sachet to the musical genius inside. Musicians who hear this disc will be lining up to play on the next CD as Bawb sounds like he would be loads of fun to perform with. It’s almost a shame to pay him for this disc because it doesn’t sound like it was work for him; it was all play time and fun. The result of the fun, however, is a honed-to-perfection album that will spend more than its allotted time in your player. On tunes like “Short Change” you’ll find yourself tapping along and relating quickly to Bawb’s character development. Shout out to fellow MTM member Tres Womack for appearing on the album, and kudos to Fred, who appears courtesy of his agent, who is most likely preparing the new contracts as we speak. Musically sound, well-written, and expertly performed, Slim Bawb may have released the perfect blue-country-zyd-a-grass… well, you get the picture.

Lucky Boyd - MyTexasMusic.com (Dec 9, 2010)

 

Bob Pearce a.k.a. Malignant Bawb and drummer James Curry a.k.a. Gator Bait form the pin of this cd, completed with bass player Charlie Irwin on several numbers and changing gastmuzikanten, among which even Flaco Jimenez in Barcelona Rain. Live stepping them generally as a two-high rolling mill, with worstel-maskers on their head. The indication Hillbilly in the title does not appear there for nothing, because the banjos, mandolines, dobro and fiddles fly your sometimes litteral for the ears, so that whole the sometimes high bluegrass get quality. Toch it is more than that, this are no traditional bluegrass such as we that hear as much as more. Bob Pearce mixes there rock, blues and so much more doorheen, so that whole captivating and fresh remains. Joint thereby a voice with a delicious grit and it assumes the more direction link such as The link, The Gourds and Bottle Rockets. Louisiana for example are this way contagious rockend, already whole only on a mandoline, obtuse box, Gatorbait's float drums and of course those prachtstem of Bawb. In stop ace or Sin the hoedown quality are then very high, this is Deliverence on speed, but oh this way contagious! Black jacket Road let hear our Bob on dobro, pedal stalk, resonator and still a lot of a more, splendour of a song which illuminates which other, what squares more Americana of malignant Bawb. Barcelona Rain as said a song with aid of Flaco on accordion and has natural conjunto kantjes. A second song with what the same environment is I Need A bear, also Mexican accordion consonances here in this number with pleasant tempowisselingen. Steve Stizzo take however of Flaco. By this Mexican sounding songs we get alternation still more. To complain be possible we of this certainly, already do not have influence concerning the entire cd the bluegrass what the bovenhand gets, in Short Change we bluesy resonator and ditto sfeertje. Spirits seems also the red leiddraad doorheen the cd, because it terrible country getinte Bourbon follows cowboy shortly after No bar To Far and the higher mentioned I Need A bear. All three very nice songs moreover. Initially is called Dawgs the first version of its link also The bear, and decorates hundreds empty bierblikjes the cover. Malignant Bawb conclude with Hoagy Carmicheal's Georgia on My Mind. Already Ray Charles this made song unforgettable and put down he of it the definite version. These bluesy, sober version on resonator and obtuse box if percussion passes element, Bob's vocal over-performance for me on the Second place. The pedal stalk of Nathan Fleming entirely on end finish t entirely. Splendid slotsong for alternation-full cd on which is with difficulty a label to stick. To let we t for all freedom Americana (with a capital letter) call.

Ron – rootstime.be
Belgium

Ron - rootstime.be (Feb 9, 2010)

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