Under The Radar
Hank Williams III
Originally published for the Bismarck State College Mystician back in November, 2010.
Genre: Country/Punk/Metal
Country music has always garnered undeserved scrutiny. Is has been criticized for its association to the sub-cultures of the South and the stereotypes that typically follow. But despite criticism, country music has always been valued for its genuine earthiness. With its roots in traditional American Folk and Bluegrass, it has the power to remind us of a younger America and explore the emotional and cultural struggles of rural life.
But country music has seen a drop in authenticity lately. The 70s and 80s saw a deviation from Tradition Country music, with artists such as Billy Ray Cyrus churning out catchy pop hits like "Achey Breaky Heart." This deviation, known as Pop-Country, soon became the standard with artist like Taylor Swift littering the airwaves. Artists like George Straight try to hold onto traditional values while still appealing to mainstream audiences, but many purists see this trend as "too little, too late." On the other hand, a few new artists are flocking the underground inspired by the grandson of the forefather of outlaw country, Hank Williams III.
Shelton Hank Williams III, referred to by fans as Hank the Third, is the grandson of Country legend Hank Williams and son of Contemporary Country star, Hank Jr. Hank Williams III plays a fusion of Tradition Outlaw Country, Heavy Metal and Punk Rock.
Williams started in the mid 90s as a drummer for several heavy metal and punk bands, including former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo's band Super Joint Ritual. Williams eventually signed Curb Records to produce a country record after a judge ordered him to pay off overdue child support. In 1996 Williams produced Three Hanks: Men With Broken Hearts, an album where he spliced material from his grandfather with vocals from himself and his dad to appear as if the three were recording a family album together. Despite its lackluster reviews and somewhat hackneyed premise, the record was a marginal success and inspired Williams to follow in his family's footsteps.
Williams began his career as a country artist but soon found himself at the mercy of Curb Records' strict policies. The first signs of tension showed when Curb refused to produce his This Ain't Country LP and instead made him produce the more pop friendly record Risin' Outlaw, an album which Williams has expressed disdain for. In response, Williams sold T-shirts at his live shows with the words "Fuck Curb" across the front. This became one of the many controversies surrounding his live shows.
Williams' live shows are known for their "Jekyll and Hyde" format, where he plays a Traditional Country set, followed by a Hellbilly (Country and Metal) and Psychobilly (Country and Punk) set and ends with a set from his band Assjack, which combines Metalcore and Psychobilly. Controversy surfaced when Curb refused to produce any of Assjack's material. Contractual agreements also prevented Williams from producing their material with another record company. Williams eventually resorted to selling bootlegs at his live shows.
Williams eventually settled some of his differences with Curb and produced his sophomore record Lovesick, Broke and Driftin'. Despite settling disputes with Curb and discarding his T-shirt campaign, he continued to release Assjack bootlegs at his shows. His third record, Straight To Hell saw more controversy as Curb Records had to negotiate with Wal-Mart to sell an edited version of the record. Straight To Hell became one of the first major label country records to carry a parental advisory label.
Since then, Williams has produced two more records, including one within the last year titled Rebel Within. Williams is already slated to produce another record in 2011. Since Williams' underground success, other artists have followed including the Milwaukee based .357 String Band and the Madison based Goth-Country act, Those Poor Bastards.
Notable Albums:
Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' (2002)
Straight To Hell (2006)
Rebel Within (2010)
Notable Tracks:
"Straight To Hell"
"3 Shades of Black"
"Dick in Dixie"
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