Bastard Child

Digital

Bravely forges a blend of hopped-up bluegrass, jangly Camper Van Beethoven-ish grooves, Jeannie C. Riley style singing, and a barely contained enthusiasm for AM rock and new wave.

Full Description

This record bravely forges an infectious blend of hopped-up bluegrass, jangly Camper Van Beethoven-ish grooves, Jeannie C. Riley style singing, guileless backporch leisure and a barely contained enthusiasm for AM rock and new wave. It's all wrapped up with some decidedly pop smarts, courtesy of a bigger, fuller sound with new guitarist Chuck Uchida and mandolinist George Goehl.

Singer/writer Kim Docter continues to push the envelope with her wry, keepin' a stiff upper lip in the face of the shit storms of life songwriting. She can get you humming along incessantly ("Turn the Lights Down Low"or the pop hoe-down of "Burn in Hell") and get you riled up ("Bastard Child"). There's even a couple of covers guaranteed to shake your moneymakers: a delightfully sunny version of Black Oak Arkansas' "Nobody Wants to Die" and a punked out take on Human League's "Don't You Want Me."

It is, far and away, their most ambitious record. It's got the speed and energy of their previous work, but with a refined ear for the hook. If the gods smite those with closed, compartmentalized ears, this record will deeply impress with its cross-genre rowdiness.

Choice Cuts:
Burn In Hell
Turn The Lights Down Low
Bastard Child
Nobody Wants to Die

Short Description

With their third album, Moonshine Willy's evolution continues sharply upward. Rachel Ferro's violin and Chuck Uchida's lead guitar are either dream or demon, depending on the context.

— Country Standard Time
Bandleader Kim Docter's distinctly un-traditional vocals and savagely cynical lyrics create a unique tension between country twang and big city sneer. Who else could make the Human League's "Don't You Want Me" sound like it was always a country tune?

— AllMusic.com
The band blends Docter’s lyrics with country-punk and jangly pop as they skillfully navigate the fine line between brutal and honest and what you end up with is music that’s as haunting as it is catchy.

— No Depression
Docter's earthy singing is never overdone or mannered; her punctuating whoops and yodels give voice to the unabashed enthusiasm and joy that infuse the band's playing...[it's] splendid.

— Chicago Reader
Kim Docter is a keen storyteller with a muscular alto, a tell-it-like-it-is mama who would do Loretta Lynn proud, and her songwriting justifies even the Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar bursts and drunken Nashville choral arrangements. Bottoms up.

— Entertainment Weekly