Boss Hog

All-star NYC blues-punk combo Boss Hog was helmed by the husband-and-wife team of singer Cristina Martinez and singer/guitarist Jon Spencer, who previously teamed in the legendary cult band Pussy Galore. The duo formed Boss Hog to fill a last-minute cancellation at the famed CBGB's, earning instant notoriety when Martinez performed their debut show au naturel; guitarists Jerry Teel and Kurt Wolf, bassist Pete Shore, and drummer Charlie Ondras completed the line-up for 1989's cassette-only Drinkin', Lechin' and Lyin'. In the wake of 1990's Cold Hands, Spencer formed the Blues Explosion, forcing Boss Hog on the backburner; by the time the group returned in 1993 with Girl +, only Martinez and Spencer remained from the original lineup, with ex-Swan Jens Jürgensen assuming bass duties and Hollis Queens joining on drums. The record's success in indie circles resulted in a deal with major label Geffen which yielded a self-titled 1995 LP; little was heard from Boss Hog throughout the remainder of the decade (although Spencer and Martinez had a baby), but in early 2000 the group finally resurfaced with Whiteout, featuring ex-Goats keyboardist Mark Boyce.

~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Cold Hands (1990)

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Boss Hog (1995)

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Whiteout (2000)

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3 EPs & 7 singles

1. Drinkin' Lechin' & Lyin' EP (1989)
2. Action Box EP (1991)
3. Girl + EP (1993)
4. Winn Coma single (1996)
5. I Dig You single (1996)
6. Whiteout single (1999)
7. Old School single (1999)
8. Itchy + Scratchy single (2000)
9. Get It While You Wait single (2000)
10. Porn 4 single (split w/Cows, 1996)

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Heavy Trash

A meeting of the minds between two musicians who explore the nexus between punk rock and roots music, Heavy Trash is a collaboration between Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray. Spencer first attracted the attention of adventurous music fans in 1985 with his primitive guitar work and raw vocals with frantic noise merchants Pussy Galore, but when the band split in 1990, he joined forces with guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins to form the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Melding R&B accents and Spencer's feral blues wailing with a fractured but potent post-punk attack, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion became one of the most acclaimed and controversial indie bands on the 1990s. Strong as the Blues Explosion was, Spencer was always on the lookout for new avenues for his music and during his downtime he also performed and recorded with R.L. Burnside, Boss Hog, the Gibson Brothers, Dub Narcotic Sound System, and Spencer Dickinson. In 2005, Spencer began writing and recording material with Matt Verta-Ray, who played bass with the acclaimed alternative group Madder Rose on their first two albums as well as handling guitar chores for the more hard-edged blues punk band Speedball Baby, who had toured with Blues Explosion. (In addition, both Spencer and Verta-Ray had recorded with R&B sleaze legend Andre Williams; Spencer contributed to his 2000 album The Black Godfather while Verta-Ray lent his guitar skills to 2001's Bait and Switch.) Spencer and Verta-Ray named their collaboration Heavy Trash, and in 2005 they released their first album, simply titled Heavy Trash, which eased back on the blues textures of their earlier work in favor of a pronounced rockabilly and honky tonk flavor; the album was also engineered and co-produced by Verta-Ray at his recording studio, N.Y. Hed. In 2007, Heavy Trash returned with a second album, Going Way Out with Heavy Trash.

~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Official site
Myspace site

Heavy Trash (2005)

1. Dark Hair'd Rider
2. Lover Street
3. The Loveless
4. Walking Bum
5. Justine Alright
6. Under the Waves
7. The Hump
8. Mr.K.I.A.
9. Gatorade
10. This Day Is Mine
11. Fix These Blues
12. Take My Hand
13. Yeah Baby

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Going Way Out With Heavy Trash (2007)

1. Pure Gold
2. Outside Chance
3. Double Line
4. Kissy Baby
5. That Ain't Right
6. I Want Oblivion
7. Way Out
8. She Baby
9. They Were Kings
10. Crazy Pritty Baby
11. I Want Refuge
12. Crying Tramp
13. You Can't Win

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bitrate: 192kbps
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