Eric Heatherly's Goats of Kudzu

The elite Southern musician emerges with fascinating new project The Goats of Kudzu and enthusiastically supports the Louisiana SPCA as a Celebrity Chair for the 35th Annual Howling Success Patron Party & Gala on November 2, 2013
EricHeditMusical whiz kid Eric Heatherly is poised to mow things down with his brand-new project, The Goats of Kudzu. After years of major label haggles, heated child custody battles and other letdowns in life, Heatherly strove to persevere through the bloodsucking and retaliated by cranking out an earth-shaker of a new album, self-titled “The Goats of Kudzu,” an eclectic collection of warm, soulful, rootsy tunes laced with a strikingly raw organic vibe that resonates right down to the bone. Tracks like “Soul Butter,” “All Fried Up” and “Guaranteed Tears” were recorded on the most retro yet workable equipment he could find. Heatherly has been hailed as “the best mix of Sun Records meets the Grand Ole Opry that I’ve ever seen or heard” by Billy Bob Thornton, and recognized as a musical tour de force by industry stalwarts such as Duane Eddy and Jerry Lee Lewis. Likewise, the accolades are forthcoming with “The Goats of Kudzu”; respected music historian Colin Escott deemed Heatherly’s newest work rich, timeless music with eternal values and stated, “If you care about country music’s past but fear for its future, you need to hear ‘The Goats of Kudzu.’”
Heatherly played most of the instruments himself in the studio and will perform live as a one-man band. As he belts away and kicks out songs on drums, guitar and harmonica, he’ll show the world a little something different with the “Drum-O-Phone” he invented.
In addition to getting his goat on musically, Heatherly is also letting things go to the dogs: in honor of his lovable Lucky, a shelter pup Heatherly rescued almost 13 years ago, the guitar guru and staunch supporter of animal causes has joined forces with the Louisiana SPCA as a Celebrity Chair for the 35th Annual Howling Success Patron Party & Gala at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans on Saturday, November 2. Talk about an exciting evening of honest-to-goodness party animals!
Eric, this is a cool and amazing new sound you’ve hit upon with your new project, The Goats of Kudzu. What a great vibe you’ve got going on here!
Thanks, Christine! Basically, it took over two years of writing and then recording on vintage recording equipment at two analog studios in Nashville: Fry Pharmacy and Welcome to 1979. I didn’t think about the major label systems in Nashville or the radio; I just tried to make a piece of art that I’d be happy with if I heard it somewhere in a café, or on a train in Italy or driving on the coast of California. I tried to write songs that were personal and that reflected all the mood swings I’ve been through with records not being released, family transitions and just a gumbo of different things going on in my life. I wanted to have an eclectic mix of things, but for it to still have that common thread of rawness and organic vibey-ness. I poured every ounce I had into this collection. When you are free of confines, you might as well make music you love and do what you are happy with at the end of the day. I was tired of beating my head against the wall, trying to fit into the modern, contemporary country rock sound with my bluesy, country edge, because no matter how much I try to confine it and shave it down to fit it into that box, it was still too much on the outside.
You have always been an innovative guy, but with “The Goats of Kudzu,” you have outdone yourself! You’ve explored a new sound.
It’s my lifeblood to find a new take on something, and I did learn to play more instruments for this album. The album opens up with a kick drum, and it’s that gritty, sultry, itchy-like-okra, snappy-like-beans, down-and-dirty distorted sound. This is the first time people are hearing the sound of a Drum-O-Phone, which I built. I took a 1941 Ludwig bass drum and incorporated a phonograph record horn and miked the drum and the horn. It’s a signature sound that sounds like John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. You’ve got to hear this thing live because it’s powerful; it’ll knock a hole in your heart!
With the song “Franklin Courthouse Blues,” it seems like experiencing tough times allowed you to create fabulous music.
It’s true. Like Harlan Howard said, “Until you’ve had a couple of divorces and your dog’s been run over by a truck, you can’t write a true country song.” This album comes clean and lets people who are interested know what’s happened to me personally and professionally, with all the custody battles and the whole legal debacle that has dragged me over the coals. There’s nothing in this world as bad as wanting to be with your child and not being able to. It’s a song for the fathers out there who are providers and who love their children and want to be with them more than they want that Mercedes or that new Fender guitar, and they sacrifice everything to be wit - New Orleans Living Magazine

The elite Southern musician emerges with fascinating new project The Goats of Kudzu and enthusiastically supports the Louisiana SPCA as a Celebrity Chair for the 35th Annual Howling Success Patron Party & Gala on November 2, 2013
EricHeditMusical whiz kid Eric Heatherly is poised to mow things down with his brand-new project, The Goats of Kudzu. After years of major label haggles, heated child custody battles and other letdowns in life, Heatherly strove to persevere through the bloodsucking and retaliated by cranking out an earth-shaker of a new album, self-titled “The Goats of Kudzu,” an eclectic collection of warm, soulful, rootsy tunes laced with a strikingly raw organic vibe that resonates right down to the bone. Tracks like “Soul Butter,” “All Fried Up” and “Guaranteed Tears” were recorded on the most retro yet workable equipment he could find. Heatherly has been hailed as “the best mix of Sun Records meets the Grand Ole Opry that I’ve ever seen or heard” by Billy Bob Thornton, and recognized as a musical tour de force by industry stalwarts such as Duane Eddy and Jerry Lee Lewis. Likewise, the accolades are forthcoming with “The Goats of Kudzu”; respected music historian Colin Escott deemed Heatherly’s newest work rich, timeless music with eternal values and stated, “If you care about country music’s past but fear for its future, you need to hear ‘The Goats of Kudzu.’”
Heatherly played most of the instruments himself in the studio and will perform live as a one-man band. As he belts away and kicks out songs on drums, guitar and harmonica, he’ll show the world a little something different with the “Drum-O-Phone” he invented.
In addition to getting his goat on musically, Heatherly is also letting things go to the dogs: in honor of his lovable Lucky, a shelter pup Heatherly rescued almost 13 years ago, the guitar guru and staunch supporter of animal causes has joined forces with the Louisiana SPCA as a Celebrity Chair for the 35th Annual Howling Success Patron Party & Gala at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans on Saturday, November 2. Talk about an exciting evening of honest-to-goodness party animals!
Eric, this is a cool and amazing new sound you’ve hit upon with your new project, The Goats of Kudzu. What a great vibe you’ve got going on here!
Thanks, Christine! Basically, it took over two years of writing and then recording on vintage recording equipment at two analog studios in Nashville: Fry Pharmacy and Welcome to 1979. I didn’t think about the major label systems in Nashville or the radio; I just tried to make a piece of art that I’d be happy with if I heard it somewhere in a café, or on a train in Italy or driving on the coast of California. I tried to write songs that were personal and that reflected all the mood swings I’ve been through with records not being released, family transitions and just a gumbo of different things going on in my life. I wanted to have an eclectic mix of things, but for it to still have that common thread of rawness and organic vibey-ness. I poured every ounce I had into this collection. When you are free of confines, you might as well make music you love and do what you are happy with at the end of the day. I was tired of beating my head against the wall, trying to fit into the modern, contemporary country rock sound with my bluesy, country edge, because no matter how much I try to confine it and shave it down to fit it into that box, it was still too much on the outside.
You have always been an innovative guy, but with “The Goats of Kudzu,” you have outdone yourself! You’ve explored a new sound.
It’s my lifeblood to find a new take on something, and I did learn to play more instruments for this album. The album opens up with a kick drum, and it’s that gritty, sultry, itchy-like-okra, snappy-like-beans, down-and-dirty distorted sound. This is the first time people are hearing the sound of a Drum-O-Phone, which I built. I took a 1941 Ludwig bass drum and incorporated a phonograph record horn and miked the drum and the horn. It’s a signature sound that sounds like John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. You’ve got to hear this thing live because it’s powerful; it’ll knock a hole in your heart!
With the song “Franklin Courthouse Blues,” it seems like experiencing tough times allowed you to create fabulous music.
It’s true. Like Harlan Howard said, “Until you’ve had a couple of divorces and your dog’s been run over by a truck, you can’t write a true country song.” This album comes clean and lets people who are interested know what’s happened to me personally and professionally, with all the custody battles and the whole legal debacle that has dragged me over the coals. There’s nothing in this world as bad as wanting to be with your child and not being able to. It’s a song for the fathers out there who are providers and who love their children and want to be with them more than they want that Mercedes or that new Fender guitar, and they sacrifice everything to be wit - New Orleans Living Magazine