Monty Branham
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Monty Branham

Austin, Texas, United States

Austin, Texas, United States
Band Americana Rock

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"Monty Branham - Don't Be Mad Cuz I'm Late EP"

Artist: Monty Branham
Title: Don’t Be Mad Cuz I’m Late
Website: myspace.com/montybranham
Style: Outlaw Country
Rating: 8.7 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

This is the debut release for Monty Branham whose press material describes as a, ‘West Texas-born outlaw country artist.’ After listening to Monty’s music I would say that it is a pretty accurate description. Monty owns both a 1957 Chevy, that he’s had since the age of 18, and a 1951 Harley Davidson panhead motorcycle that both fit perfectly with his outlaw image.

The six songs found on this release are for the most part all about living a carefree and hard partying life style. Three of the songs are originals from Monty while the other three are covers of songs from some of his favorite songwriters including, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Steve Earle.

The first track, “Burn Down With Willie,” is an upbeat country rocker that talks about the willingness to give up everything achieved in life for the chance to light up and smoke a joint with famous country renegade artist Willie Nelson. Besides the clever lyrics offered up in the song you’ll also find nice guitar and Dobro parts along with spoons playing.

“Boxcars,” is a song written by Butch Hancock and best known for being performed by Joe Ely. The song talks about having to give all of your money to the banker and living a, on the rails type of lifestyle. The song is driven by the really nice sounding guitar and Hammond organ part that are found on it.

The EP’s title track, “Don’t Be Mad Cuz I’m Late,” is a up-tempo track that will get your blood pumping. The song deals with partying hard the night before and then trying to get up the next day for work and arriving late.

“Working for the Man,” is a cover of a Joe Ely song. The song feature a rhythmic beat as it talks about working hard for the man all day and still just breaking even.

“Lorie #9,” is song with a Rockabilly style that reminded me of the song, “Hot Rod Lincoln,” written by Charlie Ryan and W. S. Stevenson and performed by various artist including Johnny Bond, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and Asleep at the Wheel. The lyrics though are not about a hot rod car instead they’re unflattering stories about ex girlfriends and wives.

“Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left,” is a cover of a Steve Earle song that has a cantina country sound found on it. The song has nice accordion music found on it along with some more spoons work that helps to add a new element to the song. The song deal with the end of a relationship when you know it’s over and there’s nothing left to do but say goodbye to each other.

This EP is filled with the kind of good country rock music that you’d hear blaring out of an open door at any bar or honky-tonk in town that’s worth your time stopping at. - C.W. Ross


"TFI Friday - A Song For The Weekend"

Monty Branham is from Texas. He was fed a steady diet of Buddy Holly, Elvis and Willie Nelson records by his mother, in addition to the Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Bo Diddley records that his dad liked.

You might see him crusin’ the flat West Texas highways on his ’51 Panhead or in the black and primer gray ’57 Chevy he’s owned since he was 18. Don’t let his rugged and no-nonsense appearance fool you (dressing up for Monty means a clean t-shirt and jeans with no holes), inside this former hellraising outlaw lies a devoted family man with the heart and soul of a West Texas poet.

Here are a couple of good honky tonkin', rocking country numbers laced with whiskey, the devil and not a little humour - especially the one about Willie Nelson! They're from his excellent EP Don't Be Mad Cuz I'm Late.

Have a good weekend.

Check out his MySpace page here.

- The Mad Mackerel


Discography

Released debut EP, "Don't Be Mad Cuz I'm Late" in September 2009. "Burn Down With Willie" and "Don't Be Mad Cuz I'm Late" are receiving airplay on internet radio. Currently working submissions to college, Americana and Texas Country terrestrial radio. "Burn Down With Willie" was awarded a Platinum Audy from uPlaya.com.

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Bio

Outlaw country/roots-rocker Monty Branham spells out his “bucket list” pretty clearly in the lyrics of his first single, “Burn Down With Willie”:

1. Drive a top-fuel race car
2. Ride the range with Roy
3. Sit up on a mountain top, ride a car hood down the slope

However, according to the song, “all that changed the day when I first smoked a little dope. My dreams have changed I must confess, you might think it’s silly. But I’d give it all for just one chance to smoke a joint with Willie.” Well, this dream might not sound too unreachable for Monty after considering the phone call his lovely wife Amanda received on New Years Eve a few years back at their home in Christoval, TX. “I remembered answering the phone and Willie Nelson was on the other end asking for Monty and he wanted to tell him that he had heard the song and he liked it,” Amanda recalls. Unfortunately, Monty was not there. He was hard at work in a noisy sheet metal fabrication shop when his cell phone rang. Met with static and noise on the other end upon answering the call, Monty hung up. A short time later he received a call from Amanda, “Did you talk to him?” “Talk to who?” replied Monty. “Willie Nelson just called the house and I gave him your cell phone number”, to which Monty replied, “Damn, I just hung up on Willie Nelson!”

Fortunately, modern technology and quick-thinking allowed Monty to hit the redial button on his cell-phone and he was able to talk briefly with Willie Nelson himself. Turns out that Monty had attended a Willie concert in Abilene a few weeks earlier and he waited out by the bus after the show to hand Willie a copy of his demo and to get his guitar autographed by the man himself. “Willie actually listened to the song demo and took time out of his busy schedule to personally call me and let me know that he enjoyed the song. What an honor!” exclaimed Monty.

This once-in-a-lifetime encounter inspired Monty to recruit San Angelo-based blues-rock band The Flinchers to back him at shows and to assist with recording his debut EP, “Don’t Be Mad Cuz I’m Late”. Produced by and engineered in the home studio of The Flinchers’ drummer, James Rannefeld, the EP includes 3 “true-story” originals and 3 covers by a few of Monty’s favorite songwriters, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Steve Earle. “Don’t Be Mad Cuz I’m Late” is a humorous telling of Monty’s difficulty getting to work on time back in his hell-raising days. “Don’t be mad cuz I’m late, be glad I’m here at all”, is Monty’s advice to his angry boss, along with “why don’t we call it a biker’s day off”. After hearing a rough mix of “Burn Down With Willie”, Daniel Barrett, Austin producer and leader of the award-winning roots-rock band Porterdavis, commented, "Monty and the band barrel through their AmericanaTexadeliccountrybakedroots blend with abandon and charm. This music is bound to please from El Paso to Tyler, in between and beyond. Pour yourself a Shiner, roll yer own, and be prepared to grin!" Daniel added dobro and organ to the barnstorming basic tracks and his final mix gave the unique song a soulful sound with deeper roots.

Born in Dallas and raised in West Texas, Monty was fed a steady diet of Buddy Holly, Elvis and Willie Nelson records provided by his mother, in addition to the Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Bo Diddley records that his dad liked. You can hear his love of Johnny Cash in the train beats and energetic, rhythmic acoustic guitar work in “Burn Down With Willie” and “Lorie #9”. Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy were two of Monty’s favorite bands in the late ‘70s. “I gave up on rock and roll in the ‘80s. The music was not real. About that time, I began listening to Joe Ely, Delbert McClinton, Steve Earle and John Hiatt”, remembered Monty. Monty pays tribute to a few of these troubadours by including cover versions of their songs on the EP. “Boxcars” was penned by Butch Hancock but has been performed and recorded by Joe Ely. Monty’s version on the EP includes a Hammond organ track performed by John Talley and a unique guitar track from The Flinchers’ rowdy and unconventional guitarist, Miles McMillan. “Working For The Man” by Joe Ely and “Goodbye’s All We Got Left ” by Steve Earle round out the covers and Monty’s voice has the perfect amount of grit and punch to make these great songs his own. Jerry Tubb, acclaimed Mastering Engineer for Terra Nova Digital Audio in Austin, TX commented, "Monty's earthy, powerful voice and meaty songs, along with Miles' unusually rowdy guitar playing, set this session apart from the norm".

Monty Branham and The Flinchers’ live shows are energetic, soulful and rocking. Monty’s long-time friend and fellow outlaw, Lango Thompson joins him on stage and plays the spoons unlike anyone you’ve ever heard. These two along with the tight blues-rock groove of The Flinchers make for a unique mixture of styles that is quickly winning fans of many genres. If you like real music pl