ONE-MAN BLUES SHOW IMPRESSES COLUMNIST..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Heath Sitton
Assignment Editor
Bloody Ol' Mule was birthed from the blues of Hell's Fringe just south of the ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Oklahoma countryside.
Influenced by the unsurpassable amount of uninspiring surroundings he was surrounded by, he decided to avoid the mainstream and all who flowed down that stream.
Shilo Brown is the one man possessing the bones of his one-man band Bloody Ol' Mule. He began playing music at the young age of 15.
Instead of being outcast by society, he chose to cast society out of his band. He has always chosen to play by himself and hone his own style, rather than wasting his time searching for reliable musicians that share his views.
His style blends traditional country, blues and rockabilly music into a captivating mixture of imagination and reality with a twist of foot stomping metal.
His musical influences are miles long and span back more than a century. Beneath his soulful voice and pounding rhythms you can hear these influences appear.
Although his influences can be heard inside his music, he proves to be the true influence behind his music.
He writes all of his own songs and has a very unique structure to his one-man band. His band consists of his voice and his creations. He plays his acoustic guitar that is fed through distortion. He made a bass drum out of an old piece of wood; and he manages to employ all of these techniques together while he is singing.
I have had the pleasure of watching his performance a few times. A couple of weeks ago I was able to see him play at The Blue Note in Oklahoma City. I must say that the show he played that night was my favorite.
Beneath the smoke and light of the room, he took his seat and began singing his heart out. He did not waste time with small talk. He was on a mission and the moment he stepped on the stage his presence demanded the crowd's attention.
Midway through the set there were some technical difficulties. Instead of stopping the show, he pressed on.
His guitar failed to make a sound and within moments a microphone was brought to the stage and placed on his guitar.
The show continued on until Bloody Ol' Mule had finished the message he had prepared for that evening.
The ears of the audience had been entertained and I for one was left wanting more.
I encourage everyone to make it a point to check out Bloody Ol' Mule.
For more information and music, visit www.myspace.com/bloodyolmule.
jhsitton@cox.