Thursday, August 7, 2008
By: Cindy Johnson
aka Elvistra
Scott H. Biram , known by his fans as the “Dirty Old One Man Band”, played to an anxious crowd at the Iota Club in NOVa last week. Mr. Biram is indeed a one man band.
He plays a very beat up 1959 Gibson guitar, mouth harp, has an impressive and colorful array of effect pedals, three microphones bound together with tape and cables, and a chair where he stays seated to make use of his special amplified left foot pedal which furthers the sound effects Biram incorporates into his one man show.
The vocal sound that Biram projects makes him sound like an old blues singer from the swamp, when in reality Scott Biram looks to be in his early thirties. We got to the club early and the friend I traveled with knows Biram quite well which allowed me chance to hang out with him a while before his set started and listen to funny stories about his escapades on the road, and the random people he has met along the way. Biram seems to be your average country boy from Austin , TX , who loves his family and shops at Wal-Mart.
Biram also knows what it is to suffer. He was nearly killed in 2003 when his car was struck head on by an 18 wheeler. He survived certain death and has been celebrating life ever since.
Scott Biram’s music is gritty and soulful and makes you feel a certain pain and anger followed by laughter and hope from up above. Biram attacks all your emotions at once and that is what truly makes his performance memorable.
Songs like “Blood, Sweat and Murder” evoke the aggression of punk and metal, while keeping it’s hillbilly, country and blues roots. It’s something for everyone and his true story ballads like “Sweet Thing” validates what a versatile writer he is, and, although it shows a softer side of Biram, he also lashes out when hurt and the audience feels every part of it.
I guess the coolest thing about Scott H. Biram is that you leave one of his shows feeling like you just made a friend for life. I know the next time I see him, he will remember me as “Miss Cindy” and it will be a wonderful evening. Scott doesn’t know when he will be able to make it to Richmond again, but at least he know he’s wanted.
You can visit Scott H. Biram’s MySpace site listed under: Scott H. Biram, or visit his personal website at ScottBiram.Com. He has very cool merchandise and CD’s for sale on both sites.
Check out some photos:
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