[March 24, 2021]

Thanks to WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM, Jessie Scott, and Val Hoeppner for having us on Words & Music! It was great to talk to Jessie about our new album, 🏡 At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids and share some stories from 30 yrs of touring & playing and chat about how we’ve been getting through the pandemic “At Home”. Check out the whole interview with some special more acoustic performances of songs from "At Home With". And support WMOT and your local non-comm radio.

 

 

[March 12, 2021]

Hey everybody, Happy "At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids" release day!

Rick wanted to give you a little background on the songs on "At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids”. It's 11 tracks, all recorded and mixed by Rick in his living room and at The Kudzu Ranch.

Rick says, "This album is comfort food for your ears. I wouldn’t call it mellow but it sure is a friendly album. Since most of the songs were recorded and mixed in my living room it only makes sense that the songs are a bit more intimate – we used more acoustic guitar on this one but there are some serious rock and roll moments too”.

At Home With... is a mixed bag of musical genres like all our records. We have a couple instrumentals: “Billy’s Board” a 2021 surf song about our favorite long boarder from Cayucos CA and a slinky surf noir called “Night Driver”.

Got some “wobbly Americana” (as I like to call it) with “Let Me Make You Happy”, “Where is the Moon” and “Everything Grows in Her Garden”.

Also included are a couple soft core psych covers of “Sugar Town” (Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood) and Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” (complete with banjo!).

Some songs are autobiographical. “Call Me” was written on my front porch about a month into dealing with the pandemic shutdown. The first verse was written while I was trying to apply for state unemployment benefits.

But wait there is more… we came out of the funk closet this year with “Polka Dot Dress”, oh yeah – don’t forget about that Polka Dot Gravy!

The first single from the album, “Run Baby Run” might be the best garage rock song we have ever written. Mary delivers on the vocal and the band rev’s up the fuzz fest with some serious forward momentum.

Of course, no album recorded in your living room should be without a song about coffee. Though “Don’t Spill the Java” is the oldest song on the record and was recorded at the Kudzu Ranch in 2019 – it still sums up the situation in my AM kitchen 2021 style! (don’t forget to pick up a SCOTS coffee cup at the Skidmart!)

All in all, this was a very enjoyable record to make to make. I hope everyone who listens to, “At Home With”, picks up on that vibe. So please pick up a copy, put your headphones on, get in your favorite chair/sofa/recliner, put on At Home With... and let’s hang out for a while.

Let us know which songs are your favorites!

 

[Feb 12, 2021]

At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids!

Hey everyone, we've got a brand new album coming out called At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids! It's 11 tracks, all recorded and mixed by Rick In his living room and at The Kudzu Ranch.

Rick says, “This album is comfort food for your ears. I wouldn’t call it mellow but it sure is a friendly album. Since most of the songs were recorded and mixed in my living room it only makes sense that the songs are a bit more intimate – we used more acoustic guitar on this one but there are some serious rock and roll moments too”.

The first radio single off the album is “Run Baby Run”—a rocking number with deep garage roots. Mary Huff provides an urgent vocal while the band pulls back the throttle on a full race fuzz fest—cause she’s gotta to go fast! Run Baby Run!

The other songs on the album are a combination of the band’s unique mix of musical genres: rock and roll, surf, folk and country—all a bit off-center, what Rick proudly calls “our wobbly Americana”.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable record to make to make. Hope everyone who listens to, At Home With picks up on that vibe. So please pick up a copy – good way to start 2021!

Preorders for At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids CDs and downloads start at 10am Feb 12th at the Skidmart, the official SCOTS store and Feb 19 at iTunes. The official street release date for At Home With is March 12, and the streaming date will be a little later. To folks who want to know about vinyl, Rick is looking into it, and we'll let ya know.

And for Valentine's weekend we've got a “For Lover’s Only” special treat for you all, exclusively at the Skidmart, the official SCOTS store. While you're visiting the store to make your preorder get yourself a new 2021 remix of "Wish I Was In Love". The single is a FREE download at the Skidmart this weekend only! We've got some coffee mugs, new t-shirts and beanies on the way, too, so check out all the merch while you're there.

 

[Dec 5, 2020]

Attention Music Lovers!

The band released their rare 2003 45 box set, Kudzu Records Presents in digital formats on 12/5/20.

The 45 box set Kudzu Records Presents is the rarest of all Kudzu Records releases. Only 1000 units were pressed. It was an “all analog” project that was recorded to a 16 track 2” tape machine and mixed down to a ½” master tape by Rick and Mark Williams at the Kudzu Ranch.

“I edited the songs together and took the ½” master tapes to Nashville, where I had mastering engineer Randy Kling cut the lacquers on his Neumann lathe. Then I took the lacquers straight to United Pressing and had them plated. It was really fun and I got an up-close education on making vinyl records!”, Rick recalls. “And when I got back to the Kudzu Ranch I digitized the ½ masters right away for a future digital release. I am so glad we are finally getting to it. Even better now because the band is expanding the original project with four more covers and two original instrumentals.”

The original six songs included on Kudzu Records Presents were heavy on NOLA recording artists and songs: Jesse Hill (“Whip It On Me), Ernie K. Doe (“Certain Girl”) and Smiley Lewis “(“Lost Weekend “and “One Night of Sin”). The other two cuts had Mary Huff hitting The Pretty Things catalog with her take on “Buzz the Jerk” and “Midnight to Six”.

On the new album, we have added four more of our favorite songs by our favorite artists. Here is a bit more info about the additional cover tunes.

“Devil with The Blue Dress On” is based on the version by Shorty Long. “Shorty wrote the song and his version is the best” says Rick. “lots of people have covered this song but very few do it as greasy and groovy as Shorty”.

Doug Sahm has been an inspiration to the band since day one and his version of “Is Anybody Going to San Antone” is one of our favorites. Check out Mary doing her best to channel Augie Meyers with her Farfisa playing on this cut.

“Just Like You Treat Me” is a Howling Wolf song that Mary fattens up with some flatulent Moog grooves while Rick lays down a chugged out Diddling Daddy rhythm guitar. And, Dave’s driving beat puts in the forward momentum turning the Willie Dixon penned tune into a SCOTS swamp stomper.

The last song is a Slim Whitman gospel number from the late 50’s. “I am a Slim Whitman fan” Rick adds, “His lonesome yodel gets stuck in my craw. I can’t yodel like Slim so we got Mary to add a high sci-fi vocal and then we topped it off with some strange whistling gospel organ. I sang the lyrics thorough a bullet mic and that gave the song a revival tent, cinder block am radio vibe. Yeah!”

The two instrumentals on included on the album are original compositions in a southern groove. “The instros fit in with the vibe of the record” Rick says. “The Bank Walker" is the soundtrack to walking along the Eno River sipping from a warm tall boy on a hot summer evening. “Tripping at the Admiral Benbow” name checks the Memphis hotel of the same name where the band used to stay (and party - HARD)! "Tripping" is a bastard Memphis groove with a psychedelic edge, Bon Voyage!

The Skidmart, the offical SCOTS Store, is the only place you can pre-order the CD. All CD pre-orders will come with an instant digital download so you can get listening right away. The CDs are expected to ship in mid-December and will not be in any other stores.

Merry Skidmas and Happy Holidays!
Rick, Mary, and Dave

 

[Nov 27, 2020]

Hope y'all are all staying healthy and doing well. Southern Culture On The Skids is excited to let everybody know that we have a brand new holiday song, "Surfing On Christmas Day," available now as a digital download, plus on Dec 5th we are releasing the rarest of all Kudzu Records releases, "Kudzu Records Presents" with six additional tracks, plus we're having a 20% off sale on all apparel in the Skidmart! Whoo-hoo!

¡¡ NEW CHRISTMAS SINGLE FROM SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS !!

“SURFING ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Santa Won’t You Bring Me Some Waves)” is available NOW as a digital download in the Skidmart at SCOTS.com!

With lyrics based on Rick’s more memorable Christmas Day paddle outs and the music rooted in 60’s pop surf sounds, “Surfing on Christmas Day” will be a double overhead addition to your holiday playlist.

Rick says, “If you like harmonies soaked in reverb, loud drums, grooving bass and rock and roll guitar, then you are going to like this single”. Mary Huff adds, “Surfing on Christmas Day” is two and a half minutes of stocking stuffing fun that will have you dancing around the house whether you own a surfboard or not — and I know”!

Production note: The song was recorded in Rick’s living room with Dave playing drums right where the Christmas Tree goes! Happy Holidays!!!

“SURFING ON CHRISTMAS DAY (Santa Won’t You Bring Me Some Waves)” is available NOW as a digital download in The Skidmart, the official SCOTS store and will be available in iTunes and wherever you get your tunes on Dec 5th.

 

 

[July 20, 2020]

Hey, what's that buzzin?! It’s Cicada Season here in NC. Brood IX is coming and it's gonna get loud. To celebrate our favorite ugly bug and the eerie song they sing, on Wednesday July 22 the amateur entomologists here at Southern Culture on the Skids are premiering this buzzin' DIY video for a brand-new recording (digital single) of “Cicada Rock 2020”. The single will be available in the Skidmart at SCOTS.com and on Apple Music and wherever you get your tunes.

Rick says,“I grew up fascinated by cicadas. They look prehistoric. When I was a kid we would walk through the woods collecting all the husks from the pine trees and then have a contest to see who got the biggest. Sometimes we would put them in old metal band-aid tins and shake them like some kind of a good luck charm. When all the cicadas would start to sing around dusk – it sounded like alien spaceships were landing in the woods!”

Yeah, the band is bugging out with the “Cicada Rock 2020” video, along with the new digital single and a commemorative t-shirt. Please check them all out in the Skidmart. Don’t wait too long to get the swag because this bug will be gone by September and won’t be back for 17 years!

To learn more about Cicadas check out these links:

• They're Back: Millions Of Cicadas Expected To Emerge This Year
• Cicadamania
• Over a million cicadas will return to swarm parts of the US this summer

 

[Nov 6, 2019]

If you missed the livestream of the in-studio performance at Paste Magazine's Atlanta HQ you can watch anytime right here.

 

[Nov 5, 2019]

Jeff Clark does a great interview with Rick in Stomp and Stammer: Southern Culture On The Skids, Parts 1 &s 2 — MUSICAL MUTATIONS AND SWAMP TONES: RICK MILLER OF SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS TALKS ABOUT THE SOUNDS THAT GET HIM OFF. Rick talks about growing up, his first guitar, musical influences and more.

 

[Mar 15, 2019]

Southern Culture on the Skids' Rick Miller talks with WUNC's Eric Hodge about the song 'Tobacco Road.' We've teamed up with Come Hear NC on a podcast series that explores North Carolina music one song at a time. On this week's episode Rick Miller from the legendary Chapel Hill band Southern Culture On The Skids talks with Eric Hodge about John D. Loudermilk's 'Tobacco Road,' and the many, many times it has been covered. Be sure to stick around after the interview for a live version of Southern Culture on the Skids covering the song.

 

[Feb 13, 2019]

Hi - Will you be our Valentine?

We are offering up this classic SCOTS tune, “Wish I Was In Love” to make you feel something in your heart, or maybe just a tickle in your toes on Valentine's Day.

But wait… no Valentine plans this year? You can just stay home and listen to this therapeutic love song, on repeat, all night long… perhaps with a bottle of wine ? Your date may have left you high and dry but WE will always love you! 💘 (Rick , Mary and Dave).

The full song is available exclusively in the official Southern Culture On The Skids Skidmart at for the low, low price of $1.29.

And now some history from Rick...

Some of you out there might remember “Wish I Was In Love” from our album “For Lovers Only”. The version on that album was actually a demo recorded in Mary’s bedroom in Chapel Hill. We hung a mic from the ceiling fixture and hit play/rec on the cassette deck (a Tascam Porta One actually). We never expected to do much with it.

A few years later while finishing up “For Lovers Only”, we realized there was no real love song on the album — well, not in the traditional “my heart is broken” sense. Not that “Biscuit Eater” and “Daddy Was A Preacher But Mama Was A Go-Go Girl” were not full of love, but we needed something melancholy in a wishing/wistful sort of way to flesh out the album. Mary remembered "Wish I Was In Love” from a few years before and insisted I look thru the shoebox of old demo cassettes and sure enough, there it was. So it became the last song added to “For Lovers Only” in all it’s lo-fi glory.

Mary has always wanted to re-record this song and release it for Valentine's Day. We finally got around to it !! (Happy Valentine's Day to everyone in the SCOTS solar system !!!)

(Listen to a preview now. )

 

[Jan 10, 2019]

Nice interview with Rick in "Do Savannah". He talks about the early days of the band, how fried chicken got into the show, "Camel Walk" being a surprise hit and Bootleggers Choice. Read the whole interview here: Fried Chicken Fun: Southern Culture on the Skids...

 

[Dec 11, 2018]

SCOTS' cover of "Merry Christmas Baby" made this list of "16 Of The Coolest, Most Underplayed Christmas Songs Ever" from The Federalist. Pretty cool company to be in. More here: 16 Of The Coolest, Most Underplayed Christmas Songs Ever.

 

[Dec 3, 2018]

Nice words from the Joe Bonamassa blog. Thanks folks! More here: Southern Culture On The Skids — Joe Bonamassa Blog.

 

[Oct 5, 2018]

SCOTS is "Artist Of The Day" on WYCE out of Grand Rapids, MI. Thanks folks! More here: Artist Of The Day: Southern Culture On The Skids.

 

[Sept 12, 2018]

Hey, Hey y’all! We're here with the real Nitty Gritty!

SCOTS has a new album called Bootleggers Choice and it is definitely “top shelf" from start to finish! This tasty concoction consists of seventeen of the band's most requested songs from their two major label releases Dirt Track Date and Plastic Seat Sweat, sixteen — count ‘em 16 — brand new recordings plus a remastered version of “Camel Walk” from the 1991 EP Santo Sings.

Track Listing:

1. Earthmover
2. Voodoo Cadillac
3. House of Bamboo
4. Eight Piece Box
5. Camel Walk
6. Fried Chicken & Gasoline
7. Nitty Gritty
8. Galley Slave
9. Whole Lotta Things
10. Soul City
11. Banana Pudding
12. 40 Miles to Vegas
13. Firefly
14. White Trash
15. Shotgun
16. Dance For Me
17. Dirt Track Date

Bootleggers Choice was tracked and mixed by Rick and Mark Williams at the Kudzu Ranch in N.C. The old school letterpress artwork is printed on raw chipboard and was designed by Julie Belcher. The first 1000 LPs have a limited edition poster by Julie inside!

On another note we might have to change the lyrics in “Whole Lotta Things” after Hurricane Florence. The line “never had sex in a hurricane” may no longer apply to lots of us here in the Carolinas. Stay high, dry and wear your galoshes! Be safe!

 

[Jun 29, 2018]

A preview of SCOTS show at The Haunt in Ithaca NY: Southern Culture on the Skids takes The Haunt.

 

[Jun 21, 2018]

A preview of SCOTS show at Daryl's House in Pawling NY: SCOTS Will Deliver Its Surfin' Southern Fried Psychobilly To Daryl's House Sunday.

 

[Feb 14, 2018]

Hey Folks, nice interview with Rick in Connect Savannah weekly. He talks about inducting Hasil Adkins into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, Electric Pinecones, and new music in the works. Check it out! https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/get-cultured/Content?oid=7172816

 

[Jan 9, 2017]

Hey SCOTS fans, our album The Electric Pinecones was ranked #21 on the Roots Music Report's Top Rock Album Chart for 2016! We're in some pretty good company too — you can check it out here: http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/.

The band would like to thank everyone who helped make this happen! We're all looking forward to seeing everyone out on the road in 2017, check out our touring schedule. And if you haven't checked out The Electric Pinecones, it's available at SCOTS.com, Amazon, iTunes, and of course, your local record retailer!!

Happy New Year!