Artist description A thrilling cowpunk quartet that resides in a world where Jesus lives above the liquor store.

Musical Influences Old country and beer

Similar Artists Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Son Volt, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, The Band, Slobberbone

Artist History Mulehead has been around in one form or another since 1992. The first version of the band included various members from different bands around Little Rock. The band's first album "Never Again" was recorded using these various members. The result was a "punk,country, gospel-rock record" (as Jim Dickinson put it). After leaving ho-hum lead-singer/main songwrtiter Kevin Kerby decided to get a little more serious about the band. Enlisting the services of local badass, bass player, drunk, Brent Adam-Smith-Labeau, guitar player/fashion model Dave Raymond, and Drummer/Yankee Geoff Curran. The band played their first gig on the night of Labeau's son's birth. Shortly their after the boys recorded "The Gospel Accordian II." The album has received critical acclaim (read: not much money was made off of it). Mulehead will be in a town near you soon. That is, if you live near Little Rock...

Group Members Kevin Kerby, Dave Raymond, Brent LaBeau, Geoff Curran

Instruments guitars, drums, banjos, accordians, handclaps, barks, and yee-haws

Albums Never Again (1998 HTS Recordings), The Gospel Acordian II (1999 HTS Recordings)

Press Reviews "[Mulehead] sing[s] about loss and redemption, pain and ecstasy, as if they were blood kin. But Mulehead can buck the country yoke faster than you can holler 'alt.' ... Most of these songs have at least a passing reference to religion, once a staple of country that's now treated as that thing down in the root cellar that no one wants to mention. Here, Kevin Kerby writes about it with a candor that reflects the Southern reverence and ambivalence for the subject. ... [H]e laments the missed connections between man and church while putting the blame on the shoulders of both.... But the rewards of faith are clear in songs like 'Dig My Grave,' with its joyous affirmations complemented by a burlesque house drumbeat, and 'Get Thee Behind Me Satan,' which will have you trying to decide whether to squaredance or mosh. Ultimately, it's the attitude that proves Mulehead's true nature. 'One Of These Days,' where carving a beloved's name in your arm and winding up dead in her yard are declarations of true love, is a good example of the gonzo Southern gothic sensibility that's prevalent throughout. More punk than podunk, Mulehead is a fine rock band from Arkansas that just happens to make music that's kinker than Porter Wagoner's perm."-Barry Tarlton, Pop Culture Press, 4/00 "[A] tasty blend of country, rock, hillbilly and clever lyrics...."-Mark Marymount, The News-Leader (Springfield, MO), 1/21/00"Ce quatuor de l'Arkansas propose un mélange bien musclé de rock (qui passe le moins bien) de country rock et de cowpunk, avec des accents bluegrass. Quelques titres sortent nettement: Cheap Red Wine au riff rockin' blues lancinant, un Busted (rien à voir avec celui de Ray Charles) qui rappelle des teen ballads des 50's, One of These Days, solide country rock, When the Dope Ran Out ou un Lullaby For Catfish quasi rockabilly."-Bernard Boyat, Le Cri du Coyote (Lyons, France), 1/00"These ... self-confessed hillbillies electrify the sub-Wilco alt-country thing with more juice than most, though I'm still looking for the accordion. (Thanks, however, for the 'LSD 390' joke.)"-Thomas Conner, Tulsa World, 12/24/99"[Let's not] try and pigeonhole a band as interesting as Mulehead. Roaring out of the Ozarks with a blend of roots rock and traditional country with a few hard rock riffs thrown in for good measure, 'The Gospel Accordion II' defies easy categorization. Where Mulehead comes out with guitars blazing on songs like 'Out Here In The Pines' they can also pull off instrumentally sparse, lyric-driven songs like the wickedly humorous 'Pilate.' The bluegrass-styled instrumental 'Ozark' has a nice lilting rhythm and some tasty six-string work while 'When The Dope Ran Out (So Did She)' is a good old-fashioned tear-jerkin', poop-punting country tune. [T]he band's instrumental prowess and musical chemistry [allow] them to run the gamut of musical styles and influences with skill and vigor while remaining entirely original and refreshing."-Buzz Kuts, alt.culture.guide, 12/6/99"I love these guys.... 'Cheap Red Wine' [is] pentatonic heaven.... funny and clever.... alternative country that rocks.... smart and fun."-JH, Vintage Guitar, 3/00"[S]turdy country rock numbers that roll out of the band with casual charm--some of them even sound like they're destined to become classics. One of the strengths of this quartet is its ability to capture the immediacy of a song on the first take. [A] barrage of alluring hooks.... 'One of These Days' ... works so well that it sounds like a fifty-year-old chestnut. [T]his band embraces all that's earthy and believable in rock and country music."-cduniverse.com, 1/00"Mulehead might not make the best neighbors. They sound a little unruly, a little ragged. Their music is too loud for the front porch and too boisterous for the garage - but it does catch your ear. Mulehead headman Kevin Kerby writes and sings in a casual, off-handed style that disguises a surprising depth to his writing. Reflecting an upbringing where his family liked hell-raisin' and religion, his songs deal in matters sacred and profane ... both churches and liquor stores.... More than a one-man band, ... Mulehead boasts of Dave Raymond's raucous guitar work, Geoff Curran's jubilant drumming and Brent Labeau's versatile skills on the banjo, the lap steel, the bass and the Wurlitzer. They fuel Mulehead with a sound that funnels elements of country blues, honky tonk country and even bluegrass through Southern rock and provide a raw-but-right foundation for Kerby's slightly bleary-eyed musings on life."-Michael Berick, Country Standard Time, 1/00"[R]ollicking.... Mulehead genuinely dig from the old school of hillbilly, country and rock and among contemporaries sound most refreshing."-David J. Klug, Blue Suede News, 12/29/99"[[One of the] CDs of the '90s that stand the test of time [and] matter most.]"-Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/26/99"This CD is what makes America great.... It's got driving drums, rocking guitar and a wry vibe. You'll hear echoes of Neil Young here, but there's plenty of originality to set Mulehead apart.... [T]wangy and fun ... groovin' ... intriguing...."-Michael Haddigan, Arkansas Times, 12/17/99"[The Gospel Accordion II] touches a nerve.... [W]itty ... tight.... [F]unny and mature lyrics. Let's hope they find a major label."-Jeff Williams, Arkansas Times, 12/17/99"[A] loping, off-kilter masterpiece.... [One of the best albums of 1999.]"-Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/12/99"Mulehead proves that roots-rock can still have a kick like moonshine from a tin cup. [A] sense of humor that wards off imitative reverence, combined with music reduced to the barest essentials of country/rockabilly licks. There's a laid-back looseness to the playing that calls to mind a kind of backwoods Replacements, a rare sensibility these days when most acts are vying for the corporate brass ring. Mulehead seems content to play the part of the thinking man's good old boys."-John Terlesky, Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 12/11/99"[A] great CD.... It's in my top 10 [CDs of 1999]."-Werner Trieschmann, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 12/10/99"Mulehead ... makes a huge artistic leap [with] a sprawling slab of Dixie-fried guitar-picking and strangely affecting tunes (Ozark; Dig My Grave) that would fit proudly next to records by the Bottle Rockets and Bare Jr. And on the raucous highlight Out Here in the Pines, Mulehead rocks out better than either of those acts."-Bill Ellis, Commercial Appeal [Memphis], 12/4/99"[A] band whose sense of humor is as strong as its musicianship.... [B]est described as a low-fi Wilco... A good solid disc from start to finish. Funny, rocking, and stylistically diverse, Mulehead kicks ass."-Timothy Lynch, pauserecord.com, 11/23/99"If you miss The Band ... worry no more: Mulehead is here."-Edvins Beitiks, San Francisco Examiner, 11/8/99"I love this album, without qualification. It's a joyous, raucous, hell-bent-for-bar tips celebration of American country life.... [E]qual parts X, Crazy Horse and Skynyrd.... I can't get enough of it."-Ed McKeon, The Herald (New Britain, CT), 11/5/99"... a thrilling cowpunk quartet that resides in a world where Jesus lives above the liquor store."-Marc Greilsamer, Amazon.com"[Mulehead] ignite a scorching grease fire ... that rocks like holy hell."-Jake Cline, City Link (S. Fla.), 10/99"[A]n esoteric mix of religious references and redneck hobbies ... [Mulehead] defies description. You'd be better off just listening to the album."-FMQ, 10/1/99"[Mulehead] conjure[s] comparisons to Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and other 'no depression' bands as well as the fat part of the alt.country crowd.... but ... more melodic and witty.... The playing on The Gospel Accordion II is solid, and Kevin Kerby on lead vocals sounds a little like Steve Earle, who I bet would enjoy this album. I'm not surprised there's a short instrumental on The Gospel Accordion II hidden two minutes after the last track. This disc gives up its secrets that way -- through investigation. Is it a dirge to let us know that things go on even after the end, or just an Easter egg from some guys who have fun making music? I've been playing The Gospel Accordion II again and again to figure it out."-Marc Mickelson, Soundstage, 10/99"[D]iverse [and] versatile. [Mulehead is] extremely talented and ... take you for a ride on this album. [A]bout as fine as a run down Roller-Coaster Hill.... Very clever and most enjoyable."-Nightflying, 10/99"Mulehead['s] ... blend of honky-tonk raucous rock is similar to few groups on the market today. 'The Gospel Accordion II' [is] a great record to get absorbed in. The band ... sound[s] like a bastard child of Southern rock, creating a glorious noise that reflects a refreshing attack on music so desperately missed these days. This is not your father's Marshall Tucker Band - and that, I'm sure, suits Mulehead just fine, thank you very much.... [T]ry and not laugh.... [K]iller tracks that you'll find yourself going back to time and time again.... [B]oth the band and the album are well worth searching out."-Christopher Thelen, dailyvault.com, 9/22/99"Mulehead has the dark, lonesome sound of an abandoned country rocker. Like Hank Williams if he turned up the distortion. The songwriting on their new album, The Gospel Accordion II, is harsh at times, at other times subtle. Plaintive melodies confront dirt, grime, and nastiness with a backwoods wit. 'When the Dope Ran Out (So Did She)' is a sly tale of loss told by a dope fiend on a barstool. Delivered with a snide country twang, it's an edgier mock-up of a traditional barroom ballad. All the elements of country are in place: the guitars bend and whine, the bass plods slow and steady, the lap steel slides and cringes, singer Kevin Kerby's voice wallows and wails, the backing vocals croon along drunkenly. But it's tinged with a rock sensibility. It's country for hipsters. In fact, the four piece from Little Rock is engaged in a kind of revival. Attempting to sound like the old, real country, they glorify the outsider, the stray, the drunken rambler. There is a sense Mulehead has gained through years of keeping track of the world, of listening to music, of being in the know. They manage to sound earnest, to avoid slipping into the parody or mockery that often accompany city mice playing country moose music. An interesting feat, a promising development. Mulehead's album is worth a listen."-Justin Rice, Audiogalaxy.com, 9/17/99 "[S]treets ahead of the rest.... Dynamite vocalese frae Mr. Kerby and Monsieur Labeau ... absolutely breathtaking solos courtesy of Brewmeister Raymond ... and skin pounding of solid reliable quality performed by Doctor Curran round out this very impressive disc. [N]avvy like workmanship.... [B]lows most new country oot the water and back oan tae dry land. Mulehead is right where it's at baby!"-"Scottish" Brian, Little Rock Free Press, 9/15/99"Mercy, mercy, mercy me. Here it is, one of the best things produced by a Little Rock act since ... the last ho-hum record? Underclaire? The Rockin' Guys? The Gunbunnies? ... [The Gospel Accordion II] has a kick in its get-along. This puts a shine on Kevin Kerby's voice and his great sense of humor. There are guitars and hand claps and an amazing song about Pontius Pilate. 'Cheap Red Wine' ought to go in heavy rotation on Little Rock radio stations Magic 105 and KSSN right now. Who knew the next Steve Earle would come from Little Rock...."-Werner Trieschmann, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 9/10/99"[S]ome of the smartest country/rock going. They are flat out GOOD! Often with their collective tongue in their collective cheek, Mulehead kicks out the stops with a nice blend of genuine C&W, country/rock and wit. Fans of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers will especially enjoy their well-crafted tunes. Looking for the C&W song title of the year? Try Mulehead's 'When the Dope Ran Out (So Did She).' Other potential radio wonders are the rocking 'Dig My Grave,' the somewhat heavy metal-ish 'Out Here in the Pines' and 'Lullaby for Catfish.' [A] fine crusing down the road CD. Highly recommended!"-Greg Allen, Soundations, 9/7/99"The guitars crunch, but they're spry more so than heavy. The lyrics are lighthearted but by no means frivolous. The songs feel very much like country songs at heart, even if they sometimes sound like country songs with their fingers in the wall socket. Welcome to Kevin Kerby's Mulehead, a thrilling Little Rock, Arkansas, cowpunk quartet that resides in a world where Jesus lives above the liquor store. Kerby's conflicted lyrics seem suspicious (but not dismissive) of Christianity, although if he truly felt jaded, perhaps he wouldn't sing about religion in so many of his songs. 'I've heard it said the gospel call will come to you in slumber / I was at the bar, you know, and they didn'tleave a number,' he sings in 'Out Here in the Pines.' On 'Glad to Be Here,' he explains, 'I read the Bible cover to cover / It don't say nothin' about a girl like you.' 'Pilate' is your classic country shuffle from the point of view of a misunderstood outlaw: 'Well, my name is Pilate and I have your king / I wash my hands to the whole damn thing / What could I do, I'm just one man / Why I'm in hell, I don't understand.' You don't know whether to say 'amen' or 'another round,' but you get the sense that either is acceptable."-Marc Greilsamer, amazon.com, ?/?/??

Location Little Rock, Arkansas - USA

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