The Woolly Bushmen
In Shambles
Pig Baby
It may seem like there’s a low barrier to entry for the psychedelic garage rock genre, but appearances can be deceiving. You may think that all you need is some methodical bashing on your instrument of choice, and a ton of surly teenage attitude, and you would be right, but you have to be really good at it, especially the attitude part.
Which is why The Woolly Bushmen completely nail it. A three-piece may look a member short of the tried-and-true drums-guitar-organ-bass combo, but they keep things hot in a live setting by rotating through instruments and there’s no evidence of it at all on record, as Simon Palombi’s woozy organ solo on the relentless “Little Bit Of Life” will testify. Bassist/guitarist Jacob Miller and drummer Julian Palombi make for a fiery rhythm section, and together the band showcases a wide variety of tones and sounds. In Shambles delivers a good amount of everything, from the flat-out boogie of “Goin’ Out West” to the Kinks-inflected bounce of “Fine”. There’s slower songs, fast songs, You can put this on repeat at your next gathering and be done with music duties for the night, except for the part where everyone asks you what’s playing.
Surprisingly, the Bushmen are not grizzled circuit survivors but a trio of fresh-faced lads out of Winter Park, Florida. This music was retro when their parents were their age (I’m looking at you, Woggles), yet the band shows a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the ancient tropes that make up the genre, and they mash them up with the energy and vigor that a new generation of fans can bring to the party. Put this in your playlist with the Sonics, the Makers, ? and the Mysterians, and The Forty-Fives.
