 |
 | |
|
What People Have to Say About the Sues:
As most know, “A Boy Named Sue” is the name of a classic Johnny Cash song. But it’s also the name of a great Dallas band, one so awesome that the House of Blues became the “House of Sues” on January 12, when the group performed there. When the Sue’s arrived to warm up, they found someone had taken a giant “S” and taped it over the “B” on the House of Blues’ banner behind the drum throne. It was the band’s first show at the venue, but it probably won’t be their last, because they packed them in. People flocked to the venue to see the “Sues rock the Blues.“ The band was born in 2001 Current members are Sue-A (a/k/a John Pedigo – guitar/vocals), Snakebite Sue (Scotty Tecce – drums), Bobby Sue (Robert Stave – fiddle) and Dub Sue (Ward Richmond – bass), who replaced original member Rocky Garza when he left to join Tweed. At their HOB performance, the fastest fiddle player ever known as a Sue, (Bobby Sue, that is) had fire shooting from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow, then laid waste to every song, killing each note with a surgeon’s precision. Meanwhile, John Pedigo twisted a gnarly melodic path, speeding through brilliantly improvised guitar solos. This professional knows how to work a crowd. He riled everyone up just before the first song by tossing out a few beers. That garnished thousands of raised hands and a flood of thirsty fans to bum rush the stage. Among Boys Named Sue’s accomplishments are winning the Dallas Observer Music Award as Best Country Band three years running and, in 2007, Best Song for “Honky-Tonk If Yer Horny.” In April, that song will be featured on The Riches, a hit show for the Fox Television Studios and FX Television Network. The show, with 3.8 million viewers, stars Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. A TV watching party with the band is scheduled for April 8. (See www.myspace.com/boysnamedsue for information.) Boys Named Sue is one of Dallas’ best-loved bands. Choose the Sues and see them soon! -Scotty Mankoff, Harder Beat - March 2008 Rhett Miller might be prettier, but Brent Best writes a better song and them Boys Named Sue could kick their collective ass. -Darryl Smyers, Dallas Observer Music Blog - December 28, 2007 Tonight, Lee Harvey’s will turn into a hillbilly heaven, and Boys Named Sue shall be the choir you hear as you enter the pearly gates of Lee Harvey’s. OK, the gates aren’t exactly pearly, but you get my point. Boys Named Sue shows aren’t just shows; they are parties. Feel free to toss back a few PBR’s while watching the band, and grab your partner and do-si-do. -The Ghost, Ghost of Blind Melon Blog - September 1, 2007 Once again, you readers have proven that while you may know little about country music, you certainly know a thing or two about having a good time—and if you've been drunk at a bar in Dallas in the last five years, you've probably had a good time or two with the Boys Named Sue. A BR5-49 for the Jackass set, the Sues drink hard and play harder, mixing classic covers, zany originals and goofy medleys into maybe the most entertaining train wreck in town. "With the Sues, we all say, 'What is the stupidest thing we can do?'" says frontman John Pedigo. "Then someone will say, "Hey everybody! Watch this!!!" And then we all jump off the bridge." Take for instance DOMA Best Song "Honky-Tonk If Yer Horny," which recalls the spirit of comic country classics like "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," "Convoy" and "Up in Smoke" as it tells the tale of a truck-stop hooker named Clementine, "a guaranteed good time." Leading off The Hits—the Sues' proper debut—with a bang, the song proves once and for all that the Sues are the local kings of the beer-drinkin' anthem. "The Hits was intentionally conceptual," says Pedigo. "And by conceptual I mean we got together in one night with two cases of beer and a bottle of Tuaca and wrote the entire album and recorded it soon after. I don't think we recorded a song without giggling." But it's not all goofin' off for the Sues, as The Hits also features some fine straight country tunes, from the easy shuffle of "Travelin' Down" to "Amber Friends," a tear-in-your-beer salute to the Sues' favorite liquid therapists, all spiked with the lovely, lilting fiddle lines of the band's secret weapon, instrumentalist Bobby Sue. As for what's next for the three-time DOMA kings of country, it's anyone's guess, but it will certainly involve alcohol. "The Sues will continue to reign supreme and out-drink everyone under the sun," says Pedigo. "It's funny to watch people attempt to keep up with us. Sorry, but it's impossible. [Bassist Ward Richmond] and I alone 'beat' Australia and New Zealand and that ain't easy." And with drinkin' songs as good as these, it's hard not to believe him. -Noah W. Bailey, Dallas Observer - August 16, 2007 BOYS NAMED SUE: Still one of D-FW's best-kept secrets and honored treasures, mastering the art of sawdust rock to drink cheap beer to. Prop your boots up on the bar. -Ayo (DJ for KDGE 102.1), Quick DFW - February 8, 2007 Top 10 Albums of 2006: 7. Boys Named Sue, The Hits Vol. 1 -Darryl Smyers, Dallas Observer - January 4, 2007 It was Thursday night, and thank goodness. Here at UD, Thursday night means TGIT, and TGIT means we all head over to the Rat to see what kind of entertainment has been provided for us this week. This Thursday, we were presented with The Boys Named Sue, a country band originating in East Dallas. The mood in the Rat was upbeat. The band, unashamed drinkers all, seemed to exude an aura of intoxicated revelry that everyone was soon caught up in. Students danced wildly to the bands lively music. Though they are primarily a country band, they blend this with other musical styles, including rock and hip-hop. This provides an entertaining time for listeners with a variety of musical tastes. The Boys Named Sue derived their name from a Johnny Cash song of the same title, and the band is well known for their extensive repertoire of Johnny Cash covers. These were heard often throughout the night, and were surprisingly well executed. Overall, The Boys Named Sue played a solid and entertaining show. Their musical style was at least a welcome change from the usual TGIT performances. For those who got into the spirit of the fun, it was a fun and memorable evening. And at worst, it was something to do on a Thursday night. -Gabe Roberts, University of Dallas News - November 22, 2006 Country music has always found room for both the shitkicker and the guy who falls in shit. Even Buck Owens and Roy Clark suffered through the cornpone of Hee Haw and actually made a haul poking fun at rural folk. Walking that line between humor and oafishness hasn't proved easy, but the four local roustabouts known as Boys Named Sue join the ranks of Mojo Nixon as authentically amusing purveyors of rustic music. The Hits Vol. 1 is as tongue-in-cheek as its title suggests, a ballsy, stupid collection of country that stumbles to the finish line like a pre-rehab Johnny Cash (RIP). Yet while juvenile romps such as "Honky-Tonk If Yer Horny," have, in the past, drawn the most attention, it's the more traditional country rock that serves notice on this latest release. "Lucky With You" and the fiddle-driven "Travelin' Down" are downright plaintive expressions of emotions performed without a hoot or a holler within earshot. "Friends till the end/Or at least for the weekend," front man Sue-Ay sings to his bottle of whiskey in "Amber Friends," coming across as a lovable loser in the vein of Paul Westerberg. While certain to confuse those fans accustomed to the Boys making hillbilly heaven out of the Pixies and Violent Femmes, Hits is a success for having the guts to allow a little seriousness to invade the moonshine-induced festivities. Darryl Smyers, Dallas Observer - June 22, 2006 Boys Named Sue took the stage (by storm) and blew me away. Talk about personality! These guys have stage presence to spare...they played a country fried rock and roll that got the whole crowd moving. Country hasn't ever been my first love, but last night was awesome! -Michael Harberg, TexasGigs.com - June 3, 2006 Name a quality beer joint in this town the Boys Named Sue haven't played and I'll give you $5. Since their humble beginnings as a side project for Ward Richmond and John Pedigo of Slick 57, a band the Sues have now outlasted, the rowdy Dallas quartet has soaked nearly every stage in Dallas in some sort of alcoholic substance, be it Lone Star, Tuaca or the Bird. "Our rule is to never take ourselves too seriously," Richmond says. "John and I took it so seriously and so personally when people didn't like [Slick 57]. Then with the Sues, all we did was say, 'Man, who's not gonna like this shit?!'" And he's right--it's just plain hard to not like the Sues. After all, it's not every country band that can look itself in the eye unashamed after performing a live mash-up of Eminem and Merle Haggard. Sure, they're goofy as hell sometimes, but that's the point--"We're all about wanting other people to have a good time with us," Richmond says. And to those who just can't believe we would give the award for best country band to a group known largely for covers (for the second year in a row, no less), I direct you to the Sues' upcoming album of originals, The Hits, Volume One--which is sure to set the EDT (East Dallas, Texas) on fire if it sports half as many "dandies" as Richmond says it does. -Noah W. Bailey, Dallas Observer - May 11, 2006 The Boys Named Sue are playing the VIP party, and they sound terrific, high-energy and tight. Splicing the White Stripes into old Hank Williams, they turn out a foot-stomping, crowd-pleaser of a country set that even the rappers appreciate. -Sarah Hepola, Dallas Observer - May 12, 2005 Texas is made up of two kinds of folk: people who get country music and people who can't stand it. The latter will point to Shania Twain, Brooks & Dunn and Randy Travis while making a gagging noise, but what they don't know is that many people who love country music do the same thing, too. See, that's watered-down, mainstream junk, and there's great music to be heard in the country genre, but for newcomers, sitting at home with Willie, Merle and Johnny records isn't the best way to start. What y'all need is a dirty bar, a few beers and Boys Named Sue. Easily Dallas' best gateway to the country genre, the Boys, whose members come from fine local bands like Slick 57, Trainwreck and Deadman, are a cover band trapped in the days when Sun Records meant something, yet also have one foot planted firmly in the present. Classic country jewels written by Roger Miller and Doug Sahm get mixed up in the set list with Southern versions of Violent Femmes and Pixies songs, and whether the band re-creates Eminem beats with pedal steel or plays the hell out of its Johnny Cash namesake, it does its damnedest to unite the two kinds of country listeners with a good, boozy time. -Sam Machkovech, Dallas Observer - May 5, 2005 The country-rockabilly of this Dallas act is not to be taken seriously with parodies, cover songs and tributes to Johnny Cash. On Cinco de Mayo, you'll get drunk if you go to this show. Toss the car keys early. -Ayo (DJ for KDGE 102.1), Quick DFW - May 5, 2005 Enter their vivacious musical world and hear the whoops and hollers from the crowd. Witness a performance that will excite any and every nerve in the human body, sending vibes of passion and joy through every vein like a rushing river through a valley. This talented act is called Boys Named Sue, a cover band expressing their crazy, wild, and humorous personalities during each and every show, while at the same time displaying their skills with amazing variety covering everyone from Eminem and the Pixies, to Blue October and Crazy Train. The band consists of a bass player, a guitarist, a drummer, a vocalist, and a violinist who adds the most flair to the group. Boys Named Sue presents a unique sound, combining Country, Blues, and Old Rock and Roll, definitely encouraging everyone present to respond dramatically by showing their talented dancing skills, or how loud they can voice their approval. Come by for an entertaining night of wild, compelling music, and let Boys Named Sue take you away from mundane, boring aspects of your life. -Amy Nelson, Music Ink The Boys Named Sue aren't your average cover band. Sure, they have a set list chock-full of titles you'd expect--"Crazy Arms," "Ramblin' Man," "Wurlitzer Prize." But it's not these classics that set them apart. After all, how many other bands will segue into a Good Charlotte song in the middle of Hank Williams' "Kaw Liga"? Including members of Slick 57, Dallas Trainwreck, Deadman and the Fabulous Harmonaires, the five Sues put on a raucous show that's anything but predictable. That is, unless you already know how a steel guitar can effortlessly re-create the opening bars of Eminem's "Lose Yourself." -Susan Castellon, Dallas Observer - June 24, 2004
"We
are the Boys Named Sue," says YoDaLayHee
Sue as he speaks to the crowd gathered in Muddy Waters, a bar on Named after a Johnny Cash song, the Boys Named Sue began playing in The current lineup is Snakebite Sue on the drums, Bobby Sue on the fiddle, T-Sue on the steel-pedal, Purty Sue on the bass and YoDaLayHee Sue on vocals and guitar. With 16 members in the "immediate Sue family," Boys Named Sue have an open policy about who's eligible to become a "relative." "Pretty much anybody that has played with us has to get married into the family through one of our sisters or by doing something really stupid at a show," YoDaLayHee says at the beginning of his interview. The Boys will neither confirm nor deny that they are related by blood. -Aaron Barker, Folkwax.com - Jan 12, 2002 |
||
 |
 |
|
| |
| Back To Boys Named Sue Homepage | ||
|
|