"That song was about loving your bother…this song is about forgetting…where you buried your girlfriend.”

Scott H. Biram; Hazmat Modine
@Mercury Lounge
New York, NY – April 6, 2006

Opening up for the Legendary Shack Shakers, Mr. Biram returned to New York with a full-on beard, a little rubber chicken on his mic stand, and the same brash attitude of his “dirty old one man band”. Sporting a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt and singing a range of blues/country/metal songs which can best be described by Biram himself at one moment in the show: “That song was about loving your bother…this song is about forgetting…where you buried your girlfriend.” Last time Biram was here he was headlining a Monday night show, coming to town pretty much by his lonesome, which helped fuel his combative “fuck you all” attitude. On this night, he was surrounded by a bunch of Texas and Shack Shaker friends, so we got to see for the first time a happier, nicer, more comfortable Scott Hiram Biram, whom Jesus still loves, and we love probably even more.

(Photo by Roxxan H)

Opening act Hazmat Modine were an invite of the Shack Shakers and it’s not hard to see why: An eclectic 7-piece band, Hazmat Modine starts out playing music best described as a cross between Klezmer and Cajun before turning into a full-on Cajun jazz blues band. Featuring a great trumpet player, two harmonica players, and one wacky tuba, this was a fine opening act though they ran a little long and the lead singer’s interaction with the crowd was cornball.