We’ve been writing up lots of music lately, but that’s okay. There’ll be plenty more films as we get closer to Halloween. Hee Haw Hell also counts as a scary ride—and an unexpectedly ambitious one from Dash Rip Rock. This veteran cowpunk act has spent over two decades as one of the South’s most reliable bar bands. Like many New Orleans bands, though, Dash found themselves reevaluating things after decades of Democratic corruption caught up to their hometown.

Bill Davis—the creative force behind Dash’s long existence—finally reemerged with the Southern Rock Opera of Hee Haw Hell. That was pretty bold, if only because a band called Drive-By Truckers had already gotten plenty of national press with their own Southern Rock Opera. It was called Southern Rock Opera.

Hee Haw Hell, however, is no pale imitation. It’s the story of Donkey’s Inferno as he rides across the River Sticks. Davis is pretty inspired, and the album’s is Dash’s most consistently entertaining since their 1986 debut. There’s also plenty of moralistic attitude, in both the lyrics and the cantos narrated between each tune. Here’s our favorite, even if it does take a swipe at one of the South’s few decent jam bands:

        As we landed on the ground
        A widespread panic knocked me down
        The air was rank
        With hippie stank
        A dreadful greatness filled my head

        “Come on, dude, and dance with us
        Among patchouli’s smell
        We’re not really from Macon
        We’re only fakin’
        In the concentric drum circle of Hell.”

The most surprising thing about Hee Haw Hell is that it’s released on Alternative Tentacles—a label owned by noted hippie punk Jello Biafra. He even shows up in a demonic cameo to rant about the sad state of today’s music scene. This has upset some sensitive souls. After all, Dash Rip Rock is a frat-rock band.

We’ve already found one review lamenting how Hee Haw Hell reveals “how far Biafra has fallen from being an outspoken left-wing punk legend.” In Biafra’s defense, the album has a reference to George W. Bush that might be considered derogatory—but it sounds more like flattery to us. Some disappointed leftist punks seem to agree.

Make it your own: Available now—but don’t go buying from one of Amazon’s third-party dealers. It’s probably an evil rock critic selling off his promo copy. That kind of purchase will send you to Hell. You can, however, go ahead and listen to the complete cantos from the samples on the Amazon page.

The full text of Hee Haw Hell is on the album’s MySpace page. The band’s touring around, and you can learn more about that at the official Dash Rip Rock website.

 

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