Toe Tappin' Porch Music

August 27, 2006 6:50 PM

I'm looking for artists/songs that sound like the slide-guitar/banjo intro to KMFDM's WWIII. I'm not really very familiar with bluegrass (is that even the right genre?) outside Bill Monroe, and none of his stuff sounds much like this.
posted by phrontist to media & arts (7 comments total)

Who's KMDFM?
posted by bim at 7:23 PM on August 27, 2006

An iTunes Music Store sample (apparently including the intro in question) is available here. The first thing I thought of upon hearing it was Leo Kottke, specifically Vasoline Machine Gun, which, despite what its title might imply, doesn't have quite the intensity of KMFDM. Still, it's good stuff!
posted by kimota at 7:52 PM on August 27, 2006

Kelly Joe Phelps' older slide stuff may be up your alley.
posted by The White Hat at 8:39 PM on August 27, 2006

Bim, KMFDM. That is, the first three minutes of audio are KMFDM. The rest is a kooky google video claiming that there's no law requiring Americans to pay income taxes.
posted by leapingsheep at 1:44 AM on August 28, 2006

Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) gets my vote. I love his music.

[YouTube] 1 | 2 | 3 |4 | 5 | 6

It's not all toe-tapping, but it has a bluesy, down-home feel to it that is particularly enchanting.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 7:50 AM on August 28, 2006

Thanks for the info leapingsheep. :)

While there stuff isn't really countryish (more bluesish & no banjos), I can think of several terrific slide guitar players who might have some stuff -- traditional or not.

1)I second Kelly Joe Phelps. He's a fabulous guitarist. I've got all his CD's & have seen him in person. He's got a regualr website and one on myspace.

2)Rory Block is an outstanding blues guitarist and she plays both her own stuff and folks like Robert Johnson. I've seen her perform numerous times. She's damn good.

3)I've saved the best for last. Jeff Lang is an ubelievable guitarist -- slide or otherwise. Here's a link to him performing his song London. See if he has anything that you like. I'va also sen him play and he's terrific. He's lately been opening for the John Butler Trio.
posted by bim at 9:12 AM on August 28, 2006

Have you heard of the Pickin' On series? Bluegrass covers of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, U2, Beatles, etc. Not all guitar/banjo, though, so it may not be what you're looking for.

Les Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Doc & Merle Watson, Leo Kottke, Roy Clark are some good pickers that might have stuff you're interested in.

Other than that, if you're wanting more songs like you described, you'll probably have to find specific songs rather than artists. Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Orange Blossom Special, Under the Double Eagle, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Black Mountain Rag all come to mind.
posted by forrest at 3:14 PM on August 28, 2006