"Scorchers Are Hotter Than Ever"

By Lisa Robinson
New York Post
Friday, October 18, 1996
Rock Talk

Copyright 1996 New York Post

Country punk, country rock, cow-punk, punkabilly - it's all rock n' roll to Jason and the Scorchers, who are back with an inspired new album ("Clear Impetuous Morning") and [are] at Tramps tonight.

Fifteen years ago, Jason and the Scorchers were the hottest thing out of a bloated Nashville scene, with a sexy debut album ("Fervor") that defied tradition and pulled together the best of country and punk. The band (Jason Ringenberg, Warner Hodges, Jeff Johnson and Perry Baggs) helped pave the way for current hybrids such as k.d. lang, Son Volt, Steve Earle and Wilco, but it broke up after nine tumultuous years.

"People say that the Scorchers were pioneers of modern American country rock", says singer Ringenberg, an Illinois pig farmer's son turned musical evangelist. "But it wasn't until the last couple of years that all those different forms of music came to the forefront of the American consciousness. We're in a good position now because we have the incredible stroke of good fortune to be coming out with the best record of our career".

As for the band's five-year split, Ringenberg says, "I don't know if we were fed up with each other; we were just fed up with the whole scene that we had grown up around the band. We needed a break from it. The rock n' roll lifestyle took its toll on everybody in the band, but we went through it, got past it, and now we're much stronger for it. To be quite frank", he adds, "we're delighted to be without all the comforts of home now, because it means we're back on the road".

Ringenberg says he loves New York. "I've never had people be rude to me, I've never been accosted, I've never been mugged, I've never gotten lost. I think if you go into a situation with an attitude, you're going to get an attitude back, but if you go in there saying 'Look, I'm just a kid from the sticks, help me out here', you're going to get help. Every time I come up here, if I get lost or ask directions, people are just glad to help me out and show me the way. I always have an excellent time".

Drivin' N' Cryin' and the Health and Happiness Show open for Jason and the Scorchers at Tramps.

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