Dixy Blood
Interview conducted on October 27, 2020
By Dan Locke
Dixy Blood is a new/old area quartet who specialize in classic country ‘n’ western themes played with a rawness, intensity and attitude that suggests a sneering punk aesthetic. No surprise, as the group is comprised of members of The Sickidz, a Philadelphia mainstay since the original Hot Club era. Dixy Blood, however, constitutes a striking new direction south.
Clarence “Mick” Cancer: lead singer Ms. BettyLoo Gee: lead vocals and hay bales Rockin’ Richie Lustre: guitar Moe Jo: drums
What is your upbringing?
Sickidz started as a joke. Michael Ferguson, aka Mick Cancer, wrote an article about a fictitious band and about their exploits in Philadelphia’s alternative newspaper, “The Drummer”, (along with David Fricke, now editor of Rolling Stone). Promoters actually started asking Mike if they could book this band he created, they didn’t realize it was all a joke. I had been living in the UK from 1975-1977, so I had been at the right place to witness punk rock’s beginnings”. In fact, in early 1977, The Clash played Leicester, where I was living at the time. How many people can remember the exact time and place when their life was changed, re-directed on a rock and roll journey that continues 43 years later? When I experienced the raw energy of this young band, I realized that I was listening and experiencing something that I had been waiting for all my life.
Since Mick was a “rock critic”, he interviewed many interesting artists. One of those times was him interviewing Alex Chilton at CBGB’s. Alex told them of a band they needed to check out, The Cramps. Mick and Al went to CBGB’s shortly after that to see them and interview them. They were instantly enthralled with the band, as well as with Lux and Ivy, and they became good friends quickly. That was the inspiration for writing the article about the fictitious band, The Sic Kidz. Alison bought one of Ivy’s guitars, picked up a Fender Twin Reverb somewhere, and went looking for a drummer to complete the line-up.
I returned to Philly in mid 1977. At the time, there weren’t any venues booking punk rock. As things started happening, I was at every show. I started seeing Michael Ferguson with his girlfriend, Alison Endy at many shows. One evening, at a Dictators gig at a venue called Starr’s, they came up to me with the question: “do you play any instruments?” I answered “no”, and then was asked if I’d like to join a band. I said, “ I told you I don’t play any instruments”, to which the reply was, “that’s what we’re looking for.”We agreed to get together soon after. The band they were putting together, Mick Cancer on vocals, Alison (The) End on guitar, Tim Trauma on bass and me on drum. That’s not a misprint. The reason was, I couldn’t play drums, so why start out with more than I couldn’t play? With the same logic, Mick cut off two of Tim’s strings at our first show. Why have four when you can’t even play one?
Our first show was opening for The Cramps at The Hot Club in Philadelphia. It was February 16, 1979. The place was packed, the show shambolic, but, that night we were convinced, we were in a motherfucker of a band.
How did you start to write music?
Mick wrote great lyrics, and Alison would put the chords together. We’d then get together in Mick’s parent’s basement to work the rest out. Alison and I were instantly in sync, and we’d put together the songs rather quickly. It helped that they were very primitive, as we were feeling our way in this new musical universe.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
What was your first performance at like?
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
We played with many great, legendary bands, one of which was The Dead Kennedys. Jello liked us and suggested we come out to the west coast and open for them at the Mabuhay Gardens.We had a friend out there in the bay area (a member of The Residents and owner of Ralph Records). He helped us set up other shows, so we had a brief but successful tour. This was in September of 1980.
Shortly after returning to Philadelphia, Alison was tragically killed in a car accident.
After getting over the initial shock, Mick and I discussed if we could go on with the band. We soon realized that we couldn’t ever replace Alison, but she and I were very close. Mick gave me one of her guitars, a Fender Mustang, and we decided we’d try to find another drummer. The guitar that she bought from Ivy was buried with her. We renamed the band Sickidz…..
We enlisted a friend of ours that was in a band called “Bunnydrums” to record a song to commemorate Alison. We had no studio experience, and I could barely play the guitar. Mick wrote “Rhythm Gurl”, I wrote the music, and we recorded it, along with “Radar Eyes” (by The Godz) and “Nervous Breakdown” (Eddie Cochran). This became the Rhythm Gurl EP, which was re-released for Record Store Day by Munster Records in 2015.
You are a honky tonk punk band. How did you formed at the performing a tribute show honoring Erick Lee Purkhiser (Lux Interior) of The Cramps? FYI I do have a signed guitar from the band.Although I have many great memories and some cool memorabilia of Lux and the band going back to 1978, I do not own any of their signed guitars.
How the band did gets its name?
At some point, we realized The Sickidz had run out of ideas. We took a break, and Mick approached me in 2009 with an idea to reform, but, as a dark country band. As we began working on that, Lux suddenly passed away. We put together a Lux tribute to honor him. At the same time, people from all over the world started putting together “Lux Lives” shows. A huge fan of the Cramps, (Kogar the Swinging Ape), started “Lux Lives East Coast”, with all proceeds going to Lux’s favorite charity, “The Best Friends Animal Society”. We’ve played a number of these benefits, both in Philly and NYC, as both The Sickidz and Dixy Blood. To date, Lux Lives East coast has raised nearly $30,000 in Lux’s memory!!
Your LP “Do Hillbilly Sheep Dreem of Dixy Blood” get released in May 2020. Tell me about it?
The pandemic had begun, we had the record completed but not mixed to our satisfaction. We finished it remotely and released it on Bandcamp. www.dixyblood.bandcamp.com. It combines a lot of what The Sickidz were all about, along with Dixy Blood. In fact, the drummer on these tracks is the same guy that contributed the drumming to the “Rhythm Gurl” EP from 1980!! We intend on putting the record out on vinyl soon.
Why did you just released “Baltimore”?
We put out a record in 2014 called “Songs of Love Lust Loss”. We had some tracks written that we wanted to record while we were mixing SOLLL in Baltimore at Invisible Sound Studios (RIP). Hence, the EP “Baltimore”.
Digital vs. vinyl?
So glad vinyl has made a comeback. By far, my favorite way to enjoy music. The feel of the record, the liner notes that can actually be read without a magnifying glass, turning the record over to side B….ahhh.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It’s astounding how things have changed, and probably will be like this for a long time. Sure, we’ll have shows to go to again one of these days, but we used to go every week and crowd into small venues. Will it ever be possible again?
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
We were very happy to have been able to complete and release “Do Hillbilly Sheep Dreem of Dixy Blood”. If we hadn’t had it to the stage we did, it would have been very difficult to complete remotely (although many bands are figuring out ways to do that). Our timing was good, just by accident.
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