I just discovered a Harley Poe album that I have yet to hear. It’s a b sides album, and probably the coolest records they have, honestly.
The faint audio track that can be heard at the beginning of “Everybody Knows My Name” by Harley Poe (Wretched. Filthy. Ugly. album version) is a sample of the iconic chant from The Evil Dead.
Basically, this sums up pretty well what I listen to the majority of my time.
I love this recording so much. It’s a good Harley Poe song, but this version of it makes this my favorite song by them.
Harley Poe is can easily be grouped into the genre of folk music, but they are so much different than anything else within the category. Acoustic, folk style as well as punk music is evident here, but the song content brings something I’ve not seen anywhere else other than Harley Poe. While lyrics containing rather graphic story-telling, Harley Poe doesn’t hold back when it comes to writing music.
Being a fan of horror, and also a fan of acoustic music, this album has got all that I like to see in music. With stories about vampires, zombies, murders, and other horrors contained within the lyrics of their songs, many listeners either absolutely love Harley Poe or absolutely despise them. One thing, I believe, that makes Harley Poe what they are, is the emotion and passion behind the songs. These monsters they sing about become the object of the stories within the songs. Listeners then hear these songs are then touched and can easily relate to what the protagonist of the song goes through. Given, Harley Poe is a much different outfit than most bands you’ll hear, the unique art they bring with their music is hard to overlook, whether you’re a fan of them or not.
Their album The Dead and the Naked was released back in 2006, but I’ve recently discovered the album and it’s hard to put it down. This album conceals a massive array of story-telling; from cannibals to vampires, and zombies to murders, as well as necrophilia (yes, songs about necrophilia), there is very little that is left out in the stories on this album. Songs like Transvestites Can Be Cannibals Too, Corpse Grindin’ Man, Corrupting My Better Half, and It’s Only the End of the World, appear on other albums, though with a different version of each. Half of the album is compiled of songs that were recorded in studio; the other half is made up songs that were recorded live.
Whether you are a fan of horror, acoustic, or even neither of the two; Harley Poe is still worth the listen.
I particularly want to discuss a band called Calibretto (13) and its singer, Joe Whiteford. Calibretto was a Christian folk punk band, but after they broke up years ago, the singer started another band named Harley Poe.
Harley Poe is definitely not a Christian band. They sing about monsters,…
“It’s not enough to say Harley Poe write songs about monsters. Harley Poe sing about being monsters. In the band’s world, the vampires, werewolves, serial killers, and cannibals take center stage and become the protagonists onto whom we project our joys, our fears, and our failings.”
Harley Poe @ Milhouse, Kalamazoo, MI. 3/4/12
