In case you don't know, Sir Oliver Mally's Blues Distillery is an Austrian blues band. No, there's no misspelling here, I really meant to write 'Austrian' instead of 'Australian'. I discovered their music sometime in the mid-90s almost by accident, and I immediately got fascinated by their authentic, natural and exciting interpretation of contemporary blues. Although they usually enrich their program with covers of Steve Earle, Tommy Castro, Muddy Waters only to name a few, most of the songs are originals and show a lot of variety and a unique approach. It’s not easy to lock the band in because the 'Distillery' part means to mix up the blues with a lot of different styles. I think becoming an internationally successful and ackowledged blues artist starting from Austria seems to be all but impossible. But these dedicated musicians did it. I can remember I was rolling with laughter when, in Andy Hamilton's hilarious radio comedy, Satan cited Austria as a clear example of God's imperfect creation, saying that 'He created the wonderful country of Austria then He filled it with Austrians'. But listening to their honest and energetic music, I think even God would be proud of having created these guys. You know, without blues the universe couldn't be a perfect place.
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For those of you interested:
I'd Rather
I'd rather drink poison with the devil, yeah
Than have a drink with you
I'd rather drink poison with the devil, yeah
Than have a drink with you
I'd rather end up in the hell now
than share in heaven with you, just won't do
I'd rather be a stray dog, baby, yeah
than to be your pet
I'd rather be a stray dog, baby, yeah
than to be your pet
I'd rather make my living out on the streets now
because you would drive me down instead
I'd rather be a prisoner, baby
Than to be your man
I'd rather be a prisoner, baby
Than to be your man
I'm so sick and tired of all your preaching
Even balls and chains
I said even balls and chains
I said even balls and chains
I said even balls and chains
Even balls and chains wouldn't change my mind
