Heap Good Firewater, Kemosabe

Cop Shoot Cop seemed to elicit numerous memories from Frenz of NSS. Old Frenz MrDave sez:
     "Love this band (and Firewater too)!' 

 

Firewater was founded by singer/instrumentalist Tod A(shley). in New York City in 1995 after the breakup of his previous group Cop Shoot Cop. Firewater was a world punk musical collective incorporating diverse elements of world music with punk rock. They have also been labeled gypsy punk because as well as including cabaret, ska, jazz, & folk they used Eastern European influences such as klezmer or gypsy music.

Tod A remained Firewater's only consistent member, acting as singer-songwriter as well as bassist/guitarist. Throughout their fluctuating line-up, the band has occasionally featured numerous notable musicians, including Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard, Yuval Gabay of Soul Coughing, David Ouimet of Motherhead Bug & Foetus (good tie-in, right), Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, & Hahn Rowe, Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan of Gogol Bordello/Balkan Beat Box. 

 

Firewater - Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood for Fire, Jetset Records TWA04CD, 1996.
all decryption codes in comments

Some Strange Reaction    
Bourbon & Division    
Refinery    
When I Burn This Place Down
The Circus
I am the Rain    
Balalaika    
The Drunken Jew    
Mr. Cardiac
Snake-Eyes & Boxcars    
One of Those    
Hold on, Slow John

 

 

 

After four more albums in quick succession that really cemented their sound, the band released an album of cover songs with tunes by Sonny & Cher, Robyn Hitchcock, The Rolling Stones, & Johnny Cash among others...

 

 

Firewater - Songs We Should Have Written, Jetset Records TWA67CD, 2004.

The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher cover)
This Town (Frank Sinatra cover)
Diamonds & Gold (Tom Waits cover)
Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover)
Storm Warning (Lynn Taitt & the Boys cover)
Hey Bulldog (Beatles cover)
Some Velvet Morning (Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra cover)
This Little Light of Mine (traditional)
Paint it Black (Rolling Stones cover)
Is That All There Is? (Peggy Lee cover)
I Often Dream of Trains (Robyn Hitchcock cover)

 

After SWSHW, Tod took a three-year sabbatical to travel through Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, & Turkey, chronicling his experiences on his blog "Postcards from the Other Side of the World." During this time, he wrote & recorded the band's sixth studio album, The Golden Hour with the help of various local musicians & friends.

 

 

Firewater - The Golden Hour, Nois-O-Lution 910832,  2008.

Borneo    
This is My Life    
Some Kind of Kindness    
Six Forty Five    
A Place Not so Unkind    
Paradise    
Banghra Bros    
Electric City    
Hey Clown    
Already Gone    
Feels like the End of the World    
Weird to Be Back    
Three Legged Dog

 

 

If you liked the Foetus tie-in, watch this next one,
NØ