At 31 years old, Shelton Hank Williams III has played the Grand Ole Opry, released two country albums on Curb Records, is a member of metal band Superjoint Ritual and punk band Assjack, and has appeared in a movie. And this is just the beginning.
There are two definite sides to Williams – the punk that grew up idolizing Black Flag and the countryside that makes him the third part of an amazing family legacy.
Before hitting the stage of Stubbs BBQ in Austin, Texas on January 18, 2004, Williams took some time to talk about his chosen path, the Williams legacy and the status of music today.
In the early 1990s, Williams was doing his own thing, getting paid $25 a night playing drums in a punk band called Buzzkill. That was all well and good until a judge called one day and life changed. “A one-night-stand waited three years and fucking hit me up for $30,000 back pay and $400 in child support a month,” he said.
Not wanting to be labeled a ‘dead-beat dad,’ he wanted to find more steady income. “Punk music wasn’t a ‘real job’ in the judges eyes. So, for me to get a real job meant for me to go down to music row and get in the fucking game, unfortunately,” Williams said. “It just pushed me into it quicker than I wanted to. And I always knew I’d be having the best of both worlds.”
He found a manager, who recommended dealing with Mike Curb out of Nashville. He signed with Curb and Hank Williams III – the country singer was unleashed.
Of course, he has had a very well documented problem with his label not allowing him to have the creative license he feels he should have. “Mike Curb wants me to be Hank Williams. That’s what he told me when I finally got to sit down with him, basically, in a round-of-bout way. So, that’s his problem,” Williams said. “You know, I could have just had my hair short, be wearing wranglers and trying to be the next pretty young cowboy Hank Williams, but that wasn’t cool to me.”
Incidentally, according to Williams, the true ‘Hank Williams’ of today does not share his last name or heritage. “If you want to see the Hank Williams of today, you go see Wayne “The Train” Hancock and he’ll take you back to that time. He’ll paint that Hillbilly picture for you with very simple words.”
Through Curb Records, Williams has released two albums – 1999’s Rising Outlaw and 2001’s Lovesick, Broke, and Drifting.
Williams has never been pleased with his freshman effort, Rising Outlaw. He explains it represents Curb’s idea of what he should sound like. “I hated it. I hated it since they wouldn’t let me do it my way,” he said. “It took them two years to make a record for some ungodly amount of money, trying to make it slick or something.”
His second release, Lovesick, Broke and Drifting is more Williams’ style. All songs, save for an amazing rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City,” are written by Williams. “It’s getting there. It’s a step in the right direction. Every one is a learning process,” he said.
Williams says he has a third country album completed, titled Thrown Out of the Bar that should see the light of day as soon as the lawyers are done with the negotiations.
Willams’ live country set is a sight to behold. He takes the stage with an old beat-up cowboy hat, duck-taped boots, and hair pulled back in a ponytail. His acoustic guitar sports a simple four-letter message for his label. What got me, though, were his eyes – staring through people, into their souls. It’s the most intense country I’ve ever witnessed. He’s not just going through the motions up there. There’s passion and energy and pure love for the music in every note.
“Being a drummer, being around punk rock, hardcore all my life. I was into the energy. I found a way to get that energy through country music,” he said. “I consider our style of music more like outlaw - compared to Nashville’s country, or CMT video country. We’re a certain breed and we’re proud of it.”
Outlaw Country is definitely a different animal. A breed of musician who plays from the gut no matter if it’s in front of ten or ten thousand. “The kid opening up for us tonight, Scott H. Birum, he’s an incredible singer-songwriter. Wayne Hancock is another outlaw. He’s like the most pure country,” he said. “There’s a lot of it out there. A lot of dirty, grungy kids out there playing country music. It’s got an edge to it. (Looks through his CDs) Double Clutch, for instance, they’re just fucking great.”
Along with being a force to be reckoned with in the country music arena, he’s been able to let his punk flag fly as well. Assjack is the name of the hardcore punk band that takes the second set every night. So, what’s in a name? “The Jumping Mules from Jane, Missouri is kind of the reason,” he said. “My grandfather always raised mules on my mom’s side of the family. I’d always hear them hollering. They always sounded kinda evil to me.”
The difference in the live performance between the country set and punk set is just as much as anyone could imagine. Williams was nice enough to thank the folks who came out for the country set and advised, “It’s about time for y’all to leave, because we’re gonna start with the screaming stuff in about 10 minutes.” Williams emerged a few minutes later in a T-shirt and his hair loose and hanging in his face, sporting an electric guitar with a Superjoint Ritual and Misfits sticker attached. It’s an amazing transformation.
