Hellshovel’s Jeff Clarke on Voyager 8, touring, and the garage scene

hellshovel jeff clarke
Canada’s Hellshovel are described by their label, Slovenly Records, as “bumpkin punks,” and their most recent album, Hated By The Sun, as “the sound of Johnny Cash drowning in a pool of cough syrup.” These are apt descriptions, and when you factor in their work with Greece’s Acid Baby Jesus on the Voyager 8 10-inch last year, there’s a lot of drug references being thrown around. It’s not inaccurate — I’ve never heard a band who more accurately represented being fucked up through music.

Hellshovel and Acid Baby Jesus embark on a North American tour starting on February 22, at the Bell House in Brooklyn, and finishing in Milwaukee at Linnemans Riverwest Inn on April 6, as part of Lookout Weekend II. The tour hits the Replay Lounge in Lawrence on Saturday, March 2, and I’ll be there. In advance of the tour, we spoke with singer / guitarist Jeff Clarke via e-mail about Hellshovel, their collaboration with Acid Baby Jesus, and the garage scene in general.
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Hellshovel, ‘Sleep Walking’


I’ve not talked about the Hellshovel album that Slovenly put out last month. This is a shame, but it’s just that there’s so much going on with Hated By The Sun that I can’t possibly describe it. The LP is the auditory equivalent of trying to think after a massive bong rip. Everything takes an extra second or two to come to you, and when it does, it’s wrapped in layers of fuzz and you’re more confused than when you started. Then you giggle about how awesome everything is. Go buy a copy from the Slovenly webstore (coincidentally, you can also check out a track while you’re there).