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Sometime around 2001, I returned to Southern Illinois and lived for a short time in a tiny little town called Desoto.  It rests on Highway 51 a few miles north of Carbondale, home of Southern Illinois University.  While I was a Desotian, I discovered The Woodbox Gang.  They were a band hailing from Makanda, an even smaller town (population 400) that rests in a "holler" called Vulture Valley, right at the entrance to Giant City State Park.  Thanks to the local community radio station, WDBX, I heard some amazing music coming from these guys.  I promptly went to the local section in the record store and picked up 2 great CDs:  TRASHCAN AMERICANA and WORMWOOD.  I still listen to these albums as frequently as I did when I first bought them over 10 years ago.  From the haunting TERMITE SONG to the sing along silliness of IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS, I was hooked...and still am.  When I got to see them play live, I became a disciple.  It really was like a religious experience.  You must understand, even if I wasn't from Southern Illinois, I would love this band.  The lyrics are clever and the musicianship is amazing.  It's hard to pin a label on these guys, as well.  In write ups, I've heard it described as "trashcan americana, death folk, creepy country, cow punk, etc."  My favorite was "y'all ternative."  Whatever.  I just call it "good shit."  As mentioned before, something about their music literally SCREAMS Southern Illinois. 

In 2003 they were approached to provide the soundtrack to a documentary about Charlie Birger called THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE BIRGER, which was produced by WSIU.  The result was the album I'VE KILLED MEN.  While the documentary was cool, I always thought the songs were more suited to a dramatic telling of Birger's life.  I was so pleased to hear the same sentiment expressed by Alex Kirt, one of the co-founders of the band.  Shortly before my recent trip to Illinois, I was able to contact Alex via Facebook (I guess social networking sites are good for SOMETHING) and flat out asked if I could meet with him to discuss using some of the songs off I'VE KILLED MEN for BNAGO.  Truthfully, I expected to either be ignored or to be told that the rights were all tied up and that it just wasn't possible.  I was very pleased and surprised to read Alex's reply.  He said that he'd be happy to meet with me during my visit.  He also said that the band owned all the rights to their songs.  I was ecstatic, to say the least.
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I met with Alex the night after my mother's funeral.  It had been a long hard day of tears and heartache, and I almost canceled our meeting.  However, I expected it to be a short visit of dry business talk and thought that it might prove to be a welcome distraction for a short bit of time.  Instead, I was invited to sit and drink a beer in Alex's studio and we talked for a few hours.  As a fan, I was very excited to be sitting and speaking with such a talented musician.  This is the guy who largely brings some of the unique sound to the band, playing such diverse instruments as banjo, didgeridoo, washboard, etc. 

Ultimately, Alex was very interested in the project and agreed to let me use the 3 songs I wanted for the movie.  Specifically, I'VE KILLED MEN for the opening titles, S. GLENN YOUNG for the demon sequence and DEATH IS COMING for the credits.  I couldn't be more pleased.  This is the music that I've had in my head playing over these scenes for a long time.  If the music wasn't there, it wouldn't be the same project at all, in my opinion.  I'd like to thank Mr. Kirt for his time, his hospitality and his interest. 

For anyone interested, here are some links related to The Woodbox Gang that you might want to check out.  The first is their website, where you can purchase CDs, etc. 

http://woodboxgang.homestead.com

Coincidentally, I'm not the only filmmaker working on a project that involves The Woodbox Gang.  The Gang's front man and leader, Hugh DeNeal ran into some legal trouble a while back, resulting in a nearly 3 year stint in Leavenworth.  Using the title of one of Hugh's songs, a couple of guys are making a documentary about Hugh, called CONFIDENCE MAN.  Check out the trailer:
Finally, check out Woodbox Gang's live rendition of Vernon Dalhart's THE HANGING OF CHARLIE BIRGER:
 


Comments

sue mattson

Tue, 24 May 2011 06:17:28

I like that band. Good stuff.:) I'm also interested in that guy's personal story. It seems that it would be very easy to get into trouble collecting money over the internet. You really have to research stuff and at the very least be upfront and honest about your profits. Interesting story though.

 



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