The Immortal Lee County Killers
Encyclopedia
The Immortal Lee County Killers (ILCK) were an American
rock
band
from Auburn
, Lee County
, Alabama
. Playing in the punk blues
style, as well as garage punk
, the band consisted of Chetley "Cheetah" Weise on vocals/guitar, plus assorted musicians over its roughly three incarnations.
Weise had formerly fronted The Quadrajets. ILCK formed in late 1999 and dissolved in 2007, just as it was gaining underground popularity. These incarnations were known sequentially as ILCK I, ILCK II, and ILCK3, and recorded three full-length albums and several singles.
The Immortal Lee County Killers has been called "Truly the place where punk meets the blues." Weise often referred to punk blues as the "fucked up blues" and the "real punk blues". Taking influence from Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker
, Pussy Galore
, MC5
, Skip James
, Bad Brains
and The Gun Club, ILCK approached the punk blues genre with reverence and originality, lending credibility to a genre that had sometimes been previously employed as a musically ironic post-punk
and garage rock
aesthetic. They did not take influence from blues-rock
, preferring the older Delta blues
and Chicago blues
styles.
Chet Weise—a university professor of political economics and a blues connoisseur—has stated, "Punk
and blues
are both honest reactions to life. It's blues, it's our blues. It's just a bit turned up and a bit faster."
, he also recently recorded a solo album, Solitary Pleasure, due out April 12, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Auburn
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, Lee County
Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Playing in the punk blues
Punk blues
Punk blues denotes a fusion genre of punk rock and blues. Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as protopunk and blues rock. Its origins lie strongly within the garage rock sound of the 1960s and 1970s.Punk blues can be said to favor the common...
style, as well as garage punk
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
, the band consisted of Chetley "Cheetah" Weise on vocals/guitar, plus assorted musicians over its roughly three incarnations.
Weise had formerly fronted The Quadrajets. ILCK formed in late 1999 and dissolved in 2007, just as it was gaining underground popularity. These incarnations were known sequentially as ILCK I, ILCK II, and ILCK3, and recorded three full-length albums and several singles.
Musical style
Chet Weise is an enthusiastic and avid proponent of the often-underground punk blues style.The Immortal Lee County Killers has been called "Truly the place where punk meets the blues." Weise often referred to punk blues as the "fucked up blues" and the "real punk blues". Taking influence from Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore (band)
Pussy Galore was an American garage rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1985. They had a constantly fluid line-up until their demise in 1990. Like many garage rock outfits, they were dogged by substance abuse problems...
, MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, Skip James
Skip James
Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
and The Gun Club, ILCK approached the punk blues genre with reverence and originality, lending credibility to a genre that had sometimes been previously employed as a musically ironic post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
aesthetic. They did not take influence from blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
, preferring the older Delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
and Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
styles.
Chet Weise—a university professor of political economics and a blues connoisseur—has stated, "Punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
are both honest reactions to life. It's blues, it's our blues. It's just a bit turned up and a bit faster."
Post-breakup
After The Immortal Lee County Killers' 2007 breakup, Weise went on to front a new punk blues band, Silver Lion's 20/20. John Wesley Myers also started a new band, Black Diamond HeaviesBlack Diamond Heavies
Black Diamond Heavies is a United States blues-rock band originating from Nashville, TN. The band is composed of John Wesley Myers aka Reverend James Leg, formerly of The Immortal Lee County Killers, on bass keys, Fender Rhodes, organ, and vocals with Van Campbell on drums.- Style :After the...
, he also recently recorded a solo album, Solitary Pleasure, due out April 12, 2011.
ILCK II
- Chetley "Cheetah" Weise: vocals, guitar, harp
- J.R. "J.R.R. Tokien" Collins: drums, backup vocals
- Jeff: organ, backup vocals
ILCK3
- Chetley "Cheetah" Weise: vocals, guitar, harp
- J.R. "J.R.R. Tokien" Collins: drums, bass, backup vocals
- Jeff: organ, backup vocals
- John Wesley Myers:
Albums
- (2000) The Essential Fucked Up Blues LP/CD (EstrusEstrus RecordsEstrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music.They have released such bands as Soledad Brothers, The Drags, The Mummies, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers, Gas Huffer, The Mooney Suzuki, DMBQ, The Cherry Valence, Midnight...
) - (2003) Love Is A Charm Of Powerful Trouble LP/CD (Estrus)
- (2003) Love Unbolts The Dark CD (Sweet Nothing)
- (2006) These Bones Will Rise To Love You Again CD (Tee Pee RecordsTee Pee RecordsTee Pee Records is an independent record label located in New York City in the United States, made popular by the signing of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.-Artists :*Ancestors*Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound*The Atomic Bitchwax...
)
Singles
- (2000) Big Damn Roach 7" (Homo Habilis, ILCK 01)
- (2000) Train She Rides 7" (Homo Habilis, ILCK 06)
- (2001) Let's Get Killed 7" (Estrus, ES 7156)
- (2004) Sonic Angel 7" (Munster Records, MR 7190)
- (2005) Turn on the Panther 7" (Sweet Nothing Records)
Splits
- (2001) ILCK/Matching Numbers 7" (Chicken Ranch Records, ILCK 07)
- (2002) ILCK/The Monkeywrench 7" (Bronx Cheer, ILCK 08)
- (2003) ILCK/Cash Audio: Orange Sessions Vol 2 10" (Orange, OR-23)
- (2003) ILCK/The Wednesdays 7" (Arkam Records, Arkam 8)
Compilations
- (2000) The Estrus Apeshit Rock Sampler Vol. 2 CD (Estrus, ES 1275)
- (2000) The Isle Of Spight CD (Catch And Release, CR 006)
- (2002) The Estrus Double Dynomite Sampler Volume 3 CD (Estrus, ES 1288)
- (2004) Smash Music Sampler CD (Smash Music, smash 008)
- (2005) This Is Punk Rock Blues - Vol #1 CD (Punk Rock Blues, PRB CD001)