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Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre - 5 Minutes to Live: A Tribute to Johnny Cash

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The last time we heard from Joecephus (aka Joey Killingsworth) he was masterminding the jim dandy tribute to Black Oak Arkansas, Mutants of the Monster. That effort was so extensive that it took two discs to hold all the music; here Joecephus and special guests offer just a quick taste of their fondness for Johnny Cash with a four song set. Two of the songs were penned by Cash; the humorous tale of a man perennially down on his luck that is "The Losing Kind," here sung by Jeff "J.D." Pinkus of Honky and Butthole Surfers fame, and the similarly dark title cut which features vocals from Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds). Joecephus handles the vocals himself on "The Sound of Laughter" while another Bad Seeds alum, Warren Ellis, accompanies on fiddle. The set ends with a take on the chestnut "Long Black Veil" with Buzz Osborne of the Melvins on lead vocals, and while it, like everything here, sticks to the song's original arrangement, there is an eerie edge to the cut thanks to ghostly background vocals layered on to the chorus. Playing drums throughout is W.S. "Fluke" Holland and he must have gotten a real kick out of helping to bring these interpretations to life; he held down the beat in several of Cash's bands.

Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre - 5 Minutes to Live: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
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