David Childers: Tattooing his heart on his sleeve
THE CD: “Burning in Hell”
THE PERFORMER: David Childers and the Modern Don Juans
On his latest recording, “Burning in Hell,” singer and songwriter David Childers sings songs of love gone bad, prison, mama and other country touchstones, but he does it with a go-for-broke, tattooed-heart-on-rolled-up-sleeve attitude that recalls both the Hanks and Billy Joe Shaver with the touch of a bawling poet.
He also has a fine band in the Modern Don Juans, with growling guitarists and a drummer who gets the job done.
“In the Early Morning” is a gentle song that paints a bleak picture of terrible, familiar beauty: “Fat boy riding on a little mo-ped, leavin Wildroot’s tavern/Big semi rollin’ off the interstate/pretty soon they gonna come together/down on the bridge at the bottom of the hill/where the creek runs high, the chemicals spill/colors the sky with a sulphurous hue/ahh, in the early morning”
This song also features what sounds like an oboe, although the too-sparse liner notes don’t list one. Whatever the possible keyboard wizardry involved, the oboe is a great choice and a credit to the excellent production.
Childers and band break out the banjo on the title track, “Burning in Hell,” and the Don Juans pound out a gutbucket beat as Childers shouts his tale of unfaithful love:
“Where have you gone/and who are you with/and what are you fixing to do?/I’m tortured by visions of fiery death/I’m burning in hell over you.”
“Burn it down!” Childers shouts as the band thunders on.
These guys are probably great live, and now is your chance. Catch them on Friday, March 9 at The Empty Glass, along with The Flat Tires.
— By Paul Gartner
