Austin

Hear the first new recording released by the Damnations since 2002!

The Boone sisters- Amy and Deborah- plus Rob Bernard on guitar and banjo and a revolving drum chair (Keith Langford, Conrad Choucroun, Rey Washam) were once the darlings of the Austin scene. Signed to Sire Records (Madonna, Ramones) in the late ‘90s, they seemed to be on their way to national acclaim. But it didn’t happen for a bunch of reasons, mostly bad luck. This talented group just bailed on the music biz after recording the album Heart Like a Hotel with Bruce Robison that never came out. They’ve never played in public since.

So that left only two studio albums- Half Mad Moon in ’98 and Where It Lands in ’02- neither of which captured the band as well as it’s KUT Live Set.

Damnations 2002. Left Deborah Kelly, Rob Bernard, Amy Boone.

Damnations 2002. Left Deborah Kelly, Rob Bernard, Amy Boone.

But since the Damnations were early on the Ted Hawkins appreciation train, and since Bernard and Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins co-producer Kevin Russell go way back to the Picket Line Coyotes in the ‘80s, they were a natural for the tribute record, which comes out Oct. 23 on Eight 30 Records.

“We were hoping they would do ‘Watch Your Step’ (a Hawkins cover that was a Damnations set highlight), but they said, ‘Nah, we don’t want to do the same ol’ thing,'” said co-producer Brian T. Atkinson. Instead they did “Bring It On Home Daddy,” the song that follows “Step” on Hawkins’ 1982 debut LP.

We’ll have more on Cold and Bitter Tears, which was funded to the tune of $70,000 by Lagunitas Brewing Co., closer to the release date. As for a Damnations reunion, we can only hope. Amy Boone is currently a member of the Portland-based Delines.

tedhawkinslp

Artists included on Cold and Bitter Tears include James McMurtry, Kasey Chambers, Tim Easton, Mary Gauthier, Jon Dee Graham, Sunny Sweeney, Randy Weeks, Tina-Marie & Elizabeth Hawkins, Gurf Morlix, Danny Barnes, Ramsay Midwood, Shinyribs, Steve James, Evan Felker and the Damnations.