July 5, 1984 – The Arizona Republic
‘Hellbent hillbilly’ music leaves listeners thrashing to beat of country, punk fusion
Blood on the Saddle revs up traditional bluegrass
By Mark de la Vina
The drummer is into hard-core punk, the lead guitarist plays bluegrass and the rhythm guitarist used to be in a neopsychedelic girl group. Would you believe these guys play country?
The quartet out of Los Angeles that calls itself #BloodontheSaddle is an odd lot of individuals, indeed. But as a unit, they shell out a bluegrass that would leave a Kenny Rogers fan gasping for air.
Blood on the Saddle is one of the latest additions to the Los Angeles rock scene that has spawned the countrified likes of the Gun Club, Rank and File and Lone Justice. Unlike any of them, Blood on the Saddle sticks to the bluegrass side of things and revs up the music to a pace that often prompts many a club patron to thrash.
Because these artists fuse elements of punk and country, they have been labeled everything from country punk to cow punk. The group’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Annette Zilinskas, said Monday of the categorizations, “We think they’re stupid. It sounds insulting, like cow punk — (it sounds) like cows with mohawks.”
But Blood on the Saddle isn’t just a country band.
“We’ve got a lot influences,” Zilinskas said “Appalachian, bluegrass, folk, thrash (and) blues.”
“Yeah, we play hellbent hillbilly music,” drummer-vocalist Hermann Senac said.
Blood on the Saddle was formed in spring 1983 by Senac, lead guitarist Greg Davis and bassist Ron Botelho. Senac’s previous experience included stints in various hard-core combos. Davis had played in the punk band Dead Hippie. Davis had also played bluegrass in New Orleans and Memphis before Blood on the Saddle was formed. Zilinskas, who played bass with the moderately successful all-female psych-pop Bangles, joined the three last July 4. Before the Bangles, Zilinskas performed as a soloist on talent night at a Los Angeles country bar.
The band has experienced a meteoric rise in its brief existence. In the fall, D. Boon, the guitarist and vocalist for #Minutemen, had Blood on the Saddle record on his band’s independent label. Blood on the Saddle’s self-titled debut album since has garnered critical praise, even in the unpredictable British press.
At about the same time, the group added a couple of tracks to Hell Comes to Your House, a compilation of Los Angeles artists.
On Friday, the band leaves for its American tour. It will play Saturday at the Knights of Pythias Hall at Seventh Street and Ash Avenue in Tempe.
What’s more, it will have some songs published by the Peer-Southern of Nashville, Tenn., which is noted for its work with artists Ranging from Jimmie Rodgers to the Carter Family. The company also will shop a demo tape of the group.
It’s anybody’s guess as to how much farther Blood on the Saddle can go. Equally difficult to assess is Senac, who is often seen wearing a Motorhead T-shirt. Why would this hard-core, heavy-metal connoisseur pass up his first love for a country-coated band?
“We’re not a country band,” he said. “The music’s crazier. We just play fast. (But) we do have cows in our back yard.”