About Me
Fiftymen play straight up hardcore country through and through - a world of killing tunes and whiskey blues, trampled hearts and unsettled scores after darkfall. But, of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. Formed from the ashes of Crash 13 in the latter stages of 1999, Fiftymen - J.J. Hardill (vocals), Mark Michaud (guitar) Todd Gibbon (guitar) Jake Bryce (drums) and Michael Houston Hanlan (bass) [edit: ***Keith Snider (banjo and fiddle) played on the first album, made himself indispensible in very short order, and joined officially in 2004] - is clearly a band with dusty twang surging through its veins, but whose soul is consumed with the evil power of reckless rock and roll. Breakneck and brokenhearted, the sturdy five-piece churns out a hard luck parade of full blooded hurtin’ tunes that walk the line between jealousy, revenge, faith, guilt and redemption - Merle Haggard’s working man sweat rolling down Joe Strummers back. It’s a scorching sound that’s five feet high and rising-wiry and hungry, but plenty full and ready to fight. It’s two guitars, bass, drums, a voice and menacing Marshalls: pure, honest roots music steeped in traditional country and gut level punk. Scars, graveyards, sin, skeletons, vagabonds, women, wine and song: living large and marking time "on the shady side". Don’t turn your back on Fiftymen - not even for a second. - Steve BaylinFIFTYMEN have appeared with the Sadies, the Cowslingers, the Buttless Chaps, Carolyn Mark, Jim Bryson, Greenfield Main, Tav Falco’s Panther Burns, the Silverhearts, Chino, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Andre Williams, Kathleen Edwards, Washboard Hank, the Brothers Cosmoline, Fred Eaglesmith, Cuff the Duke, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, the Skydiggers, the John Borra Band, the D Rangers, the Swiftys, and Atomic 7, among many others.
