Broken Spurs

'Shake' From the Broken Spurs and VHS or Beta show November 29, 2008
The man Jimmy Levan/Louisville Legend, owner and bad-ass/bad mamba jamba of Metal Bikes chose a Broken Spurs song for his ESPN interview, AWESOME!!!!!!
Courier Journal Jeffrey Lee Pucket-CJ Album review of, 'Give It Your Blood' The Broken Spurs are the rock 'n' roll equivalent of pure, adrenalized, single-minded lust. If there were four girls and a stack of vintage Stones records on one side of a brick wall, the Spurs would go through the wall-not around or over it, but directly through the center, emerging on the other side bleeding, horny and already writing a new song. Which brings us to "Give It Your Blood," the Spurs' aptly titled debut album. This is relentless, fearless music that celebrates rock 'n' roll, all of it pooling together in a sticky, passionate mess. It's like getting simultaneously hit and felt up. The songs, written by singers Adam Kramer and Benny Clark, work a lot of familiar influence but revitalize them all through sheer willpower. Kramer's slurred, Jaggeresque delivery conjures the Stones; Clark's songs are shot through with the dirty glam of the New York Dolls; the heavy riffs combined with the rhythm, at times recall AC/CD; and there's even a hint of squirrelly guitar thar would sound at home on a television album. But what makes the Broken Spurs so good is that they own these songs, completely and irrefutably, no matter the influences. They Live for these songs and will kill for these songs. When this band says to give it your blood, it isn't a metaphor.' Jeffrey Lee Puckett is the Courier Journal pop music critic.
BLOOD DRIVE-The Broken Spurs shake things up By Joseph Lord "Give It Your Blood' was recorded at a house, live, using analogue equipment. Accordingly, the sound isn't technically perfect. But it is great. The Pure rock 'n' roll played by the Broken Spurs -- not unlike the Rolling Stones before they became parodies of themselves -- fits this recording style. This is a band that could someday produce great live albums. With sprawling classic rock guitars and beautifully simple lyrics -- 'Shake, baby, shake' -- 'Give It Your Blood' touches that nerve that just makes you want to, um, shake. There's absolutely no pretense, which makes 'Give It Your Blood' 2008's first must-hear album from a Louisville band.
SPURRED TO ACTION Like a storm rolling in, the Broken Spurs are ready and waiting to rock your world By Joseph Lord The eerie sky is about to let loose a destructive storm, but it doesn't seem to faze the Broken Spurs, who are taking a break from practice to smoke and hang out on a deck behind former bass player Delaney Ashley's house on Kentucky Street. The band recorded its self-released debut album, 'Give It Your Blood,' at the house, which is neat and colorful -- the opposite of the grim, worn-out rock bars where the Spurs usually play. "It was comfotable," Ashley said. "If we ever hit a wall, we'd just turn the amps off, get in the hot tub and throw some steaks on the grill. "We'd 'drink' about it," said Adam Kramer, the Broken Spurs frontman. The Broken Spurs are earning fans with kinetic shows teeming with rock 'n' roll attitude -- and, yes, beer -- and a classic style comparible to "Exile On main Street"-era Stones. The band brings no artsy pretense or political preachiness, unless you consider repeatedly imploring people to rock out preaching. The Spurs' decision to record 'Give It Your Blood' at Ashley's house was less about finances and more about capturing an authentic analog sound evocative of the band's buzzed-about live performances. "We're all about straight rock 'n' roll, and we're all about the crowd," Kramer said. "We're solely about the crowd shaking their asses, having a good time and partying their asses off." Before the Broken Spurs, Kramer was known for acoustic songs fit for 'The Anthology of- American Folk Music." He'd longed to play rock -- lots of guitars, lots of distortion, lots of energetic singing -- and found a like-minded bandmate in Benny Clark. Clark was best known for his guitar work in the indie band Elliott, which bore little semblance to the Stones. Kramer approached Clark about starting a band in March 2007, and the duo set off to write songs and recruit members. The attitude, powerful riffs and -- yes! -- guitar solos immediately caught on with Louisville music fans longing for a little pure rock in this math rock-loving city. The Spurs' fan base, built mostly through word of mouth, should grow, thanks to 'Give It Your Blood.' The album is thoroughly charged with shoe-tapping songs reminscent of the White Stripes, without the artistic pretense. The band is practicing frequently and playing shows in Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The Spurs plan a more extensive tour later this year, during which they will try to spread a modus operandi that has successfully ensnared Louisville's rock-starved music lovers. "Our goal is to break everybody's pussy in half," Kramer said.
SHAKE BABY SHAKE By Erin Keane Louisvillains, have you seen the Broken Spurs yet? No other band in Louisville can reach across a wall of second hand smoke to grab me by the Budweiser belt buckle - my only inheritance - and pull me straight into the kind of scene my momma only ever warned me about. If you feel the need to classify them, and I know you do, try the feral sexy sneer of the Stooges mixed with just enough cerebral Television to tingle the toes of every sweet sweet nerd inside the Watterson. The Broken Spurs know that rock & roll, and by that I mean the perfect recipe to bring every girl in the room to her skinned knees, calls for equal parts cock and heart, and they deliver both with joy. Boys, do you wanna get laid? Take that darling girl on to a Broken Spurs show. Just don't ask to many questions when she squeezes those big eyes tight under the orange glow of the streetlamp leaking through your blinds. Count your blessings. She went home with you, and tonight, you're the luckiest boy in the city limits Brush your teeth. Change your sheets. Get ready.
The Broken Spurs, who were just as pleasurable, served as the unbecoming stepchild of the evening– a backstage brawl between the Rolling Stones and the Stooges. While strongly chewing his gum and wearing a constant smirk, singer Adam Kramer beckoned with the “chick-ies” in the house to come a little closer while the audience stood off as if afraid to get engulfed in the hormone-full rock n’ roll. Guitarist Benny Clark spastically found room in each track to squeeze in a sleazy solo while shaking around his ripped up Marshall. The Broken Spurs dug the heels of its boots a little deeper on songs like “Shake,” a punked-up party song from its EP Give It Your Blood, and “Sexy Little Nightmare,” a sleazed-vocal rock song that is to appear on its next release this spring. The openers were indeed the cap to another expectation breaking show that would’ve required a little looking to find, but was sure to provoke the audience’s additional support of independent music.-Review by Hunter Embry, Indiana University