Posted on Oct 21, 2023
Freight Train Rabbit Killer marks 10 years of haunting Kansas City with 'doom blues'
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Ten years ago on a cold dark night of the soul, Freight Train Rabbit Killer began its life as a scary band/opera/near-death experience for Kansas City music fans. This Halloween season, there's a flurry of live shows to celebrate their new record.
One great thing about being Freight Train Rabbit Killer: No worries about what to do for Halloween.
“I mean, my suits are covered in four words, most of them: ‘rage, anger, pain and hurt,’” said Kris Bruders, quoting Lou Reed. “Which are the four things that get passed down from generation to generation, for sure.”
Bruders is Freight Train in the band Freight Train Rabbit Killer, so-called because of his affinity for train songs. The other guy is Mark Smeltzer, who picked up the nickname Rabbit Killer up after running out of money for food. He was down to $5 for the month.
“So I bought bullets,” said Smeltzer. “I learned to shoot rabbits with a nine-shot Colt pistol, basically a snake gun.”
Just before Halloween 10 years ago, Bruders and Smeltzer forged Freight Train Rabbit Killer around a love of hardscrabble American music. The stuff they play is crashing, heavy blues, swirled with dark opera and the devil.
One great thing about being Freight Train Rabbit Killer: No worries about what to do for Halloween.
“I mean, my suits are covered in four words, most of them: ‘rage, anger, pain and hurt,’” said Kris Bruders, quoting Lou Reed. “Which are the four things that get passed down from generation to generation, for sure.”
Bruders is Freight Train in the band Freight Train Rabbit Killer, so-called because of his affinity for train songs. The other guy is Mark Smeltzer, who picked up the nickname Rabbit Killer up after running out of money for food. He was down to $5 for the month.
“So I bought bullets,” said Smeltzer. “I learned to shoot rabbits with a nine-shot Colt pistol, basically a snake gun.”
Just before Halloween 10 years ago, Bruders and Smeltzer forged Freight Train Rabbit Killer around a love of hardscrabble American music. The stuff they play is crashing, heavy blues, swirled with dark opera and the devil.
Freight Train Rabbit Killer marks 10 years of haunting Kansas City with 'doom blues'
Posted from kcur.org
Music
Blues music
Kansas City
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“The Rural Grit is basically a music cult,” said Smeltzer. “You put your name into a hat, you get drawn out duet partners, then you get five minutes to learn or write a song, then you get on stage and do it. Well, we were not taking five minutes. We were not taking any time at all,” he said of early jams with Bruders.
“People were coming up to us with tears, or just, you know, saying what an incredible experience it was,” recalled Bruders. “I don’t get that with all my shows, but when I was doing it with Mark it was happening every time.”
Now, after a decade of honing their doom blues, Freight Train Rabbit Killer is releasing its fourth record, “The 10 Year,” and doing a flurry of live shows culminating in a blacklight “cave show” at The Ship on Halloween.
Smeltzer promises it will be good for what ails you.
“If it makes you drool,” he said, “then that’s the right medicine.”...
..."“The Rural Grit is basically a music cult,” said Smeltzer. “You put your name into a hat, you get drawn out duet partners, then you get five minutes to learn or write a song, then you get on stage and do it. Well, we were not taking five minutes. We were not taking any time at all,” he said of early jams with Bruders.
“People were coming up to us with tears, or just, you know, saying what an incredible experience it was,” recalled Bruders. “I don’t get that with all my shows, but when I was doing it with Mark it was happening every time.”
Now, after a decade of honing their doom blues, Freight Train Rabbit Killer is releasing its fourth record, “The 10 Year,” and doing a flurry of live shows culminating in a blacklight “cave show” at The Ship on Halloween.
Smeltzer promises it will be good for what ails you.
“If it makes you drool,” he said, “then that’s the right medicine.”...
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