From: http://www.jumble-box.com/archives/2001_12_01_mn.htm
12.19.2001
The enduring fascination with Bloody Ebson continues. Last night they entered 
into the hallowed ranks of "Best Value for your Entertainment Dollar" by 
putting on an X-mas extravaganza. 


Bloody Ebson, the latest incarnation of the drunken chaos that was Jethro 
Bodean, and Rugburn before that, is basically a vehicle for Jim Saltsider 
to show off his amazing ability to play the cheesiest muzak of the 1960s, 
including Lawrence Welk, Henry Mancini, Alley Cat, and other unmentionables. 
Between excellent renditions of these numbers, invariably introduced 
as "America's Best-Loved Melodies" by Saltsider in a manly Mexican accent, 
they do a few novelty numbers in a country vein, sometimes Mad Magazine-like 
parodies of popular songs with hilarious lyrics set to them, sometimes 
country tunes about shithouse wall poetry and bumper stickers.


They only play Tuesday nights. But they always draw a good crowd. Last night 
they filled the bar with piles of "misfit toys" that Jim and his brother 
Steve hot-glue-gunned together from Goodwill toy parts into abominations 
that could give any decent child nightmares for the rest of their lives.


This was merely a backdrop for Bloody Ebson's faithful rendition of 
several "Rankin-Bass Christmas Classics", taken from the old 60s children's 
TV specials "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Island of Misfit Toys". 


Whenever they play, Dave Winklemyer shows up and puts in some kind of a 
guest appearance, presumably unpaid, and last night he was a sight to hide 
from children, in red long underwear and the American Flag. He called himself 
the 9/11 Santa and distributed the toys to the howling crowd while singing in 
basso profundo off key style. All this and free toys, too.


It was all downhill from there. It was almost Highway-Matronsesque in the 
steady decline into drunken slop, culminating with Freddy Friction up on 
stage howling out a song like some country western "Frank's Wild Years" 
style Tom Waits while "Shorty" Long beat aimless blank jazz rimshots and 
cymbal crashes as accompaniment.


When they played their prescient classic "The Taliban Can" - set to the 
tune of the Candyman - they announced that pretty soon they would have to 
stop playing it, since the Taliban were about done with. 

-- posted by Tony Patti @ 10:34 AM --