P. W. Long - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Preston Wright Long III is an American musician, journalist and documentary filmmaker.

He is best-known lead singer and guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

player for the groups Wig, Mule

Mule (band)

Mule was an American punk blues band from Michigan, active in the early 1990s. Formed from the ashes of Wig and Laughing Hyenas, their music incorporated elements of hardcore punk, blues-rock, and alternative country.-History:...

and P.W. Long's Reelfoot; most of his recorded work has been released and/or distributed by Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...

. Long has released four solo albums; slice-of-life narratives typically delivered as hard rock with country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

flourishes. Critic Zac Johnson favorably compares Long's music to iconic Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

, writing, "both share the same kind of working-class, tough-guy, busted-knuckle, rattlesnake-eyed persona."

Music

P.W. Long, who is very close with his personal details, appears to have been reared in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ann Arbor, Michigan (see Mule's "Obion," and its reference to an "Ypsilanti Man", a town next to Ann Arbor), and various periods in Virginia. He spent some time living with his sister near Charlottesville, also a short period in Richmond, and stationed in Norfolk while serving in the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet. He eventually wound up in Detroit. Purported to be the brother of the frontman of The Laughing Hyenas but this is untrue.

His earliest work was with the band Wig, and it is his voice that you hear on the Lying Next to You record. Sometime in the early 1990s, Long began a side project with the Laughing Hyenas

Laughing Hyenas

Laughing Hyenas was an American rock band that existed from 1985 to 1995. They formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan and were initially made up of former members of Negative Approach , L-Seven , plus Kevin Strickland and Jim Kimball...

' rhythm section, Kevin Munro and Jim Kimball

Jim Kimball

Jim Kimball is an American punk drummer. His virtual menagerie of former bands includes Laughing Hyenas, Mule, and The Jesus Lizard, as well as the Denison Kimball Trio . The Laughing Hyenas were a seminal punk/rock/noise outfit. Kimball and Kevin Munro left to form Mule with Wig's P.W...

. They put together a concoction of field hollers, backwoods legends, hellbilly canon and mixed it with a semi-punk, semi-metallic musical assault that was best described as northern redneck

Redneck

Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...

, but intelligent, clamor.

Calling themselves Mule

Mule (band)

, they released a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

in 1991 or 1992 containing the song Tennessee Hustler. Their first self-titled album debuted shortly thereafter on Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records

and was recorded by Nirvana

Nirvana (band)

Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

recording engineer Steve Albini

Steve Albini

Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...

(though credited in the liner notes to a fictitious Lenard Johns).

While it had the raucousness of the Hyenas

Laughing Hyenas

, and certain punk and alternative sensibilities, Mule was quite different. The album opened with P.W. shouting "We left town to the sound of buckshot rain" on Mississippi Breaks.

As P.W. himself later admitted, he didn't really know how to play guitar when he started with Mule

Mule (band)

, or at least not all that "slickly" to use his word. Instead, he used a variety of open tunings and such, coupled with a simple feel for what was right, to create his sound. Never bounded by the need for classic guitar solos, P.W. still put the guitar at the forefront with innovative melody lines and breaks.

The self titled album continued on with I'm Hell, the rawking What Every White Nigger Knows, the eerie Drown, the trip into Old NorthWest Folk Music with Now I Truly Understand, the duet with Kevin on Mama's Reason to Cry, Lucky and Sugarcane Zuzu with its admonition from P-Bone's grandpappy that "You can wish in one hand, and shit in the other, and see which one fills up first."

Mule's first album ended up on Spin Magazine's "Ten Best Albums of 1993 You Didn't Hear" list and prompted endless touring by the band. New songs were always in progress, with P.W. sometimes simply humming or yoodling words during live performances over the new music before lyrics were complete.

Mule followed up their debut album with the EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

Wrung and the album If I Don't Six in 1994. Both are mid 90s punkabilly/country metal standards, with "Wrung" in particular fitting the definition of hard to define. The song/story of "Searchlight" is evil, mean and foreboding. The down and dirty call and response duet by P.W. and Kevin on "Rope and the Cuckold" is another highlight. "If I Don't Six" went in a slightly different direction, with some piano, a bit more soul but just as much ass whuppin'. In particular, "Obion", "Nowhere's Back", and "Pent" are songs of raw power, loneliness, depression and yet beautiful soulfulness.

Long left the band in 1996, after their relocation to Philadelphia, and began playing local solo acoustic shows.

Long then formed the band Reelfoot with bassist Dan Maister (1971–2005), and Mac McNeilly

Mac McNeilly

Mac McNeilly is an American musician, best known as the drummer for The Jesus Lizard. He also played drums in bands P.W. Long's Reelfoot, 86, Mouse, Mule, Come, and played bass in Phantom 309. He is known for his very powerful, solid and hard-hitting style. McNeilly first appeared with The Jesus...

, ex-drummer of The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard was an American alternative rock and noise rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial...

, releasing the albums We Didn't See You on Sunday and Push Me Again in 1997 and 1998 respectively—again with Touch and Go Records

Touch and Go Records

. After this, Long went on a musical hiatus, broken by occasional gigs. During this time he directed the music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

for the song You're the Reason by Hank Williams III

Hank Williams III

Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank 3 , is a neotraditional country and punk metal singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates among country, punk and metal...

, produced by former Babes in Toyland

Babes in Toyland (band)

Babes in Toyland was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The band was formed by Oregon native Kat Bjelland , with Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon , who was later replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992...

bassist Maureen Herman

Maureen Herman

Maureen Herman was from 1992 until 1996 the bass player for the Minneapolis-based Babes in Toyland.-Early years:Herman was raised in Libertyville, Illinois, and attended Libertyville High School...

. The video received heavy rotation on CMT

CMT

- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...

in summer of 2000. In late 2000, Long moved to New York City and started writing professionally, beginning with a gig as the New York nightclub and restaurant critic for London's Crush Guide magazine.

In 2002, the band Shellac

Shellac

Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes , which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish...

, who were curating the All Tomorrow's Parties

All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)

All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....

music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

in Rye

Rye, East Sussex

Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...

, asked Long to appear, and he shared the stage with bands such as Wire

Wire (band)

Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...

and The Fall. After this, Long released his first solo album, Remembered, in 2003.

Writing

Long's writing continued with work for the New York Sports Express
New York Sports Express
The New York Sports Express, sometimes abbreviated NYSX, was a free publication distributed from April 2003 to July 2004 as a sister paper to the New York Press. The New York City, USA publication was designed to take an entertaining look at topical sports stories, in contrast to most sports...

, The Buffalo Beast
The Beast (newspaper)
The Beast was originally a Buffalo, New York alternative biweekly newspaper which now publishes exclusively online.The Beast was founded by Matt Taibbi, Kevin McElwee and Paul Fallon in 2002. The format was originally a free biweekly newspaper, but changed in 2007 when it began to charge for...

(created by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

Contributing Editor Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi

Matthew C. "Matt" Taibbi is an American author and journalist reporting on politics, media, finance, and sports for Rolling Stone and Men's Journal, often in a polemical style. He has also edited and written for The eXile, the New York Press, and The Beast.- Early years :Taibbi grew up in the...

and now called The Beast
The Beast (newspaper)
The Beast was originally a Buffalo, New York alternative biweekly newspaper which now publishes exclusively online.The Beast was founded by Matt Taibbi, Kevin McElwee and Paul Fallon in 2002. The format was originally a free biweekly newspaper, but changed in 2007 when it began to charge for...

), Vice Magazine/London

Vice (magazine)

VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...

, The Fix on the now-defunct fuzz.com, project-noise.org, and other publications and sites.

Film and Video

In 2004, Long pursued a degree in Film/Directing and graduated in 2006. That same year his latest solo album God Bless the Drunkard's Dog was released on vinyl-only imprint Black Diamond, under Long's longtime European label, Southern Records. The album's song "Let 'em Roll" was featured in the Afghanistan War documentary film, At War.

Long began work in independent and industrial documentary filmmaking and in 2007 he again worked with Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi

, this time on projects for Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

Video, most notably shooting "On the Road With John McCain: A Video Report by Matt Taibbi." In 2008, one of Long's industrial documentaries garnered him an obscure media award at an annual medical convention in Philadelphia. Later that year, he relocated to London to work with Vice Magazine's

Vice (magazine)

VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...

new internet TV venture, VBS.TV

VBS.tv

VBS.tv is an online television network owned by the Vice media conglomerate. The network produces original, short-form, documentary-style video content. Subject matter includes humanitarian issues, music, insider travel guides, and news. The creative director of the network is Spike...

. In early 2009, Long returned to the U.S. to begin work on a documentary production with non-profit Project Noise and Tom Morello

Tom Morello

Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...

's Axis of Justice

Axis of Justice

Axis of Justice is a non-profit organization co-founded by Serj Tankian and Tom Morello. Its purpose is to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots progressivism to fight for social justice together.-Formation:...

Foundation.

Mr. Long would also remind you that he is neither an economist, nor a historian.

Discography

Mule:

1992 - I'm Hell/To Love Somebody - 7"
1993 - Mule - LP
1994 - Wrung - EP
1994 - If I Don't Six - LP
1997 - Soul Sound - a split 7" w/ Shellac

Reelfoot:

1997 - We Didn't See You on Sunday - LP
1998 - Push Me Again - LP

Young James Long:

2007 You Ain't Know The Man - EP

P.W. Long

2003 - Remembered - LP
2007 - God Bless The Drunkard's Dog - LP

External links

Southern Records page

PW Long discography

Touch and Go Records page

PW Long info, photos, discography

Video Interview with P.W. Long: 2006

Video, Film and Writing:

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