Grand Forks, ND (USA) – Midwest groove-metal band Shotgun Facelift have revealed a new lyric video for their new single entitled “5 Dollar Bastard“. The lyric video was directed by Kevin Ackley from Chamber Six Media. Watch it right now at this location.
“5 Dollar Bastard” is the third single off of the band’s second full-length album Dakota Blood Stampede which was produced by Tyler Pilot (Over You, Body By Torture, Anomic) at Red Dot Recording. The album is scheduled for a worldwide release on December 17, 2021 via Eclipse Records. Pre-order or pre-save the album here.
“We didn’t really have any specific destination in mind for this video. We brought the song and lyrics to Kevin at Chamber Six Media and just told him to surprise us… we just trusted in him completely” says lead vocalist John Huber. “After he spent some days listening to the song and reading the lyrics, he came back to us with this idea of a pissed-off herd of cattle, spitting and stomping. Given the cover art for Dakota Blood Stampede and the skull on my mic stand, it was all very synergistic and made perfect sense! “ Rhythm guitarist Matt Person adds, “We knew pretty early on that 5 Dollar would be one of the singles. The energy of that song is crazy! When we play it live, it is certainly a crowd favorite… they chant the refrain really loud. It’s quickly become an anthem for us. It is a song we’re known for, and we’ll probably be playing it live for a really long time, if not leaving it in the setlist permanently.” Curt DeCamp (bassist) also adds, “the song was made to be played live, and that’s always been my favorite thing about it. What you hear on the album is exactly how it sounds in person. Every time that five-dollar-bastard chant kicks in, I don’t even hear John singing his vocals anymore, I only hear those people screaming it back to us. It’s a surreal experience to have the words to your songs screamed back at you by a crowd of people, and that live exchange of energy has always been so special to us!”
Dakota Blood Stampede by Shotgun Facelift is an exhilarating album. While tracking it in the studio, the band shot for perfect full-takes, avoiding overdubs and edits as much as possible. Producer Tyler Pilot was really able to capture the band’s “live energy” as a result and because of that, this album is as real as it gets. Every song on the album was tracked with the band playing together, all at once. When someone messed up, everyone had to sit in on a do-over. It was an exhausting process, but the proof comes through in the recording and the energy is unmistakable. More important however, is the deep and personal nature of the songs on the album. With the first single “Bury Me” the band fires back at the conservative culture in their home state of North Dakota. With so many in the local scene praying for the band’s demise and even wishing actual harm upon the band members for being in a heavy metal band, the song shows their resistance in being able to stand up against them, embrace their hatred, and use it to become stronger. “Suicide Eyes“, is about the eyes of addiction, abuse, and despair. The band takes mental illness very seriously, and they write about it a lot in a non-exploitative manner because every band member suffers from some form of it deeply. “5 Dollar Bastard” is another song which is deeply personal to the band, especially vocalist John Huber. Many years ago, he had a loved one hand him a check for what he thought John was worth, valuing him at just five dollars. He never forgot that moment, how it made him feel to realize what this person really thought of him, and he wrote the lyrics for this song as a statement of conviction to make that individual choke upon that five dollar debt. If there ever was an album where a band “lets it all hang out” while confronting their demons, Dakota Blood Stampede is it!
For more information on Shotgun Facelift, please visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Eclipse Records.
Shotgun Facelift lineup
John Huber (vocals), Damian Goulet (guitar), Matt Person (guitar), Jody Smith (drums), Curt DeCamp (bass)
