Before he tragically passed in November 2019, musician Terry Turtle of the influential underground industrial blues duo Buck Gooter had no time for slowing down. Even though he was confined to a hospital bed for several months after a malignant tumor had chipped away vertebrae in his neck, he was desperate to get back to the only thing that kept him going: working on new material with his bandmate Billy Brett.
According to a press release, as he was faced with the sterile atmosphere of the hospital, Turtle leveled with Brett that they needed to remain focused on the prize. “Send me some beats so I don’t blow my brains out,” he told him. And that was that.
Out September 3rd via Ramp Local—Head In A Bird Cage is the first release from Buck Gooter since Turtle’s passing, and their 15th full length album in 15 years. The name of the record references the neck brace that Turtle was forced to wear due to his injuries which he not-so-lovingly referred to as a “birdcage.” Ears to Feed is proud to premiere their powerful new track, “Cobwebs.”
The song’s chorus lays out the contrast between the practical physical world and the messiness of our spiritual and emotional existences. “Been a long time since I’ve cleaned this room, still not enough cobwebs to fill my wounds,” shouts singer Billy Brett over the track’s chain gang marching rhythm and Turtle’s metallic guitar scrapes. All it takes to tackle a mess is giving yourself over to your chores. But when a hoarder begins to pile their possessions around them, you know they are just building a fortress of distraction around larger internal issues.
While Turtle is no longer being confined by the cage, Buck Gooter will never be silenced.
You can catch Billy Brett bring these songs to life at Buck Gooter’s record release show at TV Eye on September 4th (tickets) and preorder the album here.