Scott H. Biram

Every so often, an artist comes along, playing music that makes you stop in your tracks and say, "Yeah, that's exactly what I needed." Scott H. Biram is that artist. Biram offers up a unique blend of "real" country, old-school acoustic blues, and punk. With influences ranging from Minor Threat and Slayer to Bill Monroe and Mississippi Fred McDowell, Biram takes on some of America's finest music and turns it into a phenomenal album that's as dirty and raw as it is impressive. Biram is a one-man band, playing all his songs on a '59 Gibson hollow body, yet each song he plays differs vastly from one to the next, and Biram dishes out a rare sense of self-confidence and independence only rivaled by the originators of outlaw country music themselves. Biram's number one love is the blues. Next in line come punk, metal, country, bluegrass, tejano, and zydeco. The one-man band was born and raised in a rural area in the Black Land Prairie region of Texas -- a stretch of land characterized by tall grass and rich fertile soil that stretches from north Texas to the San Antonio area. Biram regards Lightnin' Hopkins and Doc Watson as two of his major musical influences. He was exposed to blues during childhood and has played guitar and other instruments since. He played in a punk band through high school and college called the Thangs, and later played in two bluegrass bands: Scott Biram & the Salt Peter Boys and Bluegrass Drive-By. He got a taste of life on the road by touring with Bluegrass Drive-By, but has been a one-man band since the late '90s. In 2003, Biram was nearly killed when his truck was involved in a head-on collision with a semi on a Texas highway. Miraculously, Biram was pulled from the wreckage alive, though to see a photo of the collision remnants, it's hard to believe he survived. The truck was literally pummeled and pulverized by the full-speed semi. Less than two months later, Biram played a legendary show at Austin's famed Continental Club. He was wheeled on in a wheelchair and still had his IVs dangling from his arms. He played a set that has helped define his rebellious and relentless attitude since. Biram released multiple albums independently, which he sells at his live shows. He has two major releases: 2005's The Dirty Old One Man Band and Graveyard Shift, released a year later.
— Megan Frye , All Music Guide