8 BALL AITKEN SHOULD SAY TO HELL WITH COUNTRY MUSIC AS WELL AS BUY A RAZOR AND SHAVING CREAM

https://youtu.be/82QfjkZurM0?si=lVMRYEI0KpNnXPEc

Although being bracketed within the country music description and despite seeming to be right at home at the Tamworth Country Music Festival each year, the eccentric alternative country lad 8 Ball Aitken deserves to have his career kickstarted slightly, and I say that on the basis of one song I heard him play at Troy Cassar-Daley's annual Tamworth gig a couple of years ago.

That song was Jimi Hendrix's VOODOO CHILE, and apart from a couple of out of place ZZ Top licks in a few places and not singing like Jimi himself, 8 BALL really put on an outstanding performance and was surprisingly heavy.

It is this unconventional approach and disregard for diehard country music cliches, not to mention his very imposing physical appearance, which has seen 8 Ball Aitken marginalized to a great degree in the Australian country music establishment.

8 Ball Aitken has a huge red beard which is enough to make Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill jealous, and he looks like he just flew in from Byron Bay with a bus full of hippies. 

8 Ball actually hails from north Queensland, while he's carved out a relatively successful career touring around Australia and Europe he is still not exactly a household name amongst Australian record collections.

He most probably should be, and if he does go all out blues and not somewhere between country and blues and records an album of covers with the likes of Voodoo Chile in there he definitely has the potential to become the next big crossover artist in Australia. 8 BALL Aitken has released 4 albums - BEHIND THE 8 BALL, ODD BALL IN, REBEL WITH A CAUSE and THE TAMWORTH TAPES and won lots of independent music awards.

REBEL WITH A CAUSE is widely said to be his definitive release to date. 8 Ball Aitkens is the best example around of the saying 'never judge a book by its cover'. 

His appearance would be enough to terrify some conservative country music lovers, but he has a heart of gold and he knows how to have a good time.