Byron Bay’s Mudwagon are a rowdy bunch, full of passion and grit. Fresh off their single Billy Goat, the psych-rockers share a playlist of inspo for the track.
With rigorous riffs, crashing drums and potent vocal expression, Mudwagon share a playlist of inspiration for their latest single Billy Goat, a track that oozes sound away from restraint and into full flooding freedom.
Damo, Mudwagon’s singer and rhythm guitarist sheds light on the birthing of Billy Goat, as well as a special collection of songs that each member of the band felt had a hand in the creation of their track.
The Creation of Billy Goat by Damian Town
Billy Goat came together late one Saturday night highly under the influence. I remember having a jam with Maxxy (our guitarist) in our garage and shit was getting weird and I remember not being able to play much. All of a sudden, I stumbled across that chorus riff, the really simple one and luckily enough we were recording on my iPhone, so we caught the bit where I say the hook “better tighten up that bootstrap Billy Goat” and it just went from there.
I remember listening back and thought it had the same feeling as a song my friend and I were listening to at the time Little Star of Bethlehem by CAN. If you listen to that song, it’s pretty much about nothing, so I originally tried to write the lyrics about nothing but somehow the nothingness ended up being something. It kind of delves into the idea of dealing with old memories that eat you up and mistakes you made that were led by fear and jealousy.
Billy Goat was recorded live in Pottsville NSW at our friend’s rehearsal space, Round Mountain Rehearsals, with these beautiful people involved in the process: Kynan Malone (Sound Engineer), Braeden Carroll (Mixing Engineer) and Kynan Malone (Mastering Engineer).
Billy Goat is a single from our upcoming, yet-to-be-titled album. If you like Billy Goat, please give us a follow and share, and be ready for our album in December!
Mudwagon put together songs from each member of the band to help understand where they get their sound from and what songs influenced them on their latest single release Billy Goat and paints a picture for what’s in store for their upcoming album due mid-December.
Alright, let’s get into it!
According to Damo, Mudwagon’s lead guitarist Maxxy is a “twisted S.O.B,” blowing you out of the room with his volume and ready to mess with you if you even so much as think about turning down his amp!
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
Taking influence from Hendrix, you can hear Maxxy’s strong guitar riffs that pave the foundation for Billy Goat. Like Purple Haze, the guitar hooks you in with its melodic and energetic sound and takes you for a spin. Maxxy goes full speed ahead into rummaging and swirling through what feels like a black hole. He masters a strong sense of control that is driven by his passionate energy.
Momentum – Truck Fighters
Momentum by Truck Fighters also inspired Maxxy, as he grabbed onto its heavy guitars melted in with warm tones and used that as a wheel to help navigate his sound for Billy Goat.
Camarillo Brillo – Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa likes to indulge in cheeky little guitar licks and riffs here and there, which you can hear in little spaces through Mudwagons track Billy Goat. Maxxy has strong intentions with each note he finger-picks and brings them to life with his bleeding-finger sensibility and expansive volume.
The youngest of the Muddies is drummer Bon, but Damo reckons “he has a music taste and an ear like no other, you’ll struggle to take your eye off him the minute he starts whackin’ em drums.”
Blind – Korn
The foundation that carries potency and ferocity in Billy Goat is channeled through Korn’s Blind. Without this foundation of fierceness from Bon, the magnitude of Billy Goat wouldn’t be delivered.
The Ocean – Led Zeppelin
Bon embraces John Bonham’s powerful drumming attitude, through his disciplined shots and drum fills, giving into the music with booming toms. Embodying an intense drum solo, infused with heavy textures and dynamics, you can hear Bon’s influence from The Ocean by Zepplin.
Jerry Was A Race Car Driver – Primus
Saturated in funky thrills and intense speed, Bon executes Billy Goat with the same thrash and intensity as Jerry Was A Race Car Driver.
Next up, we have Skipp, the brother on the bass. Skippo’s the roughest of the team, he’ll always have ya back.
Blue Stripes – The Drums
The Drums are strong for their deep, funk Skelton-like basslines that hit the nerves and that’s exactly what Skipp does to draw us into the depth of their sounds.
A Struggle – The Garden
A Struggle by The Garden is the perfect (or imperfect) raw-sounding chaotic and hungry sound that fueled Skipp in the direction that Billy Goat landed in.
Bending at the Knee – These New South Wales
Bending at the Knee by These New South Wales has a relentless and restless speed, boosted by the desire to get lost in the music, and Skipp’s stimulating and mesmerizing bass sounds do just that.
Lastly, we have Damo shredding the rhythm guitar and vocal cries.
Little Star of Bethlehem – CAN
With rhythmic guitar riffs, and that ’60s Lou Reed talk-singing vocal tone, this track doesn’t match Billy Goat’s heaviness but the funky licks, cheeky vocal inflections and looping guitar pedals and distortion, give off that spiraling captivating feel that it does.
And, Goodnight – Ty Segall
A track doused in 60s-70s distorted guitar groove, and dreamy yet hungry vocal tones, And, Goodnight brings classic 60s-70s rock atmospheres and sounds to life as it gives into the rhythm of the guitar. In Billy Goat, you can hear the influences that are stripped and recreated to represent Mudwagon’s full form.
Megalomania – Black Sabbath
Vocals that intertwine within warped and mangled guitar sounds, Megalomania is another classic song from an era enriched with heavy, rough, let-loose guitars that inspired Damo’s intention with Billy Goat.
Have a listen to all these tracks, and get familiar with the sounds that inspired Billy Goat. If you haven’t checked out their striking new single as of yet, do yourself an absolute favour and give it a spin via Spotify below!
