BLOOD ON THE SADDLE – DEBUT LP – Nr MINT COWPUNK COUNTRY ROCK PUNK

Blood On The Saddle
(New Alliance Records  1984  NAR015)

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
– still in original shrinkwrap

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition

Blood on the Saddle is a cowpunk band from Los Angeles formed in 1983. They released three albums before splitting up in 1987, with the band’s only constant member Greg Davis forming a new line-up in the 1990s, releasing 2 more albums up to the present.

Greg Davis (vocals, guitar) formed the band in late 1981 along with Ron Botelho and Hermann Senac. Former Bangles bass player Annette Zilinskas (bass, vocals) was added prior to the recording of the band’s self-titled debut album, released by New Alliance Records in 1984. Trouser Press describes the album as “ragged harmonies, yodelled vocals and the slap of stand-up bass” with the effect of “a rodeo where even the horses are doing speed”.

A second album, Poison Love, was released in early 1986, on the Chameleon label. Allmusic rates this album as an “AMG Album Pick”; its review of the album says that this album demonstrated “tremendous growth” and the band “sounds more like one of the better guitar pop bands of the mid-’60s…rather than like a bunch of punks who stumbled into a country roadhouse (which is what it sounded like on its first album).” Trouser Press says that the album “refines the group’s stylistic balance, clarifying the energetic country-rock side while reducing the first album’s more wanton rock impulses.”

Lack of promotion prompted them to move to SST Records for third album Fresh Blood the following year. Disappointing sales led to the band breaking up, with Davis forming new band The Drivers and Senac joining The Loafin’ Hyenas and later Crowbar Salvation and The Guilty Hearts, while Botelho worked with Bobbi Bratt.

Davis continued to perform as Blood on the Saddle, backed by varying lineups of musicians, including former Stains/DC3 bassist Caesar Viscarra and drummer Dave Shollenbarger (Steve Jones), the band splitting in late 1988. Davis also joined The Vandals. In 1990, Davis formed a new lineup of Blood on the Saddle with Chris Engel (bass) and Danny Rickard (drums). Engel died in 1991 and was replaced by John Stephenson before Viscarra returned in 1992. In 1993, Davis was joined by Billy Koepke and Eric Davis, and the band’s first release after six years was the More Blood album, released by Schemer Records. John Stephenson rejoined and the band release the 4 Song 7″ EP in 1994, followed by the album Some Songs, both released on the Kill Rock Stars label. A final album, Flesh & Blood, followed and is the most recent full-length.

Members

Current members

• Greg Davis – guitar (1981–present)
• Robby Tavares – bass (2010–present)
• Amy Sabo – vocals (2019–present)
• Nick Gregson – guitar (2019–present)
• Trevor Bodkins – drums (2019–present)

Former members