Sean Wheeler - Sand in My Blood (2017)

A lifelong resident of California's Coachella Valley low desert, vocalist Sean Wheeler began his musical journey in the early 1980s as the frontman for Mutual Hatred, one of the area’s seminal hardcore punk bands. As a pioneer in the Palm Springs underground music scene (well documented in the award-winning film Desert Age), he went on to helm a number of desert bands that explored ska, sleng teng, glam, and biker/sleaze/space rock. Summoning the spirit of the Salton Sea, Wheeler launched the punk n’ roll band Throw Rag in 1993. Several albums and international tours later, Throw Rag continues to thrill audiences when they play occasional shows.

2007 marked the beginning of a collaboration between Wheeler and Zander Schloss (Circle Jerks, Joe Strummer) that produced the acclaimed Walk Thee Invisible album, and marked his first full foray into acoustic Americana. After working with Troy Van Leeuwen on the Sun Trash album, and the Your Desert My Mind record with punk rock supergroup The Mutants, Wheeler is set to release his first proper solo album Sand In My Blood, a collaboration with Billy Pitman (Jimmy Vaughn) on Little Village Foundation.

Exploring the country, folk/traditional, gospel, and soul idioms, Wheeler demonstrates a storyteller's love of a good tale and an understanding that there is nothing separating classic American musical forms. On Sand In My Blood, Wheeler pens two original songs “Now That You Know” and “Hey Cowboy” that appear with obscure songs from the American canon. Wheeler’s indelible covers include compositions by Reverend Gary Davis (“Death Don’t Have No Mercy”), Clifton Chenier (“I’m Coming Home”), Washington Phillips (“What Are They Doing In Heaven Today”), Captain Beefheart (“I’m Glad”), Blind Willie Johnson (“Nobody’s Fault But Mine”), Gil Scott-Heron (“Home Is Where The Hatred Is”), among others.

TRACKLIST

01. Death Don't Have No Mercy
02. I'm Glad
03. Hey Cowboy
04. Home Is Where the Hatred Is
05. Wayfaring Man of Grief
06. Last Kind Word Blues
07. What Are They Doing in Heaven Today
08. Nobody's Fault but Mine
09. Now That You Know (Funky Wicked World)
10. Men Like Me Can Fly
11. I'm Coming Home