New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The singing and songwriting troupe of scoundrels known as Nash Vulgas and the Neon Cowpokes have released their latest EP record album, "Nash Vulgas and the Neon Cowpokes: Banned from the Grand Old Opree." The EP is comprised of four originals penned and performed by Nash Vulgas and Co., including the title single, "Banned from the Grand Old Opree," their flagship closing single, "Tavern Wench," the bizarre ballad, "One-Eyed Saggy Jane," and "Sex on the Farm," which features the highly conspicuous talents of NuNu.
The record does not so much cross genres as it does invent an entirely new one for itself, a genre of exactly one, which includes elements of rock, western, rockabilly, European house music and yet more. Moreover, it is a record that tells the remarkable story of Nash Vulgas (nee Vegas), his rise and fall from country music fame and resultant exodus to the wild nightclubs of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Richard Allen, a collaborator and spokesperson for Vulgas himself, writes:
"'Nash Vulgas and the Neon Cowpokes: Banned from the Grand Old Opree' tells the fortune to failure story of Nash Vegas, who plummeted from the heights of country music stardom into a world of sin and degradation that twisted and molded him into the true artistic genius that he is today. Like him or hate him, he's one of a kind."
The official bio of Nash Vulgas seems based more on folklore and hearsay than on verifiable fact, but several truths can be gleaned by cross-referencing the document with other shreds of journalism from both American and European sources. He was apparently "born to a poor family of pedophile Christian cultists in the mountains of Tennessee," but "escaped the cult at an extremely early age. He was perhaps as young as eight when he was discovered, shoeless in December snow, playing his music on a broken guitar in front of what he thought was a church."
The "church" was actually the country music landmark called the Grand Ole Opry [spellings differ]. A local paper tells that "as patrons left the Opree that night, they were treated to a performance on its steps that made them think an angel had broken its wing and fallen to earth. He was adopted by the country music community as one of their own and quickly became one of the youngest country music stars in history."
"Nash
Vegas became country music's golden boy," by Allen's account, "winning award after award; being placed on magazine covers around the globe. He seemed like a man who was comfortable and happy with his fame and fortune, but those who knew him well at the time know there was a sadness - an emptiness - a darkness that drove him to drink, sometimes like a madman."
On one such occasion as this,
Vegas arrived late to an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry and was rushed onstage before anyone realized what a state he was in. The next morning Nashville headlines ran, "Country music industry in shock, Nash
Vegas expelled from Opry."
Onlookers later described the performance as "bordering on pornographic," and one reporter unprofessionally suggested that
Vegas should change his name to "Vulgas," a rash step that the performer immediately took.
Vulgas' music contract was canceled, his tenure at the Opry eliminated, and as Allen tells it, "Nash spent the next years soul searching, wandering the dark streets from one seedy town to another and from one seedy tavern to another, until he realized he had traveled as far as Amsterdam. The dark side of life in Amsterdam suited him and his music was corrupted by its influence. Always writing and always singing his songs to himself, Nash Vulgas concocted his own strange version of country music with tales of one-eyed biker women and twisted sex, and prepared for a comeback."
Snippets of an audio cassette containing previously unreleased interview material were recently published anonymously online. Only two Q-and-A portions survive in their entirety.
Interviewer: How did you start getting involved in music, Mr. Vulgas?
Vulgas: That would be Christmas of 1971, when my cousin Rosco raped me with a pair of drumsticks he got as a present.
Interviewer: Please list some of your artistic influences.
Vulgas: Beer, weed, porn… A milking machine…
"Nash Vulgas and the Neon Cowpokes: Banned from the Grand Old Opree" is available online worldwide.
The EP "Nash Vulgas and the Neon Cowpokes: Banned from the Grand Old Opree" is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes or www.top40-charts.com for convenient purchase and download.
