It’s always exciting to be showcasing the debut release from a band, so we are pumped today to be premiering the video for “Backdoor Man” from Willie J and The Bad Books. The track channels all that is great from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jet and Greta Van Fleet.
The band emerged out of Melbourne during the pandemic, with a bunch of local musos coming together who shared a love of classic rock and roll. They might be a new band, but have a solid history of playing in other lineups leading up to this. On lead vocals and guitar is Willie J Maxwell. Rick Steward is on guitar and vocals, Matt Forge on bass, Fru Parsons on drums and Eileen Hodgkins on vocals and keys. You might recognise Eileen from Perch Creek, Miss Eileen & King Lear and others.
With a nod to the blues, lead vocalist and guitarist Willie J Maxwell reveals, “Back Door Man is an old blues term, true to form, when your lover betrays your trust and sneaks in the milkman when you’re spending the day at work.”. It’s not the first time the title has been used. Howlin’ Wolf immortalised it in 1960, and The Doors reprised it in 1967.
The video for the track is monochrome and perfectly captures the high-energy mood of the track. Guitarist Rick Steward says of the video: “Dorothy Yow and Jake Halfhydecame up with concept. We jumped on board the tram at Bighouse Arts in Coburg North and had a fun day shooting it. Will and I had to climb on the roof with our guitars for one shot which was a tad sketchy, I think we both lived out our dreams of an 80’s style guitar solo section on a roof!”.
Will shares, “We wanted our first release to be an introduction to the band. It’s about showcasing our energetic selves tearing it up. We hope that the audience can feel the passion and enjoy watching the video clip as much as we enjoyed filming it.”
The band will be launching the single at their headline show at the Northcote Social on the 6th January. In the meantime, enjoy our premiere ahead of its release on Wednesday, 16th November.
Upcoming Shows:
Fri 2 Dec | Folk Rhythm & Life Festival, ELDORADO VIC – tickets HERE
Fri 6 Jan | Northcote Social Club, NORTHCOTE VIC
Sat 28 Jan | The Blues Train, QUEENSCLIFF VIC – Tickets HERE
You can give Willie J & The Bad Books a follow on Facebook and Instagram
