photos by Matt Simpson
Notorious noisemongers Reptilian Records present Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country, a hot-blooded new MLP from long-running Kentucky hard rockin’ cowpunk outfit NINE POUND HAMMER, alongside new US and EU tour dates.
NINE POUND HAMMER is in action again, bringing their classic cowpunk ragers and a handful of new country kickers to a couple of European fests and stateside audiences in time to coincide with their first new release in several years with this limited edition six-song picture disc. Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country delivers four new tracks penned by the twisted core duo of Scott Luallen and Blaine Cartwright (also of Nashville Pussy) as well as covers of “Black Rose” by Billy Joe Shaver, and “Lil Ol Wine Drinker Me” by Hank Mills and Dick Jennings, which has been recorded and performed by Dean Martin, Charlie Walker, Merle Haggard, Carl Smith, and many others.
Vocalist Scott Luallen declares, “We were sick and tired of the so-called outlaw music and wanted to call out the Jellyrollization of our beloved genre.”
Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country was recorded at Underground Studios, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Brian Pulito, produced by Brian Pulito and NINE POUND HAMMER, and completed with photography by Matt Simpson and art direction by Scott Luallen, Brittany Chapman, and Ashleigh Bills.
The record’s title track offers as a warning shot from the impending record. Luallen notes of the song, “’Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country’ declares war on the new so-called outlaw movement with a blistering new anthem along with more classic cowpunk twangers!”
Fire it up! NINE POUND HAMMER’s “Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country” is now streaming at Bandcamp HERE, and other streaming points HERE.
Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country will be released digitally and on 10” vinyl picture disc on July 10th. Preorders can be placed at the Reptilian Records webshop HERE, the band’s shop HERE, and Bandcamp HERE, and digital presaves can be found HERE.
Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country Track Listing:
1. Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country
2. Burn The Whole World Down
3. Black Rose
4. Tonight I Let The Bottle Down
5. Out Of My League
6. Lil’ Ol’ Wine Drinker Me
This special country release will prime the pump for NINE POUND HAMMER’s upcoming shit-kicker rock LP coming in 2027.
In conjunction with the release of Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country, NINE POUND HAMMER will rip through the heartland of the US and the heart of Europe with several special shows. On July 3rd, they’ll play to a hometown audience in Lexington, Kentucky followed by shows in Norway and Holland on their way to play Sjock Festival in Belgium to perform alongside Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, L7, Cock Sparrer, and many more. Shows are also booked in Ohio and Michigan in October, with more live news to post.
NINE POUND HAMMER Live:
7/03/2026 Green Lantern – Lexington, KY
7/10/2026 Odal Rock Club – Austvatn, NO
7/11/2026 Vera Club – Groningen, NL
7/12/2026 Sjock Festival – Lille, BE
10/16/2026 Rt.33 Rhythm and Brews – Wapakoneta, OH
10/17/2026 Smalls – Detroit, MI
“Garage rock shit-stomper cowpunk band born and bred in ole’ Kain-tuck”
Forming in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1986, NINE POUND HAMMER became a pivotal band in the “cowpunk” scene. Led by guitarist Blaine Cartwright and vocalist Scott Luallen, they are known for their raucous, over-the-top blend of punk rock, hard rock, and country, paving the way for alt-country in the late-1980s and early-1990s.
The band’s story began in 1986 as the Black Sheep, transforming into NINE POUND HAMMER after a series of changes. After their 1988 debut, The Mud, The Blood, And The Beers, released on Wanghead Records, the band had a shift to the punk rock label Crypt Records and released their second album, Smokin’ Taters, in 1991, followed by a European tour and lineup changes.
In 1994, NINE POUND HAMMER dropped their third album, Hayseed Timebomb, recorded in Glasgow, Kentucky. The band once again was on the road after the album hit stores, touring the United States, Canada, and Europe. Their song “Run Fat Boy Run” from this album was featured on the popular 2004 skateboard video game Tony Hawk’s Underground.
After disbanding in 1995, they reunited in 2000 for shows and officially reformed in 2004 with a new lineup. That year they released Kentucky Breakdown.
In 2005, they released Mulebite Deluxe, which combined rare 1989 recordings with new sessions recorded with the Kentucky Breakdown lineup, and in the same year was commissioned to compose the theme song for the Adult Swim animated series 12 Oz. Mouse. Additionally, they contributed to another Adult Swim show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, creating “Carl’s Theme” for the 2007 film spinoff Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters.
Following this, the band released Sex, Drugs, And Bill Monroe in 2007, and 2009 saw the launch of a tour-only album titled Country Classics. This album featured energetic covers of vintage outlaw country classics and revisited some of their earlier tracks.
In 2010, a 25th-anniversary tour took place, and in 2017, they released Bluegrass Conspiracy and The Barn’s On Fire: Live In Kentucky. In 2021, the band had a new lineup again and returned to the studio to record When The Shit Goes Down, produced by Daniel Rey, who has worked with The Ramones, The Misfits, and White Zombie.
The lineup reunited for Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio in 2023, which was issued on Cleopatra Records. The album featured covers of Hammer’s favorite songs, including tunes by The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy, The Sex Pistols, and The Move, along with a cover of one of their own numbers, “Run Fat Boy Run,” from Hayseed Timebomb.
In 2025 the band self-released their 1987 demo tape on LP as 1987 Revisited.
NINE POUND HAMMER:
The Sublime Mark Hendricks – bass, vocals
The Infamous Blaine Cartwright – guitar, vocals
The Fabulous Earl Crim – guitar
The Bombastic Josh Love – drums
The Stupendous Scott Luallen – vocals
Featuring:
The Legendary John Haywood – fiddle, banjo, vocals
The Iconic Ian Thomas – pedal steel
The Scintillating Sherri McGee – vocals
https://www.instagram.com/ninepoundhammerky
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https://ninepoundhammer.bandcamp.com
https://www.reptilianrecords.com
https://reptilianrecords.bandcamp.com
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https://www.instagram.com/reptilianrecords
https://www.youtube.com/@reptilianrecords1248
The post NINE POUND HAMMER: Kentucky Cowpunk Icons To Release Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country 10” Picture Disc On Reptilian Records July 10th; Title Track, Preorders, Tour Dates Posted first appeared on Earsplit Compound.