John Wesley Coleman III

You could call John Wesley Coleman the “Bukowski of Beerland,” though he’d likely chafe at such a lofty comparison. From his poems chronicling Austin’s seedier side to the country-fried garage-punk he plays as the frontman of the Golden Boys, Coleman’s art prefers to play things low-stakes and underground. His continuing fascination with desperate people and trashy environs informs much of Bad Lady Goes To Jail, Coleman’s latest solo offering for Goner Records. Full of amped-up garage boogie—and delivered with a dark sense of humor and a sneer borrowed from Lou Reed’s early solo work—the album is another unassuming winner for the self-described “mechanic of pop culture.” 

Updated 12/05/2011