Rocky Votolato - Automatic Rifle

Even a smart girl can end up

With a bomb strapped to her chest

Growing up in Texas with a father who was a member of a motorcycle gang rivals with the Hell's Angels, Rocky Votolato picked up the guitar after his mother moved the family to Seattle. It was here where he began to expand his music roots from country to punk and indie. After playing in a few bands with some high school friends, Rocky decided to launch a solo career. By his 3rd LP, Suicide Medicine, Rocky started to gather some acclaim. Thus far, he'd only spent under a month working on his albums. His fourth album took a year and a half but was praised by fans and critics.

Although there are a handful of Rocky Votolato songs I could recommend I decided to go with "Automatic Rifle." On the surface, he may seem like just another stripped-down guitar and vocals act, but something just resonates with him. I really like the guitar in this song and, as always, his vocals are soothing, but he's also not afraid to crank it up a bit and put some emotion into it.

Rocky is married with 2 children and resides in Seattle. He's also appeared in a movie about a gang war between punk rockers and straight-edgers.