Their instrumental album Almost Heathen is widely regarded as on par Kyuss' Welcome to Sky Valley and Monster Magnet's Spine of God, as one of the defining albums of the stoner rock genre, although the band themselves referred to their style as malternative.
The band was renown for their live performances and former Kyuss singer John Garcia was a big fan and even tried to sing with the band, however this didn't bear much fruit as he did not have the time to become a full-time member and Karma to Burn itself wasn't sure his voice fitted in their music.
Karma To Burn refused to give their songs ordinary titles, instead referring to them by numbers, which allegedly made it easier for a dyslexic band member to read setlists.
The group quietly disbanded in 2002 after bassist Rich Mullins left to play full time in Speedealer.
On February 23, 2009, Karma to Burn reformed with the line-up being the same as when they disbanded. A year after reuniting, Karma To Burn released a fourth full length album on April 1, 2010, Appalachian Incantation, which was produced by Scott Reeder formerly of the stoner rock band Kyuss. Like their previous two releases, this is an instrumental album, though one track does feature Year Long Disaster's Daniel Davies on vocals.
In June 2010, Year Long Disaster toured Europe with all three members of Karma To Burn as part of the band. The favor was returned on Karma To Burn's European summer tour, with Davies stepping in as an occasional guitarist (and, when needed, vocalist) for the band.
The follow-up to Appalachian Incantation was recorded in February, 2011, at Dave Grohl's studio, and includes Davies' vocals on three songs, although he has since started a project outside Karma to Burn and left the group, returning the band to a trio. This album has been released and is titled V.
The following is from the Road Runner website:
"This ain't no movie soundtrack chump. It's real life and these are real songs by real people. Four people to be exact. They hail from some small town in West Virginia. A town they'd rather not have me mention here because of what I'm about to tell you. Karma To Burn got their start as drug addled teenagers listening to Skynyrd. In an opiated world, fantasies can appear so real. These boys in the hillbilly state wanted to be rock stars. They bought instruments. Built a still in the back yard. Tried to make music and moonshine. The moonshine sucked but the supersonic rumblings sounded good to them. They saw through the blurred vision to a light at the end of the tunnel. After three months, a plan was concocted. They made a tape but had no singer. Fuck it. Instrumentals it was to be. Heavy as shit and loud as hell. With no singer and subsequently no lyrics, songs were given numbers as their meager titles. They sent the tape out to labels. With tactics Howard Stern would applaud, they called labels impersonating other bands spewing what the world will soon find out about...the madness and mayhem of Karma To Burn. They played a show in NYC and inked a deal with Roadrunner Records. Large room service bills were rung up. Per diem money disappeared. Things were moving along like a train...like their music. They decided to get a singer. Various people tried out. They returned from the land o' the lost with horror stories. Karma to Burn was Marlon Brando the singers were Martin Sheen. This was a rock and roll version of Apocalypse Now. One fellow who tried out ended up in the looney bin. No one could make the cut. So they enlisted one of their friends. He can't really sing. His sound is more of a distorted warble. He moans and grunts a lot. Due to his dyslexia, they had to name their songs because he sucked at numbers and kept fucking up. So it was to be that their songs would have titles. Titles like "(Waltz Of The) Playboy Pallbearers", "Appalachian Woman", "Mt. Penetrator", and "Twin Sisters and a Half Bottle of Bourbon". Finally they made it into the studio. What you have in your hands is the debut record from Dickey, William, Baka, and Nicholas collectively known as Karma To Burn. This ain't no movie soundtrack. It's a record about real life in rural America. It's a record about dreams. It's about sex, drugs, and - you guessed it - rock and roll. The trinity is now complete. Thanks for your time. Now fuck off and die." was written by Wiebke, former European Press Agent.
It should be noted that RR actually "enforced" K2B to hire a vocalist. ;)
Current Line-up:
William Mecum (guitar) (ex-Treasure Cat)
Rob Halkett (bass guitar) (The Exploited)
Evan Devine (drums)
Bobbi Bobbi Bobbi
Karma to Burn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A girl named Bobbi, washes her hurt
Her momma kneels down, ?
?
Don't buy any longer
Don't buy any more
Under the stone, in the cold, to the shade
Fellow died burnt from the sun
Dried for days and had never begone
Daddy, do you like me? (Do you like me?)
Ever get with me?
Daddy, do you like it? (Do you like it?)
Take it on your knees (knees)
The lyrics of Karma to Burn's song "Bobbi Bobbi Bobbi" are a bit esoteric and leave a lot of room for interpretation. The song starts with the image of a girl named Bobbi who is down in the dirt, washing her hurt. It's unclear what exactly she is washing or why she is hurt, but the imagery of being down in the dirt suggests some kind of emotional or physical pain. Bobbi's momma kneels down, but what she does once she is down there is unknown.
The context of the lyrics then shifts to someone who has died, presumably Bobbi's father, who lies under a stone. He died burnt from the sun and had been dried for days without ever having "begone", which could be interpreted as the idea that his life was cut short or he didn't get to live to his full potential. The lyrics then take an eerie turn with the repeated question of "Daddy, do you like me?" and "Daddy, do you like it? Take it on your knees (knees)". It's unclear if this is Bobbi speaking or someone else, but the repeated inquiries about whether or not Daddy likes them and the request to take something on their knees suggests a kind of twisted relationship or power dynamic.
Overall, the lyrics of "Bobbi Bobbi Bobbi" leave a lot to the imagination and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The repeated imagery of being down in the dirt and under a stone suggests a sense of being trapped or stuck, while the eerie questions about Daddy liking someone and the request to take something on their knees could be interpreted as a form of manipulation or abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
Down to the flower, down in the dirt
Bobbi has hit rock bottom and is deeply hurt and struggling
A girl named Bobbi, washes her hurt
Bobbi is trying to heal and clean herself physically and emotionally
Her momma kneels down, ?
Bobbi's mother is trying to comfort her and is praying for her
?
The specific prayer or dialogue between Bobbi's mother and her is unknown or unsaid
Don't buy any longer
Don't try to pay your way out of your troubles or suffering
Don't buy any more
Stop trying to escape your problems by spending or using material things
Under the stone lies Daddy's head
Bobbi's father has died and is buried
Under the stone, in the cold, to the shade
The grave is a cold, dark place that provides a shade from the sun
Fellow died burnt from the sun
Bobbi's father possibly died from heat stroke or prolonged exposure to the sun
Dried for days and had never begone
Bobbi's father was left to dry out in the sun for days, symbolizing his suffering and death as never truly beginning or ending
Daddy, do you like me? (Do you like me?)
Bobbi wonders if her father loved her and if he is proud of her
Ever get with me?
Bobbi may be asking if her father is still with her in spirit or if he is watching over her
Daddy, do you like it? (Do you like it?)
Bobbi wonders if her father would approve of her choices and lifestyle
Take it on your knees (knees)
Bobbi asks her father to pray for her and kneel down with her
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES NICHOLAS, JASON JAROSZ, RICHARD JR. MULLINS, WILLIAM MECUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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