Weedeater…I gotta say the name has always made it hard for me to take the band seriously. The name summons visions of lazy stoners slouched on a couch while smoking weed through a smushed beer can. You know the type; they can sit for days and laugh at Dukes of Hazzard reruns. That’s a real bummer man, a real bummer. Surprisingly, Weedeater’s music is better than their band name. On God Luck and Good Speed, the band actually blends a good bit of Southern rock and roots music with a traditional, slothful stoner sound.

The opener, God Luck and Good Speed, is as catchy as stoner rock can be. Even though the pace is slow, the fuzzy riff is full of movement. The tune really has a subdued bounce. And though the song is over four minutes long, it feels fresh to the end. Next up is an instrumental called Wizard Fight. Book it, it’s done, I’m sold…just based on the song title. Actually, the track is just over two minutes of doom-alicious movement. Once again, it’s catchier than stoner rock should be. For Evan’s Sake is one of the two seven minute songs on the album. The song has groove, but the sludgy verse riff definitely moves at its own pace. The chorus riff is a little more frantic with “Dixie” Dave Collins’ ranting, gruff vocals over the top. Over all this song is quite a trip. There are enough time changes and riff shifts to make it worth the length.

Alone is two minutes of straight Southern roots music. The song is mostly banjo and acoustic guitar with Dixie moaning over the top. Dixie’s vocals keep a low tone and match the simplicity of the tune perfectly. The lyric’s tale of personal anger and mistrust reflects a true zeitgeist of the typical Southerners’ mentality. $20 Peanut is burner of an instrumental that features a downright energetic bass line. As the drums and guitars rotate between slow and mid-paced groove, Dixie’s fingers flutter out distorted note after distorted note. Dirt Merchant is a more typical sludge/stoner track. A descending riff keeps the opening interesting, while the molasses middle riff highlights the slow-mo vocals. Around 3 minutes, the song makes another change. Another busy bass part intros the outro…a Southern-stomp, whiskey-soaked section of white boy blues. Honestly, this groovy little section could last forever and I wouldn’t mind.

Next up is a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Give Me Back My Bullets. Don’t know if you live below the Mason-Dixon Line like me and Dixie do, but this shit is serious business down here. I mean it; thou shalt not take the Van Zant’s name in vain. Who cares if the cover is needed? I’m too busy smiling and singing along. Weedmonkey is another seven-minute magnum opus. It starts out a bit more droned-out than the other tracks on the album. The opening sloth riff sticks for the majority of the song. The open air provided by the slow pace lets Dixie’s crusty rants take center stage. A galloping bass part at the four and a half minute mark speeds the tune up a good bit. And the bouncy refrain at the end of the song is positively infectious. Hell, the final three minutes probably feature the fastest tempo on the album. Willow is something of an off-kilter outro. It’s basically an awkward little piano part. But, after the power of Weedmonkey, the track actually eases you outward into the dark goodnight.

In a way, this album reminds me of outsider art. While it’s definitely a crusty, sloppy piece of work, you can still tell that it was crafted by an artistic soul. It’s easy to see that God Speed and Good Luck is not just a bunch of riffs thrown together and called an album. It’s a distinct, organic attempt to communicate to the listener, and I think it is an achievement on every level.