West Virginia Snake Handler Revival: “They Shall Take Up Serpents”

West Virginia Snake Handler Revival “They Shall Take Up Serpents” marks the arrival of a landmark record, documenting the last snake handling church in Appalachia. Featuring hillbilly rock guitars, trance-like rhythms, and howling vocals, this album was recorded 100% live and without overdubs during Sunday service by Grammy-award winning producer, author, and Tape Op contributor, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Parchman Prison Prayer).

Brennan states, “I’d sworn to stay far away from the snakes at the service, but instead they were waved in my face as they coiled in the preachers’ hands, and I crouched down at the foot of the altar tending to the equipment. The pastor soon was bitten and blood splattered, pooling on the floor. The female parishioners hurriedly came to wipe up the mess, and it instantly became clear just what the rolls of paper towels stacked on the pulpit had been for."

Brennan has a gift for capturing moments. To each his own, but this Sunday sermon/roadhouse blues show combo is one of the most terrifying and tripped out things I have heard in a long time.

The sermon begins with a possessed sounding preacher half yelling "In the name of Jee-zus-aahh" type incantations, all drenched in 1976 Lee Perry-worthy echo, then moves along into segments with titles like "I'm a Jesus Man", "ADHD Meds & Starbucks", "Rock and Roll Was Stolen By God By Satan", "Prepare for the Times of Famine", and "Television Soap Opera Battles", all backed by a Junior Kimbrough-esque hill country blues band whose members have had either wide ranging amounts of caffeine (none to a lot), been overtaken by the spirit, or are bleeding out from a snake bite. The perfectly imperfect recording captures the energy and fever in the room, and like many of Brennan's music documentary projects, sheds light on another music-related cultural happening that churns outside the mainstream. Well done Ian!

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