Happy Birthday, Dick JR.

Fistfights, Hug-outs & Many Happy Returns

When it came to the focus this year’s birthday feature, there was really just one choice.
As proud as we are of Richard’s achievements as an actor and director, nothing in Rich’s career has given us quite as much joy as Dick Jr. & The Volunteers’ second album. Watching the man whose go-to line was “I’m not a musician” prove himself as not only a bonafide frontman, but a songwriter beyond our imaginings, has been a revelation.
And then there’s what it’s meant for us personally. From the 2020 YouTube premiere of “When The Devil Drives”, to the poster for the upcoming Nashville show; from a guest appearance on the stage of Exit/In, to our most extensive interviews so far, “Fistfight and Hug-outs” has brought us opportunities we never could have dreamed of.
It’s also, of course, become the soundtrack to our lives. And as we’re not alone on that front, we decided that this September 4th, we’d ask fans to share their love for the album, and breakdown their favourite tracks.

Thanks for the music, Dick Jr.

And happy, happy birthday.

Rain and Beth x

Fistfights and Hug-Outs

When The Devil Drives

As far as I'm concerned this second album is like one of these treasure boxes we used to keep when we were children : full of little things bringing memories and emotions, and polaroids of life instants... and all the good these things can do to one's soul. And for all this there's only one word : MERCI <3

‘Not only do I love Rich's voice... not only do I enjoy his music... but this album so dear to his heart touches mine deeply too… because of the emotions and the instants of life the chosen songs invoke in my mind and heart’

AV - Metz, France

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I was honored to have been able to serve as the house photographer for the EXIT/IN show that introduced songs off of this album to the fans as well as have one of those same photos included in the album jacket of the first run of the CDs that were printed. The album itself is solid from top to bottom with soulful ballads, beautiful covers and rocking tunes to satisfy any music listener. It’s one of my favorites and finds itself in my playlists in a regular basis. One track that stands out to me in particular and is on a constant heavy rotation is “When the Devil Drives”. It’s equal parts sinfully good time and masterfully written lyrics. “I’ve got no business being in the kitchen cooking up a batch of sin” is genius -and one of my favorite lyrics I have ever heard.

Jenna - Nashville, TN

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Back in November 2020, I suggested that Rich record an acoustic song to mark the anniversary of debut album, “The Dance And How To Do It”. I was expecting something from that album (he had previously shared an acoustic “Living At Night”), but the next time we caught up, Rich asked whether I thought he should play something new instead.

On November 20th, a video arrived in my inbox, with a message that said simply, “As promised”,

Born out of the cabin (literally, in Rich’s case) fever of the pandemic, “When The Devil Drives” was

a mud-thumping hymn to the place where good times meet bad decisions. Raunchy, rowdy and unrepentant, it came with a killer riff, and lyrics aimed to pool heat deep in your gut. It was exactly what I’d been hoping for when Rich first touted the album - a song that would bone you on the basin of a truck stop bathroom.

There aren’t really words for what that video meant to me. In a time of so many cancelled plans and abandoned dreams, Rich coming through on his promise gave me hope. Ironically, his story of a willing sinner felt like salvation.

Beth and I would be lucky enough to see Rich several times between lockdown and his Nashville show, but I don’t think our worlds felt truly healed until we heard that riff at Exit/In.

With “Fistfights & Hug-outs” release, it would, of course, become a fan favourite. But in some tiny way, “When The Devil Drives” will always have been Rain from England’s first.

Rain, RSJrFanWorld - Bristol, England

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Latest album favorite has got to be when the devil drives. The guitar and bass part are just so nice and he's got some sassy to his voice in it that I really enjoy.

Cricket - East Moline, IL

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My favorite song from Dick Jr. and the Volunteers’ sophomore album, ‘Fistfights and Hug-Outs,’ is quite literally first on the list: “When the Devil Drives.”

Back in December 2023, when LA and I recorded the Denim-wrapped Nightmares episode for "Changing Channels," I specifically stated that I hoped a preacher costume was next up in the trickster's disguises. You can therefore imagine my excitement over the lyrics to this original song. I apparently have to wait for an actual visual of Richard Speight, Jr., in a clergy outfit (‘911: Lone Star,’ I'm counting on you), but, in the meantime, we can all enjoy the lines, "Now, you're hot like a kindergarten teacher, and I'm dirty like a priest. So come sit at my banquet table, and let's have us a feast.”

A feast for the ears, that is!

It's easy to understand why this song was selected as the introductory track. It's catchy, fun, and has just the right amount of debauchery. I've previously stated that the lyrics describe what sounds like curing a hangover with hair-of-the-dog and rallying for another round. I stand by that assessment. The drum and bass rhythms, which kick it off, immediately hooked me. My toes were tapping right away, and, once that guitar lick emerged, I was out of my seat. Things didn't stop there. I was eventually inspired to create a line dance, which you have plenty of time to learn before Dick Jr. takes the stage at Exit/In on December 5th. Consider it a belated birthday present for the front man ;-)

Berly, Dallas, TX

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The Readout

The Readout is A Standout to me on the album. It's full of emotion and strong imagery. I'm a sucker for any song that's both angry and danceable! This one really feels like a trip through the stages of grief: what it's like to be crushed and furious about something you just can't control.

Emily - Kitchener, ON, Canada

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I had been looking forward to The Readout before I even knew what song it was. Months before the album was released, Rich was talking about the recording session with Cooper, and he described one of the tracks Cooper did as "uncoverable". As an intermediate bass player always looking to further my skills, I immediately took it as a challenge. Once the album came out, I asked him which song his comment referred to, and he told me The Readout. So I went into that song listening for the bassline, and oh boy, it did not disappoint. I rose to the challenge though, and learned that song note for note.

Rachel - Chicago, IL

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Your Whiskey On My Lips

There’s so many incredible songs on this album it should be hard to pick a favourite, but honestly from the second I heard Your Whiskey On My Lips there was no contest for me. Picking a second favourite would probably stump me though. It’s completely predictable for anyone who knows me that I adore YWOML. I’m a sucker for a good Western and this song for me just conjures everything I love about the genre along with the cool twist on the ‘traditional’ story, having the badass woman come riding to the rescue. The song is so well written – I love the story format, the ‘murder ballad’ of it all – but what elevates it for me with this song are the way the lyrics are so incredibly clever that they tell this story without telling you the story, if that makes sense. For me, the lyrics create the framework of the action and the emotions while leaving enough open for my imagination to flesh out the rest. Every time I listen to this song a little mini movie plays in my head and it’s different every time – that is a rare thing for me and a testament to Rich’s writing talent. Speaking of Rich’s talent – his vocals wow me on this track. Not that they don’t always, but they just fit this one so perfectly – the signature raw, throaty drawl from Rich combines and contrasts so perfectly with the haunting beauty of Emma’s lines, and both voices fit their characters in the story so well. It still sends a shiver down my spine every time. And has led to many instances of me belting it out alongside them (so long as no-one else can hear me!) and having the time of my life.

Kat - Wareham, Dorset, UK

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“Your Whiskey On My Lips” because it sounds very cinematic... I don't know if that makes sense but it's like moody and dramatic and sounds like it should be in a movie... then you add Emma's voice and it's just like AH! and it has those old country vibes.

Emma - Des Moines, IA

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Sure! Thanks to “When The Devil Drives,” the line “You’re hot like a kindergarten teacher and I’m dirty like a priest” lives rent-free in my head. And, 100%, “Sixteen Tons” gives me the best nostalgia for a certain dive bar in Iowa City, and the most lovely older gentleman who spent long afternoons plugging the jukebox with his favorite ditties. But only one track from “Fistfights and Hug-Outs” has been my most-played song on Spotify for the past three months straight. It’s the song that gave me goosebumps from its mere preview on Apple Music. The song that has everyone clamoring for a music video–and believe me, when it plays over my headphones and I’m riding the train, I stare out the window and my imagination concocts one every single time. This song is, of course, “Your Whiskey On My Lips.”

Look, I used to be an English professor; I’m a sucker for a good narrative. And this song spins a vivid one (thank you, lyrics), most evocatively (thank you, vocals), in a scant three and a half minutes. I mentioned the goosebumps, didn’t I? Where many of the songs on this album feature toe-tappin’, rear-wigglin’ beats and striking guitar riffs, “Your Whiskey On My Lips” unceasingly foregrounds the story; the result is an immersive dip into a (flawlessly harmonized!) tale of love in the old west and can I just say, I am here for it. Give me a horse-riding, pistol-toting heroine rescuing the hero any day of the week, and bonus points if he’s so down bad that he’s proclaiming, “Let the devil take my soul, but my heart belongs to you” to boot. I can’t get enough of it. The proof is that even my dog knows the words to this song at this point. So, from Sprout the Beagle and myself, thank you for the gift of this song, and happy, happy birthday.

Lauren - Chicago, IL

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Choosing a favorite song from FistFights and Hug-outs is a tough job because there is something for every occasion. If I want to dance, there's "When the Devil Drives", and "The Readout". If I want a good hang out song, there's songs like "I liked You More (When I Knew You Less)" and "Low Bar". There's the emotional song "Where I Go", that gets me everytime and shows just how versatile Rich is. The thing that the whole album has in common, is Rich's ability to tell a story with song and I think my favorite story to listen to is "Whiskey on My Lips". The imagery from the lyrics and music work together so well to help me create a movie in my head. Emma and Rich's voices together give it such a haunting feel. It's just a great song to get lost in.

Kera - Roberts, WI