Then again, unrepentant headbangers and folk purists have never been as far apart musically as either side would dare to admit. It's really not so surprising the Bad Livers have been able to pull off the seemingly incongruous feat of opening a tour for the Butthole Surfers and performing at the Edmonton Folk Festival. Perhaps the only prerequisite for such versatility is musicianship, an area in which the Bad Livers are loaded like a triple-barrell shotgun.
Barnes specializes in banjo but also is at home with an acoustic guitar or mandolin.
Ralph White doubles on fiddle and accordion, as any good Cajun-grounded player stuck in a bluegrass band with punk ethics would do. Not that bluegrass and punk tell the whole story. Rubin, for instance. Ralph still does a lot of gigs playing with his friends in French bands, and he still gets gigs to play Irish accordion. I think the more inclusive we are with our influences, the more inclusive we will be with our band.