"Oh, and to add even more to the evening's pleasant musical surprises, before Slobberbone's set, Best told us that his solo album will be done this spring and that Slobberbone will finally hit the studio this summer to record their first new record in almost a decade."
"The DBTs have a new album coming out on February 15th: Go-Go Boots. Once again they are breaking out the old video camera, but this time they are taking a slightly different, more personal approach. They have already posted their first video of the series. In it, Patterson Hood tells the what, why and how how they will go about creating videos for the album launch. He is not so much marketing as he is being transparent about how they want to connect with fans and tell the story of the album. I think it is brilliant and I am looking forward to it."
"If the Drive-By Truckers were a barfly's usual order, they'd be a Boilermaker -- can of beer, shot of whiskey. No grenadine, no lime wedges or muddled sugar, no paper umbrellas. 'Birthday Boy' ain't destined to replace 'Happy Birthday' anytime soon -- it's written from the perspective of a jaded working girl. 'I ain't got all night,' she says. We'll make some time."
"The Americana Music Association announced its year end Top 100 Albums of the Year. The Top 100 albums are based on those records reported to the Americana Airplay Chart during the period of November 17, 2009 through November 15, 2010.
Character studies are fine and all, but they’re much more interesting if they rock. Case in point: “The Fourth Night of My Drinking”, funny and pretty when played on the piano, also sounds like an immense cloud of longing and dread when subjected to the Truckers’ triple-guitar attack. Their song subjects are ripped from the headlines, sure—a working stiff is worse off than his daddy, a preacher’s wife goes on trial for murdering her depraved husband, the local music scene dies. But you keep listening because the rhythm section’s a powerhouse, their chord progressions are unique, and the guitarists have a penchant for noisy squall like nobody this side of Sonic Youth. Though the second half’s got some filler, it’s in the grand tradition of filler that sounds pretty good whenever you put it on. And put it on you should, because for sheer beautiful guitar tones, nobody can touch this band. Josh Langhoff"
"#9 Glossary Feral Fire (The Rebel Group) It's always a good year when there's a new Glossary record on the stereo, and 2010 is no different. Well, except that this time they had their buddies in Lucero releasing the album — which is the rockin'-est conglomeration of Dinosaur Jr. and Thin Lizzy we've heard in ages — and spent more time on the road supporting it than they ever have before. And if that weren't hot enough, they also spiced things up with the debut of Saussary, their tour-only homemade hot sauce, and solo records from Joey and Kelly Kneiser that were chock-full of Murfreesboro's finest players and songwriters. —Sean L. Maloney"
"This isn't the best way to go about things, and the booze is no excuse. As the Drive-By Truckers tell us, 'whiskey don't make you do a thing, it just lets you.'"
"3. 'Southern Rock Opera,' Drive-by Truckers The classic Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup may have perished in that awful plane crash, but the band left behind a fine legacy for Drive-by Truckers, the band that would define what it was like to grow up in the South in their wake. This 2001 'Southern Rock Opera' tells Patterson Hood's semi-autobographical tale through the constant touchstone of the Skynyrd legend. Sample song title: 'Shut Up and Get on the Plane.'"
"I had the opportunity to interview Patterson Hood about some records that keep him going. I covered his band, the Drive-By Truckers’ latest record The Big To Do here. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here."
"♣ Diversions: Picked up a couple of excellent CDs last week, the new, interesting, partly spoken-word CD by the godfather of hip-hop, Gil-Scott Heron, and the most recent release by Alabama garage-rockers the Dexateens, a CD called Singlewide. It’s the first one I’ve heard of theirs in a few years, for some unknown reason. Talk about underrated bands. The Dexateens have been around for many years and absolutely rock, but don’t seem to get much attention from the music press. They should. Try ‘em out if you haven’t. The Drive-By Truckers aren’t the only vital band from Alabama.
_______
Check out the DBT shout-out at 1:30. Nice tune, too:
"The Hold Steady will perform on The Late Show with David Letterman on Friday, April 30, and sit down for an interview as well as perform on The Colbert Report Thursday, May 14. The band will play songs from their new album Heaven Is Whenever, out May 4 on Vagrant Records."
"Welcome to the latest installment of Rocket Fuel! On this episode I play great new jams from Four Year Strong, Streetlight Manifesto, Crime In Stereo and much more. I also interview Joe Kneiser from Glossary and review the new album To Bed To Battle by Look Mexico."
"This guy, Rick Bass, wanted to do a piece on me for 'Gun and Garden', which sounds like it should have a sister publication called 'Tarp and Shovel'."
"Framed in music terms, the U.S. healthcare debate has unfolded like an epic battle of the bands. For nearly a century politicians, doctors and private insurers have riffed on the subject, with each side hoping their proposed healthcare solutions would capture the grand prize of public approval. With the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the debate continues and among the topics is how this historic legislation will impact the music community."
"In other words, the entertainment industry thinks consumers should voluntarily install software that constantly scans our computers and identifies (and perhaps deletes) files found to be 'infringing.' It's hard to believe the industry thinks savvy, security-conscious consumers would voluntarily do so. But those who remember the Sony BMG rootkit debacle know that the entertainment industry is all too willing to sacrifice consumers at the altar of copyright enforcement."
"KENANSVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina prosecutor says he still plans to prosecute six members of guitarist and singer Willie Nelson's band on drug and alcohol charges.
"As you folks know, we don't normally sell original DBT art unless something really big is afoot - and sadly, it is. Bill Constable, an old high school chum and fellow musician friend of Jyl's has gotten the cancer at a time in his life when, surprise! , he didn't have medical insurance."
_______
Brent Best
If you haven't already, do it! If you have already, do it again!
"On the heels of an announcement of a sweet Shel Silverstein tribute, one the contributing artists is getting a compilation of his own. John Prine, known for the wry humor of 'Illegal Smile,' the thoughtful protesting 'The Great Comprimise,' and the sweetly sad 'Donald and Lydia,' will be feted by artists such as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst, and the Drive-By Truckers. A full track list follows:"
I learned valuable insight last Thursday night at Webster Hall into why people quit their day jobs, sell their homes, buy a camper, and follow their favorite band on tour as a lifestyle.
The Drive-By Truckers played for just over two hours on April 1, 2010 in support of their new album The Big To-Do. My father and I attended the show and haven't stopped talking, emailing, or texting about what an experience it was.
Q: You guys were ahead of the curve in establishing an online presence, building a fan base without a record label and manager. How did that come to pass?
A: It's true. We were in early. We put the band together in the 1996-98 period when the Internet was kind of taking shape and we had a site manager, Jen Bryant, who was already doing Web design for a living. So we were able to get a really good site together, all on our own, for very little money.
We started to feel the impact immediately. It would be a long time before we were drawing a crowd, but there would always be five people there, no matter where we went, who knew who we were. We weren't just shooting in the dark.
"ExploreMusic chats with Mike Cooley from the Drive-By Truckers on their recording process, the different sound on their new album 'The Big To-Do,' their plans for a new record, and their involvement on social media sites."
"Actor Robert Duvall, left, stands with country singer Billy Joe Shaver during a break in Shaver's trial Thursday, April 8, 2010 in Waco Texas. Shaver, 70, is charged with shooting Billy Bryant Coker outside Papa Joe's Texas Saloon in Lorena, Texas on April 1, 2007."
"In December we posted a story from the Athens Banner-Herald that reported an apartment theft in Athens, GA. In addition to many other valuables, one of the stolen items was a Tom Petty box set."
"His compound, which once belonged to his grandfather, a cotton farmer, is now home to Mr. Anthony; his father, Bishop Anthony, a retired insurance adjuster and occasional restaurateur; and sometimes Mr. Anthony’s partner, Natalie Chanin, and their 4-year-old daughter, Maggie. (She and Maggie come and go “on a part-time basis,” Ms. Chanin said, because her business — producing handmade clothes and soft goods under the Alabama Chanin label, which is sewn by local seamstresses and coveted by fashion world insiders — is run from her own home in Florence, Ala., a five-hour drive away.)"
So's I've been ruminatin' for a while now as to the status of a number of unreleased songs of mine, 'solo material' as the suits might call it and and in light of our desire to return to creating new Slobberbone material in the near future I feel the time has come to put the hammer to the anvil and get these out. A few of these songs you might have heard me perform live the last few years, some I've never played outside my house and some have never left their hard drive. They've marinated long enough, methinks. With that in mind, I've decided they should be recorded all proper-like, in a real studio (I love my kitchen but it's time to get out) and with a focus on craft and not brevity. Addititionally, I would like to eschew the traditional means of funding and distribution we've employed in the past and be able to deliver it straight to whoever may be interested upon completion. My only barriers to this end is the time needed away from work and other concerns, and the funding.
Here's what I'm proposing: that you, or anyone who'd like to participate, become that avenue. I believe this can be fairly simple and that excites me enough to help allay some of the aggonizing I've had that this might seem basely oppurtunistic to some. It's not. I've come to realise that the biggest gift over the last many years of doing what I do only starts from getting to share my work with those who would receive it, but more importantly, for me, becomes the relationships, and often all-out friendships, that so many have chosen to share with me in return. This is where my satisfaction comes from, not the spectre of throwing it out to the world at any cost and seeing what can be gained. I've already gained more than I ever imagined. It's you guys I want to continue with.
So now I make this offer, to those and only those who would feel no weirdness about it: help me make this record. For a $10 contribution, you will receive a limited edition of this record, to be recorded later this summer, shipped to you upon completion, personalised and with your name on it. Whew... okay here's how it can work: you participate either via Paypal or with a check or money order. Most important will be for you to provide your complete name and shipping information. Paypal provides for this but please make sure you enter it and it is correct, and update it if you should move. Same thing with a mailed check or money order: please enclose your full name and mailing info, along with phone and email if you'd like. This will facilitate me compiling a master list of all donors and to be able to keep you up to date on the production, and also provide you with access to some web-based extras that I'll post along the way. For Paypal, send your donation to brentdbest@yahoo.com, for check or money order, mail your donation to Brent Best, 1901 Redwood Pl, Denton, TX, 76209. Upon receipt, I will send you a notification confirming your participation along with additional updates to follow.
I am excited and a little twitchy. Also a little gassy at the moment but that usually goes away. I look forward to looking forward. And when it's all said and done, let's all have a drink.
"Behind every successful band or artist there are at least several individuals behind the scenes who prove instrumental in the artist’s accomplishments. In the case of The Drive By Truckers, Jenn Bryant (along with Traci Thomas) operates as one of those rare folks. Not only has she known Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley over 20 years, but, like them, she’s an Alabama native. She knows the lore of Muscle Shoals and served in the trenches with artists like Johnny Sandlin, John Bell and Bloodkin."
"The Drive-By Truckers, a great rock band out of Athens, Georgia, has a video contest that we thought would appeal to Teamsters.
Here’s a description from the contest web site: “We’ve all had tough jobs from time to time, some longer than others, and we wanted to hear from you about your experience in the work place. We’d like you to make a short video that shows us what it’s like to have your job and upload it to YouTube. Keep it to 3 minutes.”
With 1.4 million members in a variety of jobs not seen in any other union, a Teamster should be a lock to win this contest, right? We’ll be keeping our eyes on YouTube to see if any Teamsters enter."
1. Drive-By Truckers, The Big To-Do (ATO): Like The Clash, for their hard core of followers, these Athens-based roots Americana rockers are the last band that matters, and on their tenth and latest album (the first for Dave Matthews' label), the five-piece group take that role to heart.
_______
A great collection of DBT related articles on Swampland.
"Booker T. Jones is the perhaps the greatest organist in R&B history. His band, Booker T. & the MG’s, was the heart and soul of Stax Records, the legendary ‘60s label. Besides generating instrumentals like “Green Onions” and “Time Is Tight,” the MG’s also served as the house band for nearly every vocal session at the label’s studios, backing artists like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett on their greatest hits. Apart from his storied legacy at Stax, Booker T. has also produced and played with an array of respected artists including Willie Nelson and Bill Withers. Always a soft-spoken, elegant man, Jones re-emerged in 2009 with Potato Hole, a tasty collaboration with the Southern rock group Drive-By Truckers. This hard-hitting record will remind you why Booker T. was a major influence on ‘60s English “mod” groups like The Who and The Small Faces. Critically acclaimed, it scored a Grammy Award this year, for Best Pop Instrumental Album."
"The Secret to a Happy Ending 14th St. Playhouse Main Stage
14th Street Playhouse - Main Stage April 23, 2010 at 7:30pm General Admission
The Secret to a Happy Ending does for Athens-based band the Drive-By Truckers what I Am Trying To Break Your Heart did for Wilco and Some Kind of Monster did for Metallica. Like the terrific all-access, behind-the-scenes band documentaries that preceded it, The Secret to a Happy Ending shows the Drive-By Truckers at their most vulnerable, a three critical year chronicle of touring and recording a band overcoming trauma and surviving a near breakup—all while also searching for an ever-elusive happy ending.
Ticket Prices: $50.00 ; $40.00 for Atlanta Film Festival 365 members(must show ID in person or order online with appropriate promo code) ; All tickets are subject to 8% sales tax and a $4.00 service fee per ticket.
DIRECTIONS & PARKING INFORMATION
14th Street Playhouse 173 14th Street Atlanta, Georgia 30309"
"Originally hailing from Katonah, NY, Garrin Benfield has been based in San Francisco since 1997. Garrin has been touring nationally since 2000, playing his own well regarded solo and full band shows, as well as opening for and playing with such artists as Boz Scaggs, Dan Bern, and Rickie Lee Jones. Garrin has gained notice as a road warrior, playing 150 shows in 2008 and 2009 at some of the best venues and festivals around the country.
Garrin has four independently released albums under his belt. His most recent, Where Joy Kills Sorrow (Zacksongs), received national radio exposure and universally positive reviews. Garrin's second CD, Nowhere is Brighter, features Bonnie Raitt's band backing him up. Recently, Garrin has been focusing on solo performances that are anything but your typical acoustic act. Fiery and unpredictable, Garrin insists on reinterpreting his music every night, infusing a healthy dose of improvisation and instrumental guitar explorations into his shows. He is also regarded as a master of the looping technology that allows him to build arrangements on stage, right in front of the audience, without a net!"
"'It's not an album, it's not a full-length record. It's not even an EP,' he says. 'There's no way I can describe it. You'll think I'm fucking with you if I start describing it. You'll just have to see. The only thing I'll tell you is this - it's high art.'"
2: Vintage Cooley covering REM with a nascent Stained Mecca circa 1988:
One amazing song after another...can't believe I waited so long to see them headline a gig.
A friend wasn't able to claim an extra, so after listening to my 9 yo tell me for almost a full hour, 'I wanna go...can't I go...why can't I go...etc', the wife and I gave in. So, Sam, my 9 yo son, popped his cherry with The Truckers. After the show was over, he said, 'I will remember this for the rest of my life!'
I was actually amazed by how nice folks were with him. I can't count the amount of 'Rock on little guy!' he got.
Anyway...like I said, it was an AMAZING show all around!"
________
Brent Best/Slobberbone
Go play nice... or dirty with Brent Best on his new Slobberbone Facebook page!
"'Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit” is a mystery. The first time I heard it, the last time, and the countless times in between, it sounded both uncannily familiar and absolutely fresh. I can explain that a little – and I can suggest some of the issues and emotions the music raises -- but when all is said and done, the record remains a mystery. And I believe that’s deliberate."
"WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Doug Fieger, leader of the power pop band The Knack who sang on the 1979 hit 'My Sharona,' died Sunday. He was 57.
Fieger, a Detroit-area native, died at his home in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles after battling cancer, according to The Knack's manager, Jake Hooker."
"He said Reid has mastered the use of familiar fabrics such as tweed, plaid and denim. He tweaks classic designs, such as adding red plaid piping on a pea coat and lining its flaps with leather rather than fabric, or a moleskin jacket with a surprisingly contemporary lining in red and navy check cotton.
'He's a gentleman who thinks in a very modern way,' Moore said. 'We just love the fact you can go into a Billy Reid store and be a 20-something hipster or ... a guy looking for a business suit. He's going to inspire men who don't want to look cookie-cutter. His clothes are steeped in such incredible style ... that makes you want to buy them.'"
Albums Patterson Hood 1. Bloodkin - Baby They Told Us We Would Rise Again On the surface, no frills, meat and potatoes rock (and damn proud of it) but a closer listen reveals the finest songwriting all year as this 24-year-old band sings the horrifying tale of their trip back from the abyss and sees it through to a joyous life-affirming conclusion. It's like that Leaving Las Vegas movie with a happy ending - unbelievable if weren't true. Such well-treaded territory would suck if not for the magnificence of its execution. 'Wild Rhododendrons' is the finest songwriting I've seen all year, and 'The Viper' and 'Heavy With Child' are just as good. Meanwhile 'Easter Eggs' is the best song of man love I've ever heard (including 'Bobby Jean' and 'Angie')."
"Patterson Hood - Drive-By Truckers - Best of Decade List
1. The Glands - The Glands Patterson Hood by Susan J. Weiand My favorite album of the decade and also my all time favorite album ever to come out of Athens, GA. It came out in 2000 and is still growing on me nearly a decade later. Unfortunately it came out on Capricorn in the waning days of their attempt at resurgence and virtually no one outside of Athens heard it, but of those who have there is a cult of us who feel exactly like I do about it. They never released a follow up and Ross now manages a record store in town. A truly timeless masterpiece that gets better with every listen (and I've listened to it weekly for over nine years now)."
"So what does Ray Charles’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music have to do with the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera (2001), you might ask?"
"Picking the right ones wasn't such a difficult task, the band tells Spinner. 'It's pretty obvious, really,' guitarist/singer Mike Cooley says. 'It usually is. At some point, you start finding the corner pieces and the ones with the straight edges first.'"
"JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit [Lightning Rod] The former Drive-By Trucker loads his second solo record with a wealth of songwriting gems. No song will ever use the phrase “rolled-up $20 bill” in a lyric any better than “Cigarettes And Wine.”
MAPLEWOOD Yeti Boombox [Tapete] The album title pretty much says it all. Brooklyn boys make good. Harmonies and guitar glitter.
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities And Rarities 2003-2008) [New West] The best way to fulfill a recording contract you’ll ever hear. Seems like some of these should have made a record somewhere along the way."
"“She smelled like cigarettes and wine.” I know that girl, you know that girl– hell, we all know that girl. Well, probably not the exact girl, but we’ve all known a few, and even more so, we all know the feeling he’s singing about. Even if you couldn’t understand English, you’d know exactly what is going on in this song.
If for some reason you don’t own the album, get it here."
"Was there a moment when you were younger where you heard a pop song and the format of that really clicked for you?
Oh yeah. I don’t know what artist in particular but a lot of that probably came from ‘80s radio for me: Prince, Crowded House, Until Tuesday and a lot of those bands they were playing on the radio then—Colin Hay from Men at Work. That kind of stuff really appealed to me when I was really young and first started to write. I loved how those songs all fit together."
"Embedded Tour Stop Special with White Rabbits, Black Lips, Jason Isbell, Fucked Up & Amazing Baby. Premieres December 31 at 10pm EST.
Got big plans for NYE? Catch Embedded on New Year’s Day or over the weekend, too!
Here’s when to turn on the TV:
Thursday night: 12/31 starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST, then again starting at 12 midnight EST/9pm PST. Friday afternoon: 1/1 starting at 4pm EST/1pm PST Saturday morning: 1/2 starting at 10am EST/7am PST Sunday afternoon: 1/3 starting at 5pm EST/2pm EST
And, of course, once they’ve aired you’ll be able to watch all 15 Tour Stops at current.com/tourstop, plus our channels on Hulu, YouTube and MySpace."
"Chesnutt's very real ensnarement in the insurance system lends an uncomfortable yet deeply compelling undertone to his lyrical attempts to make peace with illness, his paraplegism and death. Chesnutt doesn't hold out too much hope for whatever healthcare bill makes it through the Senate, either -- 'What will pass will be weak, the powers that be will be happy and the insurance companies will be thrilled,' he believes. Those facts only remind a listener that the small braveries of an album like 'At the Cut' can, if not offer solutions, at least be a bit of comfort and companionship. Or solace that Chesnutt doesn't have to figure out even bigger problems, like how to fix California's ailing economy.
'You guys are the most screwed of all,' he said, laughing."
"After a few more words, it all clicked. A woman who knew Chanin and worked at the Chicago fashion boutique Ikram had contacted Rogers, who was looking for a designer to make a tree skirt for the White House's Blue Room. Rogers asked Chanin, founder of the Florence-based fashion and lifestyle company Alabama Chanin. She said yes."
_______
Music
A really marvelous night for a moondance, apparently.
I'm checking out for a few days to focus on the War on Christmas. We are really close to winning this time. If all goes to plan, next year we'll be celebrating the birth of Dr. John.
Have a good one and be nice.
_______
________
_______
_______
And here's some Brent Best just because he's great.
"The Drive-By Truckers will also appear on the cover of Relix’s February/March issue. Noted rock scribe Mark Kemp spent time on the road with the band, discussing its new studio project and future plans."
"Americans live with a soundtrack: the relentless chatter of media, the clash and clatter of daily life, collisions with history, voices in our hearts and heads, sounds we love and noises we can't escape. Out of that roar comes our culture and our politics."
_______
_______
_______
Muscle Shoals Sound
I promise you Buttholeville had none of this coolness when I grew up there.
"Today at 7:18 AM EST, about 40 miles West of Albany on I-90, the weezer tour bus carrying Rivers and his family and assistants lost control as it hit a patch of black ice. The driver employed every ounce of skill he had in fighting to keep the bus upright, as the vehicle violently fishtailed over the highway. And while the bus did indeed go off the road, plunging about 8-10 vertical feet into a muddy ravine off to the right of the Thruway thus coming to a very abrupt stop, it did not flip or roll, despite having plowed right over a guardrail, flattening it. Kudos to the driver for somehow keeping things as level as they could be - surely this story would have been far more tragic if not for his actions."
"During my grade school days, I freaked out when other people discovered the music I loved. It was my music and I didn’t want anyone to steal it from me. I first experienced this reaction while listening to Weezer’s Blue album with my family on a road trip. They all liked it! I was all right with my older brother liking it, because he was close to my age and therefore cool. But my parents? No way. I asked them to remove the cassette (remember cassettes?) from the tape deck and I promptly put it back into my Walkman. As the years progressed, I briefly hated (or was “over”) The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, The White Stripes and a slew of other artists who rose from relative obscurity to become “the next big thing.”"
"Apple Inc., the company that restructured the music industry around its iTunes service, is exploring an overhaul of the way it sells and stores music that is aimed at extending its influence to the Web, according to people briefed on the strategy."
"I suppose I should just get the obvious one out of the way first. I see that you're playing dates with Slobberbone and solo. Since there's been no official announcement, what does this mean for the band situation? Are The Drams still active? How's it all shaking out?
Drams are still semi-active. We just played a show last night. The idea is to do both but obviously we'll have to kinda focus on one or the other at one time and it looks like we're gonna focus on some Slobberbone stuff for now. Keith and Chad are playing and doing quite well in The King Bucks right now and with Brian back it seems like a good time to fire up Slobbebone and maybe start laying down some tracks. And then hopefully do it all again with The Drams in a year or so. I like the idea of having both and having them be very different things. Solo shows just sorta fill the cracks in between."
"Jason Isbell grew up in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama, and the Shoals' deep soul permeates his style and sensibility – even when he's pouring out intricate story songs on an acoustic guitar, as he did during an exclusive live session for Feel Like Going Home."
"BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — John Mellencamp's 14-year-old son has started a social networking campaign on Facebook that he hopes will get his rocker dad to quit smoking."
_______
I've dated an Eastern Block woman before, Ronnie. I understand.
"Mr. Wexler was something of a paradox. A businessman with tireless energy, a ruthless streak and a volatile temper, he was also a hopeless music fan. A New York Jew and a vehement atheist, he found his musical home in the Deep South, in studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, Ala., among Baptists and Methodists, blacks and good old boys."
"Interestingly, they’ve come to the DBTs via the recent Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, several of them mentioning Andrew Muller’s Album Of The Month review in Uncut and how his claims for the record made them want to test his contention that, among other things, here was a synthesis of Lynryrd Skynyrd’s authenticity and virtuosity, The Replacement’s whiskey-sodden wit, the social conscience of Bruce Springsteen and the righteous fury of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Unanimously, they’ve been amazed that the record lived up to the advance billing, which they had probably suspected was bluster and hyperbole. They now can’t wait to see if the band can deliver live, which when I bump into some of the same people on the way out, they all, grinningly, agree they do, spectacularly."
"The Drive-by Truckers or DBT’s as they are known to fans, stay true to their southern American rock roots, but sound just modern enough to gain a European following. Their shows are known for being alcohol infused, three guitar playing, rift inducing jam sessions. Tuesday night was no different, with the Jack Daniels being passed between members and fans passing a cheeky smoke to the pretty drunk looking Cooley."
"Teresa said they let people leave their cars in the parking lot, don't mind if they come in just for a weather report, and get returning customers from all over the Southeast, including the band The Drive-By Truckers. who e-mailed them after a tornado one time to make sure Pop's was alright."
_______
_______
Betty Lavette
Via Roger Johnson. Check out the new video from Bettye
Good friend Russell Mefford sent me the Fiddleworms new record, Volkswagen Catfish, this week and it's a goodie.
Corey Hannah over at Nine Bullets beat me to the write-up punch early this week and posted the following on this very fine Florence, Alabama band.
I spent many a fun night back in the mid-90s partying to the live tunes of the first incarnation of the Fiddleworms. I'm real happy they've come back stronger than ever.
"After leaving the Drive-By Truckers, Rob Malone moved back to the Shoals to reform Fiddleworms with Russell Mefford. They released an album called Year of the Cock a few years ago. Browan Lollar, of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, did the artwork for that album.
I was interning at The Nutthouse Recording Studio in Sheffield earlier this year when Jimmy Nutt started mixing the new Fiddleworms record. I knew from the moment I heard the unmixed tracks that this was going to be a great album. If you guys will look at your liner notes, you’ll see that Jimmy engineered Jason’s album, Sirens of the Ditch. He also worked beside David Barbe on The Dirty South. Jimmy’s a helluva engineer and producer. The combination of him working with the Worms came together to make a record that does Muscle Shoals proud."
"When Russell Mefford was a kid, he thought the platform-wearing, tongue-wagging members of KISS were like superheroes. Not only that, they came bearing gifts, temporary tattoos. 'Every record that you bought from them, you got something from them,' he said. Mefford is lead guitarist and vocalist for Shoals band, The Fiddleworms, which satisfies their fans with T-shirts and stickers. Thanks to Gene, Peter, Ace and Paul, they also included temporary tattoos inside of their last CD."
_______
Brent Best/Drams
This post in a few months old but I just came across it. Some very excellent new tunage from Brent. I've been humming 'Never Bothered Me' all week long.
"Singer, songwriter, liberal activist and now John McCain scourge Jackson Browne filed a lawsuit today against the presumptive GOP nominee and the Republican Party for failing to obtain a license to use one of his songs in a television commercial."
"BARACK OBAMA 1. Ready or Not Fugees 2. What's Going On Marvin Gaye 3. I'm On Fire Bruce Spingsteen 4. Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones 5. Sinnerman Nina Simone 6. Touch the Sky Kanye West 7. You'd Be So Easy to Love Frank Sinatra 8. Think Aretha Franklin 9. City of Blinding Lights U2 10. Yes We Can will.i.am
JOHN McCAIN 1. Dancing Queen ABBA 2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison 3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA 4. If We MakeIt Through December Merle Haggard 5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson 6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys 7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong 8. I've Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra 9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond 10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters"
"So where does he get those sayings, aside from what he plucks from motivational speakers? 'To tell you the truth, the players. I sit with the players. I'll ask our captains, 'OK, what kind of music do you listen to right now? OK, give me a verse, a line, that you'll need when we're running 110s, on the 25th rep, and your body is saying no. What are you going to need at that moment?' And they're going to give me a little line.'"
"NEW YORK (AP) -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is going on the road to New York - the city that spawned hip-hop and gave Bob Dylan and the Ramones their start.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that the Cleveland-based museum is opening an annex in downtown Manhattan. It is the first of several planned outposts that will take its collection of artifacts to a wider audience, possibly as far as the Middle East."
"HARTFORD — Four decades into a career as the sequined king of soft rock, celebrated in his 1970s peak as much for his rakish growl and helmet of wavy hair as for hits like “Sweet Caroline” and “Song Sung Blue,” Neil Diamond is enjoying something of a career renaissance."
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Sweet Home Alabama," 1,346,000. This zesty 1974 hit is the oldest recording on the list. (The ‘50s and ‘60s are officially ancient history to today's downloading pop fans.) Kid Rock's current radio hit, "All Summer Long," which pays homage to the song, is just the latest boost that it has gotten. The song has been featured in several movies, including the Oscar-winning 1994 smash Forrest Gump. It even provided the title for a 2002 rom-com starring ReeseWitherspoon. The Southern rock classic has been hugely influential in contemporary country music. Top 200 rank: #119.
_______
I'm not sure if this is satire or not but both of these bands exist.
