"The best part of the next hour and three quarters then proceeds to prove that not only can music make grown men cry, smile and pretend they are can play an invisible Les Paul, but that chart success and number one singles are in no way a seal of quality or authenticity (and in no way is that an accusation that 50 Cent isn't an expert on contraceptives) and more importantly, if the Drive-By Truckers continue to move their audiences like they have this gig, and sound as genuine and heartfelt as they always have, then the rest will hopefully fall into place... If a representative of Durex is reading this however, maybe the world is as long overdue on a Double Thick Dirty South or an 18 Wheels Of Love Variety Pack as the Truckers are on a top ten album... Just a thought."
"'It's all in the details,' said an audience member at the bar after the song's final, haunting chorus. 'Some people think these guys are just drunks. But Hemingway was a drunk, too.'"
"During a semester in 2007, Long combed legal databases to identify lyrics in court filings and scholarly publications, finding Dylan cited 186 times, far outpacing the rest of the top 10: the Beatles, 74; Bruce Springsteen, 69; Paul Simon, 59; Woody Guthrie, 43; the Rolling Stones, 39; the Grateful Dead, 32; Simon & Garfunkel, 30; Joni Mitchell, 28; and R.E.M., 27."
Rather than take the bait, my friend said, “Well, she communicated with someone, didn’t she? Art is about communication, and what she had to say resonated with a buyer.” He wasn’t offended or competitive about it, but simply resolved to the truth that art was communication.
"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."
"I have seen the present of rock and roll, and it is The Drive-By Truckers. I'm not even kidding. They're not punk, metal, 'alternative,' 'indie' or anything else. They are rock and roll. There aren't too many bands like that today."
"From those entries, we compiled a giant masterlist and plugged the top 100-or-so most-listed albums into a polling widget. As it turned out, the widget was imperfect - it only allowed one vote at a time, and raised some questions about voting consistency and the widget's reliability. Some members of this community noted the widget seemed to be getting 'stuffed' by fans of artists who encouraged their Facebook friends and Twitter followers to vote for their album. While this struck us as frustrating at first, we figured we may as well throw those gates open and make it a free-for-all. In an effort to see what would happen if many of the artists listed in that Top 100 (or so) list leveraged their fanbases, Kyla sent emails to the management and labels of as many artists for whom she had contacts, encouraging them to also post a link on Facebook and Twitter. Some of them joined in the fun, others didn't. In the end, the results of that round of polling seemed to more adequately reflect the ability and interest of several artists to leverage their social media presence and ignite the enthusiasm of their fans."
"Drive By Truckers: Go Go Boots. On the heels, literally of The Big To-Do, The Truckers are kicking of 2011 with a bang. They are returning with a new album, a band documentary called The Secret To A Happy Ending, and embarking on an upcoming tour. Go Go Boots has been described as a 'country meets rhythm and blues' kind of album. Check out Bettye LaVette's excellent Scene Of The Crime, which featured the Truckers as LaVette's backing band, and you'll get an idea of where this is going. (2/15/2011)"
"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"
"We're awful proud of this Big To-Do book here at the Shop. It's got illustrations for every song from the B T-D , along with poster art , lyrics , excellent band photos by Danny Clinch , Pattersons insightful liner notes , and forewords by Ray McKinnon & No Depression editor Grant Alden. It is available now , signed (by me) , for $15 , including shipping (US). Git ye some!
Contact Wes to place an order:
freed@mindspring.com
Also , to order a BT-D book , just send a check or MO , $15 (US) payable to Jyl Freed , to : the Freeds 1902 S. Battery Dr. Richmond , Va 23222, & I'll get one right out to you! Thanks,-Wes"
"As an advanced means of procrastinating over the segment I got assigned, I asked Rachel to name a song she loved. She wrote back, 'Placemat Blues.' The first person to find a video of that Slobberbone song wins some sort of imaginary prize not yet dreamed up.
Rachel, being game, sent some more -- including this one, which I'm posting, from Lucero."
"Here at Paste HQ, we’re super stoked to announce our very first Paste Tour showcasing the musical brilliance of four distinct acts. Joining us on the inaugural trek is Southern rocker and former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell, folky soulman Langhorne Slim, psychedelic alt-country kids Jesse Sykes and Phil Wandscher, and West Coast softies Mimicking Birds"
"California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Foy says game wardens saw Nugent kill an immature buck on a February episode of his Outdoor Channel TV show 'Spirit of the Wild.'
Investigators found that the deer had been eating bait called 'C'mere Deer.' Baiting wildlife is illegal in California.
Nugent originally faced 11 charges, including killing a deer too young to be hunted. In a deal with Yuba County prosecutors, Nugent's attorney on Friday entered no contest pleas to the two misdemeanors."
In a just world, Denton's Slobberbone would be selling more albums than Nickelback and Justin Bieber combined. At the very least, this song alone should have been included on the 2012 soundtrack. They could have it during that one scene where John Cusack was looking freaked out by all the destruction. No, the other one."
"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.
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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."
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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.
"'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!"
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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.'"
"No final tallies yet on the Nuci's Space fundraiser, but I'm suspecting it will end up in the $20,000 range. I will keep everyone posted as those figures come to me. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets to the show and to everyone who came out to Nuci's Space and made bids on the fine art and memorabilia there. I'd also like to thank all of the artists who donated their wares to the cause. Kudos to the Camp Amped Sampler Band that opened Thursdays benefit show. They were amazing. I look forward to seeing what each and every one of them do in the future."
"While the band played nine new tracks from The Big To Do as well as this tribute 7”, they also ensured that the hometown fans received more than their money’s worth, as they played an assortment of songs from across their catalog. Singers Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley alternated on lead vocals for fan favorites including “Three Dimes Down,” “Lookout Mountain” and “Women Without Whiskey,” providing the crowd with plenty a number to sing along with."
"Efter udgivelsen af debuten Gangstabilly i 1998 stod det ikke ligefrem skrevet i stjernerne, at Drive-By Truckers skulle g�hen og blive et af de vigtigste amerikanske southern rock bands i nyere tid, men det er lige pr�cis hvad der er sket!"
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DBT's documentary The Secret to a Happy Ending is being screened at the NoisePop festival in San Francisco. Woot!
"THAT EVENING SUN Opening in theaters in Atlanta and Athens this Friday, January 22nd!
Grand Jury Winner at the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival Starring Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Carrie Preston, Mia Wasikowska, Barry Corbin, and Dixie Carter Featuring music by Patterson Hood of 'Drive-By Truckers' (DOWNLOAD 'Depression Era')
This is a limited engagement so be sure to see it before it leaves theaters!"
"The only thing hotter than the triple-digit temperatures at last year’s Coachella festival in Indio was the music produced by some of the event’s most potent artists. Few of them sizzled as much (or seemed as effortlessly cool) as Memphis soul legend Booker T., who performs Saturday at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. The results were so joyous and exuberant that it was difficult to determine who was beaming more, the sweat-drenched members of the audience or Booker T. and his band (which at Coachella just happened to be top Southern rock band Drive By Truckers)."
"Undertow Orchestra was a songwriters “supergroup” featuring David Bazan, Vic Chesnutt, Mark Eitzel, and Will Johnson (assisted by multi-instrumentalist Scott Danbom)."
"Meet the most influential man you've never heard of.
Bob Lefsetz, a 56-year-old blogger, is to music what Nikki Finke is to Hollywood -- a reclusive, sardonic writer who has the ear of every exec in the industry, but is little known and of little consequence outside of it.
"The 14-minute 'Thriller' is among 25 films the Library of Congress on Wednesday named to the registry, and it became the first music video included in the 2009 list of cultural treasures that will be preserved for all time."
"2. 25th Hour (2002): Spike Lee filmed this screen version of David Benioff's novel, about a New York drug dealer (Edward Norton) on his last day of freedom, just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The first great 21st century film made about a 21st century subject, Lee's movie was a meditation on New York and America, and it captured for all time the spiritual misery and confusion that followed that tragedy. Misunderstood as just a pretty good movie in its time, it's an American masterpiece."
"7. 'Slings and Arrows,' Sundance Channel. Three smart, funny, subtle and emotionally rewarding seasons made this Canadian series one of those rare finds worth seeking out. Set at a troubled Shakespearean theater company, the literate and witty story lines revolved around not only the performers and their backstage antics and offstage personalities but also the overwhelming transformative power of the Bard himself, played by people who really felt the words. A gem."
