DRIVE BY TRUCKERS fans, UNITE!!!

I honestly can't remember the last time I was actually excited to meet a band - comes with the territory of being a rock journo I guess

Anyway, I wholeheartedly disagree with chuck upthread - and if you miss the lighthearted stuff, well, there's two songs about Walking Tall, fer chrissakes!! What do you want?? What's more lighthearted than Walking goddamm Tall? :)

They were on Conan last night and they did an Isbell song I think. How old is that kid? His lyrics are just too much. So well written and so fucking defiant. He was all dressed up and looked like an American Idol contestant singing about his sort of fucked up/backwoods life and how he doesn't (or can't, I guess) give a shit. It was pretty perfect.

He knows his southern writers I guess.

god, i love them truckers.

(judging from the song samples I heard on Northern State's site he's dead on about that album though)

you are PSYCHED my friend.

I wish I was seeing them tonight, but I hafta wait until the 9th

Southern Rock Opera rocks beautifully, which is hard to find sometimes. Some of Hood's stuff on that is incredible. The thing I like most about it, though, is that it really captures the Skynyrd soul AND mythology .. the whole "heroes that nobody gathered were heroes that die in a fiery crash ... only to be seen as heroes posthumously" narrative. The music even reflects that, and the whole thing turns weirdly meditative. Boom.

With Decoration Day, I was expecting more of said channeling, which made that record shocking when I first heard it. As Matos points out, the weariness drips all through it but so does this call for transcendence -- "Rock and well means well but it can't help telling young boys lies ... don;t call what your wearing an outfit." Isbell's songs sum up the whole record's theme, love your neighbor even if your neighbor is fucked up. It's one of the smartest rock records in ages. Hmmm, y'all.

The intelligence with DBT is scary. So point is, I bet I'll dig the new one when I catch up ...

Caveat: Do not listen to the Buford Pusser trilogy ever again. They think the answer to Walking Tall is to try and glorify the other side of the coin, when really they should be talking about how BOTH sides are fucked up. Plus "Cottonseed" is indeed terminable and worthless. The whole thing fucks with the real point of this album, which is to express their politics the same way Decoration Day expressed their personal relationships and Southern Rock Opera expressed their sense of identity. And their politics are far too nice guy (liberals who believe in learning from your elders - it's kinda Field Of Dreams, kinda hey hey Neil Young and the Coog) for them to convincingly come off as southern mafiosos. Tracks 8-10 simply do not exist. Kogan does that shit all the time, right?

They're definitely becoming more comfortable with their verbosity, which is making their songwriting less anthemic than it was back in the day. I think they're making up for this with SOUND. Cut out the Pusser trilogy and I think this album actually has more swing than Decoration Day, but again, in a Crazy Horse kinda way. I was scared by Chuck's initial review, but Isbell's songs are much less staid here. I don't think he's the second coming and he is way too alt-country for the flashtastic, but they do shuffle now. Cooley's pretty cornpone too (while your at it never listen to "Daddy's Cup" again either, it's right after the trilogy) but when the band's behind him he's certainly got more sense than the Coog did back on "Justice & Independence '85."

Oh and it took me a while to figure out why I loved "Tornadoes" so much and the answer is that it sounds a hell of a lot like Big Star's "Kanga Roo."

If this album was just tracks 1-7 and 12-14 I think this would be my favorite DBT album. But hey, I have almost every Crazy Horse album and only a cheap Lynyrd comp.

They're supposedly sending a video for "Don't Ever Change" to CMT, and Isbell is now "the face" of the band they're gonna try to push on country markets. You wouldn't have guessed that back on Day.

Oh and just in case SOMEBODY wants to quibble, what isn't Kenny Aaronoff about Brad Morgan is Ralph Molina.

Jason's solo album will be out in the Spring - psyched!

Johnny, can you still get me some Adam's House Cat stuff?

New Drive By Truckers album, due April 25, sounds...dreary. Surprise, surprise. Only 11 songs, which I commend, but it still kinda drags on and on. I do find myself not reacting negatively to the sort of songs where the guitars and the high-voiced guy (which one is that? I can never keep them straight) goosh out a nice steady stream of Neil Young and Crazy Horse beauty; there are at least two and a half of those (I think, though don't quote me on this, "Goodbye," "Blessing and a Curse," and about half of "A World of Hurt," the other half of which is a sort of monolouge worthy of, I dunno, early Nada Surf or middle King Missile or some other mid '90s alt novelty rock artistes I've forgotten who used to recite deadpan prose over their singing.) The one track I actually actively LIKE is "Aftermath USA", a blatant Stones rip about (hi Shooter) waking up after a chemically fucked-up night to a trashed apartment with crystal meth in the tub and the kids haven't been to school for weeks. Which makes me not feel so bad about my own kid missing school Friday 'cause he said he had a cold.
-- xhuxk (xedd...), January 17th, 2006.

>worthy of, I dunno, early Nada Surf or middle King Missile<
Both of whom, at least when they recited prose about popular kids and detachable penises, were probably funnier. So no, really probably NOT worthy. (Not that funniness is all I care about. And it does occur to me that titles like "Aftermath USA" and "A World Of Hurt" might mean this CD's supposed to be about current events or something, somehow.)
-- xhuxk (xedd...), January 17th, 2006.

So the high-voiced Drive By Trucker is Patterson Hood, right? At least that's what Xgau tells me. Only place on the new one where his Neil Young and Crazy Horse beauty really hits a dust-storm of paydirt, to my ears, is "A Blessing and A Curse." I've decided not to vouch for "Goodbye," which he might not even sing, or "A World Of Hurt." "Daylight" seems to be an awful attempt at Radiohead (via My Morning Jacket?) style nothingness; "Wednesday" is rote bland alt-country; "Space City" another bore. "Gravity's Gone" is a passable second Stones rip (also mentions coke I think -- actually, seems to be about some sort of high-fallutin schmooze party), but not nearly up to the level of "Aftermath USA," probably the only great cut on here (though I reserve the right to change my mind about any of this).
-- xhuxk (xedd...), January 17th, 2006.

This may very well still be true. Though upon review I seem to have left it off my POX, which perplexes me.

Cooley remains my go-to guy, though they all have their moments.

"Don't know why I put up with his shit
When you don't put out
And Zip City's so far away...

I got 350 heads on a 305 engin
I get ten miles to the gallon
I ain't got no good intentions."

Hood remains the heart and soul and all, but it's mostly Cooley and Isbell who get me right here...*

*("Angels and Fuselage" excepted)

SO psyched for the new one!

Of the three I've heard, Cooley's is the best. Gravity's Gone, I think it's called. I'd put it in the alltime COoley hall of fame alongside Uncle Frank, Panties in Your Purse and Zip City.

hey xhuxk, saw the Drive-By Truckers last night here in Athens, first show of a three-night homestand - you're the only person I know who's heard the new one (how DO you get 'em so fast? I remember bugging their publicist for two months after you first mentioned Dirty South on here before they finally sent me a copy) - anyway, can you help me fill in a couple of these song titles for the new cuts for a show review I'm writing up for the paper here?
1 - "hold my breath until next Wednesday" - I assume this one's "Wednesday" agreed that it's rote alt-country but not entirely unpleasant
2 - refrain is "don't be so easy on yourself" (Isbell sings this one, I liked it)
3 - "Blessing and a Curse" - not very memorable
4 - Gravity's Gone - Cooley sings it, lyrics about handjobs I think and waking sunny-side-up, this one's good
5 - "left w/o saying goodbye" - assume this one's "Goodbye" lyrics sound pretty treacly but I liked the bass on this one, hope it sounds as good on record
6 - "Daylight" (I think Isbell did this one, oh wait yeah this is the one where he's all full-throated screamy, I guess that's where you're getting the Radiohead/MMJ comparison from)
7 - "Feb 14" - slight but decent
8 - something like "wonder why it's taking me so long" also think I heard something about getting dirt off your good name, Cooley sang it and I'm fairly certain it wasn't an old song and hopefully not a cover b/c I really liked it, acoustic and very evocative
9 - "World of Hurt"

xpost, exactly.

that being said, live- they're almost w/o equal. saw this past summer and even the "short set" (meaning under 2.5-3+ hours) was a blast.
i've turned more people onto this band than any other, i think.
and it's worth it...

VDO my friend cobbled together. People with DBT are mildly interested in working a video for one of the new songs, so if we get enough views for this, he and I might be doing another for realsz.

'The Living Bubba' - the live version off of Alabama thunderpussy ,or whatever it's called - one of the best grieving songs ever. It just lolls on and on. Fuck off death. You will never beat me. I've got another show to do

Bob ain't light in the loafers
He might kneel, but he never bends over

o_0

'A World of Hurt'

*Ducks rocks*

Brighter Than Creation's Dark is uneven like their others, but higher highs than the last one (lots of discussion on Rolling Country)

My soon to be former roommate just gave me 7 of their CDs to rip. Oh boy oh boy.

Did something presage this Truckers+Isbell reunion? Does he randomly play live with them? I wouldn't mind another album together...

There's a new anniversary edition of "Decoration Day." And yeah, now and then when they're on the same bill together they play a few songs, though this may be the first time his appearance with them was promoted.

Here they are (well, Isbell's band with Hood) a couple of years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppRP8oq8Olc

Ok piece here:

https://www.avclub.com/well-lubed-and-swerving-all-together-drive-by-truckers-get-back-to-decoration-day-2

What's wild is that most of the other tangential, ostensibly related bands the author mentions - Kings of Leon, Blackberry Smoke, Gov’t Mule, Wednesday, S.G. Goodman, Fust, Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby - I've literally never thought about in the context of the Truckers, if at all.

Often when I read retrospective Truckers pieces I have sort of an out of body experience, when I flash back to all the times I saw them back then (and before), or spoke with Hood, or whatever. The stories related and re-related are always just a little bit more in focus or out of focus, in line with what I recall but sometimes just a little bit off from how I remember them.

reminding me I still need to listen to the Adam's House Cat album, Town Burned Down.

SG Goodman would be a good Truckers opener but the most parallel band I can think of would be The Hold Steady tbh.

They've toured w THS!

I've even got the t-shirt!

Saw a rare Cooley solo show Monday night. Dude is so good, it was a neat curiosity to hear him on his own. Acoustic, lotta finger-picking, some different arrangements. Some real John Prine vibes.

Oh yeah---I still need to check that Cooley---compilation ? of live? solo performances---anyway, it's solo.

Looks like at this year's Shoalsfest Isbell is sitting in for the entire Truckers set to perform Decoration Day in its entirety.