DRIVE BY TRUCKERS fans, UNITE!!!

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.

I saw them at First Ave in Mpls just a little while back and they were incredible. I must have been one of like three people dancing the entire time.

God I hate when people brag about dancing at shows.

one of the statues huh

God bless the man that dances at a DBT show.

You should have been at Nottingham last night.

DBT do attract White Trash. God bless em.

Do DBT attract Trailer Park in the USA?

Brighter Than Creation's Dark is uneven like their others

They've been getting more-and-more uneven over the course of their last few albums. Before that, the three-disc run of Southern Rock Opera -- The Dirty South was pretty special.

I wish more bands were this uneven.

New one is great. The only dip in their stunning consistency was Blessing and a Curse.

blessing and a curse...

imho ,the opener and closer are splendid

Brighter is better! Some good tracks on Blessing, but too many slammed doors, shit happening offstage, before and after. I wanna see!

You should have been at Nottingham last night.

Actually, I was...

lol britishes.

Hey Mike t diva.
I wasn't one of those favoured ponces stood on the balcony either. I was mixing it in the pit with the chavs...
Nice summary btw.
I was under the impression that they would be loud?

One of the quietest bands ever esp. considering the 'three pronged guitar attack'

The initial sharing of the bottle was so fucking phoney too.
Did anybody have a slice beyond that?

Jimmy - what am i not getting fella me lad?

Fer Ark: I missed the bottle sharing, as the nutters down the front on the right were blocking my sight-line (and did you clock the twerp who kept offering Popeye-style bicep-clenches to Shonna?!), but my mate told me that the old JD was getting a hammering...

So I'm a big classic/hard rock fan, everything from Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac to Neil to Allmans. About 10 minutes ago I finally GOT the Drive-By Truckers. I've tried before but it never worked. Anyway, the third song on Southern Rock Opera, "72," made it all clear, especially the gnarled groove ''n'riff interplay. Just awesome.

Just curious, do these guys stretch out any songs when they play live?

Not really. Only the set closers, like their cover of "People Who Died" or "Buttholeville/State Trooper." Not a jam band (thank god).

Thanks for the info. Just because you stretch out a bit doesn't mean you're a jam band though. Look at Crazy Horse, CCR and even Skynyrd at times. That's all I was wondering.

Mike T ^ those annoying cuntocks down the front were about to get twatted.

It was like a care in the community bus trip. The idiot that tried crowd surfing looked like he'd come straight from a Limp Bizkit gig in the mid 90s.

I never realised that DBT were a teen band

I don't think of them as a teen band, but god help me there was a group standing near me at the Sacramento show, 4 girls and 2 guys, all dancing in a little circle and not even really watching the band...talked the whole way through the gig. firmly established my position as an old grump.

QuantumNoise, track down a copy of their legit live album, Alabama Asswhuppin'. Not terribly stretchy, but "gnarled groove 'n' riff" yes. Also prob some good live boots, but I haven't heard 'em, things posted here and there no doubt (did see some goodies on YouTube a while back).

Anybody seen any of the shows with Hold Steady yet? Have they started yet?

OK so Brighter Than Creation's Dark is a good drinkin album but it wasn't really blowing me away, I wanted more rock in my country. So I picked up Southern Rock Opera. Holy Hell if "Let There Be Rock" isn't my favorite shit I've heard in forever.

I like Decoration Day even better, especially Sinkhole, Marry Me, and My Sweet Annette. But I think all DBT discs are uneven. And I think losing Isbell was a big blow to the band.

I'm crazy, but I love BTCD more than any of the other albums, even with what's-her-name's boring tunes.