Drive-By Truckers/Stubb's, Austin/April 29, 2006

Well, I'm back from my little roadtrip to Austin. I spent the afternoon at The Ginger Man, sampling some beers and pumping fivers into the jukebox (which actually - finally - has some new tunes, but the card for Let It Bleed still has all the tracks listed out of order). Then it was over to Stubb's to catch DBT with The Drams opening the show. I was, of course, right up front so the sound wasn't too hot, but I was in the sweat-catching-pit right beneath Patterson Hood. And Cooley totally shook my hand! The show was great - The Drams (basically Slobberbone re-formed) were pretty awesome, too, and have a new album coming out this summer.

Anyway, special thanks to my new friends Walter and Gracie. Between the three of us, I think we did a respectable job keeping the beer cans lined up. Walter is apparently as obsessed with DBT as I am, and Gracie is apparently as tolerant as my wife.

I listened to The Faces all the way up to Austin and most of the way back. I finally picked up the box set last week, and I just can't get enough. I'm rounding out my Sunday by watching Gimme Shelter for, like, the 47th time. There's this shot at Muscle Shoals Sound where they pan down Keef's leg to these disgusting snakeskin boots, and I'm like, "Are those boots or Keef's bare feet?" Because Keef circa '69 is just a total freakshow, man.

Drive-By Truckers circa 2006 are the closest thing we've got to The Stones circa 1969 or The Faces circa 1971. So try not to miss them when they come to your town.

(P.S. I didn't take that picture of Patterson Hood - I got some shots with my lame camera phone, but they're not really worth sharing.)

Babies

Boy, what a bunch of babies. I'm referring to the the largely indifferent critical response to the new duet record from Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. I guess the music intelligensia was collectively expecting All The Roadrunning to revolutionize duet records or something, because it has been greeted with a good deal of disappointment.

But All The Roadrunning is a pretty terrific album. Revolutionary? Uh, no. Entertaining, fun, poignant, occasionally transcendent? Yep, it's all of those things. Knopfler's songs are solid, and his vocals are impressive (I've never thought of him as much of a vocalist). The guitar playing is understated, and Emmy's vocals are of course a force to be reckoned with. Despite being recorded over several years, it has a casual, tossed-off vibe that creates convincing chemistry between the two artists.

I'm desperate for a new Emmylou record, but All The Roadrunning is nice treat in the meantime.

Mike Cooley interview

There's a groovy little interview with DBT's Mike Cooley over at PopMatters.

I'll send you on your way with this closing exchange...

Q: "You have a reputation for being a bunch of rabble-rousers, with a bottle of whiskey on stage and such. Is it tiring to be seen that way?"

Cooley: "Being seen that way doesn't get tiring, actually doing it wears my ass out."

TGIF and all that stuff...

Nothing much going on today. Currently enjoying:

• Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse
  Well, duh, but man, I'm loving the new record.
• South Park - "A Million Little Fibers"
  Trey and Matt are clicking on all cylinders this season, and this Towelie-focused episode was pretty hilarious.
• All those DBT photos over at Flickr (see right).
• The Faces - Good Boys When They're Asleep
  Yeah, Rod was on American Idol this week, and it's pretty depressing how lame he is now. But damn, this collection is really unbelievable.
• Episode of CMT's American Revolutions series on Southern Rock. Surprisingly cool and informative (a full half of the episode is dedicated to The Allman Brothers). Airs again on May 3.
• Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers
  Fun and engaging duet album of mostly 60's covers. Caught Sweet and Hoffs on Leno the other night, and seriously, what happened? Did Matthew eat Pete Droge while they were in The Thorns. Susanna is still shamelessly cute and eerily untouched by the hands of time.

No news to report on the Allison Moorer front this week, except you can hear her contribution to the Randy Newman tribute record over at her MySpace site. Have a great weekend!

Denial-in-Chief

Nothing sums up Bush's flaws as President like his blind and misguided loyalty to Donald Rumsfeld. Proving yet again that he believes that being wrong is a virtue if you stick to it long enough.

Songs of Solomon

No doubt you've heard this story, but let me tell it one more time:

I was once staying the weekend at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. As my wife and I headed downstairs to catch Neko Case at The Derby, we ran into Solomon Burke. Mr. Burke was being wheeled down (apparently, his generally enormous size requires the use of a wheelchair most of the time) by three striking young ladies in sequins, and I more or less blurted out, "Hey, you're Solomon Burke!" (clever, eh?). We chatted in the elevator and he said I had a good radio voice (kinda like the voice of God telling me that). Only later did I discover that he was attending the ASCAP awards at the hotel, where he presented an award to Elvis Costello and performed with Joe Henry (kind of my own personal "hero summit"). Anyway, it was one of the coolest (and only) encounters I've had with a true musical legend.

So that little walk down memory lane was a preface to this note in Billboard today, discussing Mr. Burke's new record. It is somewhat fitting that his stab at a country album was produced by one of my all-time heroes Buddy Miller and includes contributions from Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Patty Griffin. Since Miller's work has always been infused with more than a dash of '60's soul, the pairing seems positively inspired.

Due later this year on September 23.

Drive-By Truckers - 'A Blessing and a Curse'

Don't forget that the new Drive-By Truckers album A Blessing and a Curse will be released this coming Tuesday, April 18. In fact, you're listening to it right now!

If you'd like to download the Quicktime player to stream directly to your desktop, click here. Otherwise, have a Happy Easter and a great weekend!!

Elvis Costello w/ The Houston Symphony

I had the chance last night to catch Elvis Costello on his current "Symphony Tour." Accompanied by the Houston Symphony, the evening began with a performance of his ballet composition Il Sogno. Then Elvis and his keyboard player Steve Nieve joined the symphony for some surprising renditions of his tunes. You can hear similar versions (plus a bonus disc of Il Sogno) on his new release My Flame Burns Blue.

Elvis Costello is simply one of the most diverse and interesting artists of the modern era. He continues the Symphony Tour in the coming weeks.

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - 'All The Roadrunning'

I haven't really made a big deal of it on the blog - don't I hype enough for you already? - but Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris are FINALLY releasing their duet record All The Roadrunning on April 25. Apparently recorded over the course of a few years, the record will be accompanied by a substantial tour. I downloaded two preview tracks from iTunes, and they are simply outstanding.

Only $10.98 over at Amazon.

Current obsession: "Not Ready To Make Nice" by Dixie Chicks

I was pretty amused by an article in the latest Entertainment Weekly about how country radio programmers have generously decided to more or less ignore the new Dixie Chicks single "Not Ready To Make Nice." Apparently, in their infinite wisdom, the assholes over at Clear Channel, et. al., have decided that they'll hold out for subsequent singles, presuming that those will be less confrontational and confessional than the first one. Don't want to stir up any bad blood, after all.

Well judging by the tone of "Not Ready To Make Nice," I'm pretty sure the Dixie Chicks couldn't give two shits about what the idiots in Nashville think of them or their new record. What's more, I doubt that anyone inside the Chick camp believes they need the support of either radio or the Toby Keith fans to sustain their career. In the wake of the Bush flap, it seems that the rock community has rallied wholeheartedly behind them, and I suspect (based on this intriguing new sound, courtesy of Rick Rubin) that their fan base has permanently shifted. I wasn't sure at first about the overtly bombastic chorus, but the song has definitely grown on me.

So, Mr. Country Music Radio Prorammer, in the immortal words of Dick Cheney: "Go fuck yourself."

You can hear "Not Ready To Make Nice" by simply visiting their official website.

'Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman' (May 9)

Finally, a great idea for a tribute album that might actually turn out pretty good. Sound clips are now available over at Tower Records and CD Universe (better price at CD Universe).

You can hear the Tim O'Brien track in its entirety over at Sugar Hill's listening room.

"Rednecks" is sure to spark some controversy because a) Steve Earle is singing it and b) irony is dead.

UPDATE: Even better, you can stream the whole album if you pre-order it at Amazon.

Allison Moorer sound clip - "Fairweather"

You can catch a 30 second clip from Allison Moorer's new album Getting Somewhere. Download the April Sugar Hill podcast (Episode 4) here, then skip ahead to about the 7:20 mark.

The featured clip is from the track "Fairweather" and is the lone co-write on the record (with Steve Earle). Also features Earle on the noticeable Moog. Pretty difficult to judge the merits of the song just from the brief chorus, but it definitely sounds like a new direction for Allison. We'll see soon enough (well, not soon enough for me!).

That's it, that's all I got.

Allison Moorer - 'Hallelujah"

No Allison news to report today, but I thought I'd highlight some lyrics from her upcoming record Getting Somewhere (due June 13). Reading through the lyrics on the new album, it's striking how well these songs appear to respond to the songs from her last record The Duel. Whereas The Duel was a sometimes grueling meditation on the loss of faith, Getting Somewhere appears to be nearly universally focused on the redemption of that faith (in God, love, self, etc.). It's really nice to see this evolution. Of course, the real kicker is Allison's music so I can't wait to actually hear these songs (ya know, if Sugar Hill wants to toss some samples my way...).

Anyway, here's an example (reprinted entirely without permission, by the way):

HALLELUJAH (Track #3)

I ain’t good at letting go
I hold on ‘cause I guess I know
consequences come around to call
maybe I’m a little late
learning it’s alright to pay but
sometimes it’s either fly or fall
and wings are hard to find
thank God I found mine in time
hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

what I brought is all I’ll keep
it ain’t a lot but it’s mine you see and
all that’s worth having anyway
the first step’s the toughest one
and even though it’s done
I’ve still got plenty left to take
and faith is hard to find
thank God I found mine in time
hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

I dig that. Note the contrast between that and the opening lines of The Duel:
"I always toss it in when things get heavy..."

Shonna Tucker is a badass Trucker

This Fender bass (with a reverse headstock) is pretty fuckin' cool - so is Shonna Tucker.

The new album from Drive-By Truckers is called A Blessing and a Curse, and it will be out on April 18 - just in case you forgot!

More great fan-submitted DBT photos over here.

'A Blessing and a Curse' media player

Listen to the new Drive-By Truckers album now!!



Or visit the link directly here.

DBT Update

You can pretty much get all of this info over at NineBullets.org, but here is a quick rundown of relevant Drive-By Truckers news:

• If you pre-order the new DBT album A Blessing and a Curse from Tower Records, you'll receive a groovy bonus disc with two outtakes and two live tracks. These are also available at independent record stores listed here.
  
  
• If you pre-order the new DBT album from MusicToday, you'll be entered to win tickets and backstage passes for four to an upcoming DBT show. However, it does not appear that this pre-order includes the bonus disc. Go figure.
  
  
• DBT is on the cover of the new Harp magazine. Cool article - I read it last night. Available at newsstands now.
  
  
• The official site has been updated with new graphics and looks pretty swell!
  
  
• I'm off to see DBT at Stubb's in Austin on April 29. Starting in Albuquerque on April 30, DBT will hook up with Son Volt for a co-headlining swing through the Southwest US and West Coast.

Plenty more on DBT in the next few weeks! A Blessing and a Curse is due on April 18.