2 posts tagged “drive-by truckers”

What's your musical horoscope?  (Put your music player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)  Inspired by Stephanie.

Which one? I bring both my ipod nano and 60gb ipod w/ video to work every day. Well, what the hell-I'll do both. I am "dj" chall after all.

First my ipod nano, which contains mostly recently released and acquired music:

1. "Take to the Sky" – Guided By Voices "Under the Bushes Under the Stars"  under the tables, under the bars. Not my most favorite song from this album. Possibly my least favorite, actually. Ah well... such is life when you shuffle all.

2. "Fire Eye'd Boy" – Broken Social Scene "Broken Social Scene" This upbeat raver could be my anthem, and it one of my favorite songs on one of the best albums of 2005. Really bummed I missed seeing these guys live last fall-went to U2 at the Oakland Arena instead. This song and "Large-Hearted Boy" by GBV would make a good double-shot were there any radio station cool enough to do it.

3. "The Numbered Head" - Robert Pollard "From a Compound Eye" This menacing number is a virtual epic by Bob Pollard standards, clocking in at five minutes, ten seconds. From the first of five solo releases from Bob this year, the last of which "Normal Happiness" is due on Merge Records in a matter of weeks. I wouldn't call "From a Compund Eye" the second coming of "Bee Thousand" or "Isolation Drills" but it still one of the best indie rock records I've heard this year. Pollard still puts on a hell of a life show, too.

4. "Translation" – Songs: Ohia "My Morning Jacket/Songs: Ohia Split EP" This is the only Songs: Ohia song I own. I do however, own much more of Jason Molina's more recent project "Magnolia Electric Co." which I like a lot. This song is slow and moody, and sounds like Magnola Electric Co. minus the Neil Young-isms, which I suppose is the point. I can't claim I really like this as much as Magnolia, but it definitely has atmosphere. It just feels a bit aimless and unformed, lacking the classic rock/blues-isms which provide a context for the extended jams on MEC's live album.

5. "Field Jacket Blues" – Robert Pollard "From a Compound Eye" Back to Bob. This song is energetic and catchy, and is a much more usual length for a Bob Pollard composition, coming in at just under two minutes.

6. "World of Hurt" – Drive By Truckers "A Blessing and a Curse" Patterson Hood's affecting half-spoken/half-sung ode to acceptance and maturity. I really want to hear this song live. "To love is to feel pain." As is usual with the Truckers, only Patterson Hood's utter conviction and sincerity save this song from descending into schmaltz or worse, regional affectation. There's some beautiful guitar work, both electric and lap steel, on the fade-out.

7. "It's All Gonna Break" – Broken Social Scene "Broken Social Scene" Another song I bet would be epic live. It makes me a bit nervous that this song showed up on my musical horoscope what with it's lyrics about being f-ed up the ass.

8. "Evenflow" - Pearl Jam "Bill Graham Civic 7/16/06" Pearl Jam always tear it up with this song, which when played live provides Mike McCready and Stone Gossard to show off their considerable chops, creativity and chemistry. Actually the whole band shreds on this song, beause the rhythm section really lays down an awesome groove underneath the soloing. Hilariously, on the version of Evenflow Pearl Jam played the night after this one, Matt Cameron actually played a drum solo, which I had never seen at a PJ show. Complewtely unironically, too-he went at it with all of the gusto of a teenager in his parent's garage having just listened to Exit... Stage Left. I saw this show in person last July, along with many other Voxers, including Krissy, Rachel and even Runt. I wouldn't really classify Pearl Jam as a "jam band" but listening to all of the different amazing versions of Evenflow I've heard over the years, both in person and on the copious live bootlegs I've obtained, makes me understand why PJ have a substansial coterie of fans who follow them from show to show. I like the fact that Eddie Vedder gives props to the SF audience for being cool and taking care of each other-since this show is one of the few PJ have played in the last few years with an open floor.

9. "The Perfect Life" – Guided By Voices "Under the Bushes Under the Stars" Another throwaway track from this album.

10. "She Saw the Shadow" – Robert Pollard "Choreographed Men of War" Uh, did I mention I like Guided By Voices and Robert Pollard? I don't know this song that well, actually. It's okay... nothing that special.

So there you go. I'm not sure what it says about my future. Things will flow evenly? I will be hurt, but learn to accept it? I'm going to be spending a lot of time under bushes? (So what else is new?) You tell me.

Later I will do my 60gb ipod-that will be much more eclectic and random mix of music. First, though, must write more test cases.

The Drive-By Truckers released their epic double-CD "Southern Rock Opera five years ago today-the day after 9/11. Today group co-founder Patterson Hood sent out a cool email with his memories of that album's inauspicious debut, which I'm posting here in lieu of posting my own memories of 9/11/01, which I didn't last night due to the need to post yet more pictures of my cats.

Y'ALL:

It was five years ago today that we first released SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA.
September 12, 2001 was the second worst day imaginable to release a
project that we had all worked 6 1/2 years on and all of us feared that
it was all some kind of terrible omen. Wednesday's, of course are never
release days, as the industry ALWAYS releases albums on tuesdays,
however at that point in our lives, there was no industry. We had
showcased at SXSW before a sold out crowd, previewing our then almost
completed magnum opus before a sold out crowd of industry fucks to no
real avail. Folks kept coming up to us wishing us well and telling us
how much they liked it, but no one was making any offers of any kind. A
month or so later, we received our only bid, and it was so horrifyingly
bad, that upon doing the math, I realized that we would be bankrupt
within a year if we took it. (At that time all of our income was based
on merch sales and the wording of that offer combined with the high
wholesale price we would have paid, rendered that impossible). We
turned the offer down and set out to find a way to put it out
ourselves.

While raising the money from private investors (all of whom we promised
to pay back in a little over a years time plus 15%) I also booked our
fall tour, 75 shows in 90 days. The first booking was to be in
Murfreesboro TN on Wednesday September 12th. We were hoping to have the
CDs pressed, artwork printed and all of the package put together in
time. My sister took the artwork that Wes Freed did, compiled it with
the art of the other contributors (Felicia Graham, Patrick Hood, Byron
Wilkes AKA Rev. Rex Ubu, Jeff Owens, and Kathleen Judge), designed the
package and hired the printers and the folks who actually put the discs
in the cover and shrink wrap them. On monday the 10th, Lilla called me
to tell me I could pick them up in Birmingham on Wednesday.

On Tuesday the 11th,, we were all glued to the TV all day like most
Americans, terrified of what was happening and trying to reach friends
in NYC to make sure they were all OK. The next day we had to decide
whether there would be a show or not. The club informed us that they
would be open regardless, as folks were starting to come out for a much
needed drink and diversion. I think we were all feeling the same way,
so we headed north and spent the next three months or so touring the
eastern half of our beautiful shellshocked country.

Its been five years, three more albums and countless tours since then.
We leave this Thursday for the fall leg of our latest tour. The band
has never played better (or even as well) as right now and this one is
putting us in some amazing great rooms in some of our favorite towns.