Album Review: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound

Album Review: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound

By Kevin Broughton

Last year was a sonofabitch for nearly everyone we know.

-- Jason Isbell, “Hope the High Road”

A thought occurred to me while reviewing Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free a couple years ago: “At some point, you run out of superlatives.” So let’s get this out of the way. Right now, Isbell is without peer as a songwriter. He couldn’t have a better band – and God bless him for giving The 400 Unit billing on The Nashville Sound. Throw in a producer – Dave Cobb – who should just buy a gadget that makes Grammy figurines, and you have a legitimate American musical juggernaut.

And a quick word about the band. It’s proper that current 400 Unit – Sadler Vaden and Amanda Shires are newcomers since Here We Rest – gets a spot on the marquis. When the book is written on this band, this lineup will be viewed as the Mick Taylor-era Stones were.

There are several great songs on this record, bookended by a pair of wholesome ballads. “The Last of My Kind” is just another great story of an Isbell blue-collar guy, who wryly notes that some Scripture might only apply when back home. “Something to Love,” on the back end, is a sweet, hopeful homage to Isbell’s rural roots, a companion piece to his “God is a Working Man” on Brother Cobb’s Southern Family compilation.

More than one song recalls Isbell in his peak Drive By Truckers days. (And no, they’ll never be that good again, and were never better.) The driving intensity of “Cumberland Gap” captures the defiant malaise of Never Gonna Change, only in middle age. Here’s a guy who probably wishes he’d been thrown off the Wilson Dam.

If you’re looking for other perfect B-sides, how about “If We Were Vampires,” a sweet, morose counterweight to “Flagship,” till now Isbell’s most tender love song?  

Sadly, the album is not as good as the sum of its parts. It’s a good but not great record, lacking the continuity and flow that made Isbell’s previous three studio offerings so compelling. Consequently the default focal point becomes the overtly political.

Have you ever thought about what a vile, racist country this is? This republic that twice elected a black man president, with solid popular and electoral majorities? No? You’re in luck, because Jason Isbell is here to beat you over the head with it. “White Man’s World” would be better titled “White-Guilt World.”

Granted, Isbell didn’t completely lose his mind the way his 50-something former band mates did last fall, stopping just short of pissing on Old Glory and renouncing their citizenship in a bid to curry favor with millennial piss-ants and Bernie Sanders-loving losers.  One wonders, though, how many minds did they change? How many people came around to their cop-hating, white-guilt, socialist point of view because of DBT’s temper tantrum of an album? Likely none, though countless bedwetting, gender fluid NPR fans got enough affirmation to stave off being triggered for at least a day.

While Isbell employs a modicum of subtlety compared to Cooley and Hood, “White Man’s World” is still heavy handed. And lest you think blacks are the only oppressed people in this fascist nation: “I’m a white man living on a white man’s street, got the bones of the red man under my feet. Highway runs through their burial ground…”

Really?

Yeah. Step right up for self-flagellation, Cracker Boy. You will be made to care.  And never mind that “red man” is way more than a microaggression.

You want privilege-checking? Got some of that, too. “I’ve heard enough of the white man’s blues, I’ve sang (sic) enough about myself” is our entry into “Hope the High Road,” an otherwise hopeful postmortem of the 2016 election. Oh, and “Anxiety” will be perfect fare for the “safe zones” (you know, where they exclude white people) on the campuses of Mizzou, Harvard, Brown, etc. It’s just flat-out whiny. The crybabies and victim-pimps will love it.  

It’s a sad thing when music – something that should draw everyone together to admire it as art for art’s sake – is politicized. More than a couple of the artists I’ve interviewed for FTM have told me off-the-record why they avoid it. “You're 100 percent right about the music and politics thing,” one told me recently. “I've worked really hard not to do that. The only thing that can come from that is that you piss off half of your fan base. And you won’t change anyone’s mind.” Indeed. But those on the Left seemed determined to politicize every aspect of American life and culture, as we’ve seen happen in the world of sports over the past few years.

Will Isbell lose some fans? A few. Not this one, who hopes it’s a one-off. Still, look for plaudits from all corners: “Jason Isbell courageously speaks his mind.” Yep. Takes a ton of courage to toe the Leftist line in song.

Ultimately, though, if you can do this, you can do anything you want. Nice record, Jason. Wish it were better.

The Nashville Sound will be available everywhere this Friday.

Bringin' Back the Starter Pack

Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley Perform "Outfit"

More New Promo Photos: Ray Wylie, Rascal Flatts, Dustin Lynch, etc.

Jason Isbell & Drive-by Truckers Perform "Heathens" at The Ryman

Is Farce the Music Democrat or Republican?

People are always wondering which side of the political aisle we claim here at Farce the Music. 

Well, I hope this clears things up.

Matthew's Top 11 Albums of 2016

  Matthew Martin's Top Albums of 2016

11- Young Thug- Jeffery:  I know what you're thinking; this is not an album that would typically get love from this website.  But, honestly, this album is wonderful.  Sure, Young Thug employs some of the same mumbling rap techniques that can get tiresome, but YT's mastery of that along with the superb production on this album make it one of my favorites of this year, and one of my favorite Hip Hop albums in the last few years not named Run The Jewels.  Also, YT is one of Hip Hop's most intriguing artists right now, pushing the envelope on so many things including gender identity- the dude wears a dress on the cover of the album. "Wyclef Jean" is a perfect example of musical perfection with YT's emotional sing-songy delivery.

10- Two Cow Garage- Brand New Flag:  Man, TCG had no idea (I think) that this album would hold the weight that it does when they recorded it.  I am sure they assumed it would be a footnote in the year of 2016 when things were getting weird.  But, things got even weirder and this album got so much more important.  TCG are no strangers to heavy, important tunes and on this album prove that they've honed those skills terrifically.  "Let The Boys Be Girls" is absolutely one of the best songs of the year.

9- Cody Jinks- I'm Not The Devil:  As far as Cody Jinks goes, I'd never really listened to him much, but had heard lots of good things about this album and everyone was absolutely right.  This album is an emotional heavyweight with every song containing some heartbreaking moment dealing with either personal or relationship failures.  I don't think, in my mind, there's been such a gut-punching true Country album since Dwight Yoakam's Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room.  Honestly, if you're looking for a Country album full of hard-driving, honky-tonk, good-timin' tunes, maybe this isn't for you.  But, if you're looking for a hell of a Country album that is perfect in just about every way that gets better with every listen and maybe that much better when you're a little down and out, get this right now.  "I'm Not The Devil" is the song that got me hooked on this album.  Killer song, killer chorus.

8- Paul Cauthen- My Gospel:  WHEW!  Now, this guy caught me by surprise this year and damn he killed it.  This album, unbelievably, is the 2nd best debut album of the year.  Every song on this album is perfectly catchy.  If there was a just world, THIS would be Pop Country.  This is what Roy Orbison would have sounded like if he made an album in 2016.  I hope Paul Cauthen continues making music for years to come.  He's created a perfect throwback album that is already completely timeless.  I dare you to try and listen to "I'll Be The One" without dancing.

7- Natural Child- Okey Dokey:  On this throwback album, I think Natural Child has finally figured out how to turn their Punk, Blues, and Country hippie sound into a force to be reckoned with.  While they released a similar style album in 2014, they hadn't quite gotten the formula down.  Okey Dokey sees all the pieces fall into place and Natural Child create their best album.  "Now And Then" is probably the theme song of Natural Child and easily one of their best songs.

6- BJ Barham- Rockingham:  For a dude that has been fronting the fairly prolific, constantly touring American Aquarium, I was surprised that BJ Barham had enough extra songs to create a solo album.  But, after being overseas when the Paris attacks occurred, Barham felt the need to write a set of songs to deal with the emotions of this ever-changing world and those needless attacks.  The result of those songwriting sessions are some of Barham's most affecting songs and an album that is as good as it is heart-wrenching.  Try to listen to "The Unfortunate Kind" without tearing up, I dare you.

5- Diarrhea Planet- Turn to Gold:  Alright, I won't lie, I'm a DP fanboy.  They can do no wrong.  BUT, that doesn't mean that I'm wrong!  Starting out as a full-on sub-2 minute Punk band, DP began writing more serious, personal songs on their previous album, I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.  On Turn To Gold, DP have mastered the sonic nature of their tunes and created a master album.  How any band can have 4 guitars and know how to play quietly at times is beyond me.  How DP can do that and then turn the guitars up to 11 and not sound overbearing is a Herculean feat.  But, they do it and do it well.  This is the mature album that the band with fecal matter in their name probably never thought they'd make.  "Bob Dylan's Grandma" is a perfect example of the soft/loud dynamics that DP have mastered.

4- Luke Bell- S/T:  This was the best debut of year and one of my most listened-to albums of the year.  Every song on this album is perfect cowboy Country.  Dwight Yoakam is one of my favorite artists of all time and the influence of Buck Owens on him is not lost on many, if any, people.  Luke Bell is the natural progression through the years from Buck to Dwight, and now to Luke.  If Paul Cauthen and Luke Bell are the future of Country, then we are going to be A-OK, y'all!  "Bullfighter" is a perfect example of Luke Bell's mastery of capturing every day moments in his songs.

3- Sturgill Simpson- A Sailor's Guide to Earth: I was prepared to go into this album with an open mind after hearing that we shouldn't expect a full-on country album.  And, thank god.  Because, it's not a typical Country album, no, but it's still a wonderful album.  It's an album that is so good from start to beginning that I can't imagine any other way of listening to it.  If you were turned off by this album's not completely inherent country-ness, I highly suggest you revisit this one with an open mind.  This may not be Sturgill's best album, but it's damn close.  Every song from start to finish is a homerun, making the album as a whole quite the emotional powerhouse.  And, of course knowing the context of the album- written as a love note to his son- only helps the listening experience.  "Call To Arms" is probably now my favorite Sturgill song and by the time I got to this song on the album, I couldn't sit down.  Such a barn-burner, such a wonderful way to end a wonderful album.

2- Arliss Nancy- Greater Divides: I wrote about this album on this site earlier this year, and my feelings on this album have done nothing but gotten stronger.  This is without a doubt Arliss Nancy's best album.  There is not one weak song, not one weak moment.  The songs on this album are the kinds you need to hear- songs to make you feel happy for being alive and resilient through those times that are less than perfect.  Again, in a world that makes sense, this band and this album would be popular.  The band and songs have never sounded better or tighter.  The growth over their last 3 albums is incredible.  I can't wait to hear where they go next.  "Finches" is a great example of Arliss Nancy's ability to take a normal moment and feel all the weight in that moment through past failures/triumphs.

1-  Drive-By Truckers- American Band: There is not a more important album in Drive-By Truckers' repertoire.  I say that fully aware of the importance of Southern Rock Opera and even The Dirty South.  However, this is important in a very different manner.  This is an album written by deep-red-state Southern men about issues that many in this region turn away from.  This is DBT taking their implicitly political music and making it as explicit as possible.  And, in the process, they made a few fans turn away from them.  But, the band didn't back down and, to my way of thinking, we're much better for it.  This is the album we needed in 2016, and will continue to need as we move forward.  It's ok for us to have differing opinions and as Cooley says, "if the victims and oppressors, just remain each other's others," then where will we be over the next few years.  So, this album is an impressive call to arms for everyone to look ourselves and those who differ from us in the eye and figure out how to find some common ground, while also calling bullshit on those who wish to divide us.  "What It Means" is already in my top 5 favorite DBT songs and to me, this is the best song of the year.  The best song of the year on the best album of the year by one of the most important Southern bands of our time.

Monday Morning Memes Christmas Edition: Kane Brown, DBTs, Sam Hunt

Hood Announces Drive-by Truckers Follow-up Record

DBT’s Hood announces follow-up record plans, possible relocation to Caribbean 

 

 By Kevin Broughton

Portland, Ore. – Patterson Hood is jittery, and not just from the third vegan latte at Habas Frescas, a hip coffee shop nestled on a busy intersection here in the City of Roses. He’s flustered, too. “I mean, you pour your soul into making music that really means something, just to see it all flushed away on a Tuesday in November,” laments Hood, longtime front man of the Drive By Truckers. “And just a couple weeks later, we lose a universally beloved and adored human rights icon? Makes you wonder what it all means, or if any of this means anything at all.”

The fifty-something musician can be forgiven for waxing philosophical. DBT’s eleventh studio album, American Band, was hastily written and released just two months before the most contentious U.S. election in memory – and all, it would seem, for naught. Hood and 30-year collaborator Mike Cooley set out to make an exclusively, overtly political record, and proceeded brashly to air their election-year grievances. He is genuinely stunned at the notion his band’s ideology failed to carry the day.

“We hit all the bases, and hit them hard, man,” Hood says, spittle collecting on his lower lip as he grows progressively agitated. “Gun ownership, sovereign borders, Mexicans, blacks, gays and women. Police brutality, for [expletive]’s sake! How could people listen to this album and still vote [expletive] Trump into the White House?”

A record label official familiar with internal market-charting metrics described sales as “less than brisk, to put it kindly.”

But the Truckers have never been driven or defined by record sales, and pride themselves on expanding their fervent grassroots audience one show at a time. “And we’re gonna keep branching out, too. You have to keep plowing new ground to stay organic, musically,” Hood says. “Geographically, politically, whatever. And especially right now…” Here the singer trails off momentarily, a slight quiver in his jaw muscles. “What’s happened in the universe when America elects a tyrant capitalist and a true progressive leader dies, in a matter of weeks?

“Everybody in Cuba can read, man. Think about that,” Hood continues. “And who’s the only democratically elected leader in the Western Hemisphere who guaranteed free health care? Fidel [expletive] Castro, that’s who!” The native (yet reluctant) Alabamian gathers himself and continues. “They’ve achieved close to 100% gun control down there, with zero white cops riding around in Cuba shooting young black kids for sport.”

Which is why the singer – who relocated here from Athens, Ga. just one year ago – is moving his musical base of operations yet again. “The Wednesday after the election, I was already writing songs for a follow-up record, lots of Woody Guthrie-type, anti-capitalist stuff. Hang on,” Hood says, scanning a text message on his iPhone 7. “When Commandante passed, I knew we had to get in the studio like, now, and do it in [expletive] Havana.”

Not only did he book a week in the prestigious and state-run Muerte a America recording studios; Hood, his wife and two young children will also take up residence in the romantic Caribbean capital. “She found us a 1 ½ bedroom flat a quarter mile walk from the bread store,” he says. “Eight bucks a week! And I’ve shipped a couple pallets of bottled water, and we’re all taking Cipro, so we’re set. Hang on. Gotta take this.”

He takes a moment to clarify a quote with a music critic from The Daily Kos. “Yeah, I said ‘Latin feel.’ That’s all I can say. No more hints. Can’t get into content right now, bro.” He winks and ends the call.

Hood is at first mum about how much of his plan he’s told his band mates. When pressed, he ‘fesses up. “Look, I haven’t told Cooley yet, okay? Marlboro Reds are $80 a pack there,” Hood says. “That’s almost double what they are here in Portland. It’s the cost of living in a free country, I guess.” 

**fake news**

Kelly Hogan of The Flat Five: Going for Positive Broke In a World of Love and Hope

Going for Positive Broke

In a World of Love and Hope

By Kevin Broughton

“Okay, I’m almost ready,” says Kelly Hogan. “I was driving, waiting for your call, now I just have to pull over and find a parking space.” She eases into a comfortable play-by-play: “I may just turn off on this side street…almost there…well, why don’t you just go ahead and start to talk?”

Hogan has, according to her hometown Chicago Tribune, “the range of a gospel belter, the phrasing of a jazz diva, a bit of a country twang, and a taste for humor that make her something of a difficult fit in these category-obsessed times.” If she’s tough to pigeonhole into a genre – and she very much is – then it’s doubly tough to pin down a category for The Flat Five, the Windy City super group she formed with Scott Ligon, Nora O’Connor, Alex Hall and Casey McDonough. Their debut album, It’s a World of Love and Hope, drops today on Bloodshot Records; fitting, as that label has always been home to the genre-bending misfits of independent music. Ligon and McDonough are themselves members of NRBQ, a fluid band – founded 50 years hence – that has always defied classification.

But, to take a stab at Flat Five comparisons: Late 60s/early 70s harmony-laden pop with a slight bubblegum flavor, reminiscent of The Carpenters, Beach Boys and Beatles. Some Manhattan Transfer. Or maybe that’s a little off? “Yeah, it reminds me of childhood, hearing the AM radio in the Rambler station wagon,” Hogan says. “All of those sounds like Sly and The Family Stone, The 5th Dimension, Spanky and Our Gang…and The Archies! Definitely The Archies.”

Yeah, that’s better. And, oh, the harmonies; five parts’ worth sometimes. Groovy electric piano.  It’s pure, unadulterated, unmitigated, undeniable joy. This can’t be overstated; it’s an album of existential happiness, as the campy title suggests. Each of the album’s dozen songs were penned by Ligon’s older brother Chris, and if you drill down a little into that dude’s catalog, you’ll want to throw in They Might Be Giants and Dr. Demento when making comparisons. As joyfully bouncy and bubbly as this record is, there’s also a lot of downright quirky, head-scratching humor.

But the joy overrides all. You want to feel better right now, when the whole country and world are spiraling downward into hades? Turn off Twitter and Facebook. Turn off the news. Listen to this album a couple times through, and you’ll be physically happy. Heck, it’s impossible not to be happy after 20 minutes on the phone with “Leather Lungs” Hogan, after she finds a parking spot. Her mood is as infectious as The Flat Five’s music. 

You’ve worn a lot of hats in a bunch of different bands/side projects, etc. This Flat Five record certainly has a distinctive flavor to it. How has working on this project differed from, say, The Pine Valley Cosmonauts or any of your other endeavors?

Well, a lot of the things I did with Pine Valley Cosmonauts, I was like a ninja. I’d come in real quick and record one song and be done. The Flat Five, we’re a band. It’s gross. We love each other so much, it’s gross. We’ve been doing this since 2005 or something. I started out playing with Scott Ligon, then we got Nora O’Connor into it; I knew her from when we both sang in Andrew Bird’s band. It just sort of picked up, like a rolling stone…wait, a rolling stone doesn’t gather moss. (Laughs) We snowballed, that’s what I mean to say.

We just really love to sing together. And even with our five separate, crazy schedules and the stuff we do with other bands, we’ve always made time for this. We just love it.

When did y’all decide “Okay, we’re gonna do an album,” and how and when did that process finally come together?

I guess a couple years in, we made a commitment to play quarterly. That’s a time commitment and everybody has to block out time on their schedules. We started talking about playing more often and how we would do it. And we were warming up to the idea of doing an album of Chris Ligon’s music, because we had already been doing several of his songs [live].

So that idea developed, and we all got really excited about it, because one, we love his music and two, we want more people to hear it. So in lieu of going door-to-door (laughs), we knew we needed to record. That required us all to pledge allegiance to each other and commit. And so it’s taken us right at two years; we first went into the studio in September 2014. We financed the whole thing ourselves, so occasionally it was, “Well, we’re out of money, so we gotta play a show.” And luckily we were able to record it at our drummer’s studio, and he engineered it. There was just a lot of goodwill and teamwork involved.

This album bubbles up joy. Can you describe how much fun it was to record?

We made a conscious decision as a band, led by Scott, that we were gonna do a positive album. And I mean, I love sad songs. I’ve heard great songs with awesome harmony, but it’s like “My baby died in December.” (Laughs) So we tried to make it a cohesive thread, and all positive. Because everything’s so heavy, you know? You said “bubbles,” and not every song sounds effervescent, but the material and the message are designed to lift people, you know? Mavis Staples just did that on her last album.

And we were trying to decide what to call this record, and I said, “Dude, let’s just go for positive broke and call it ‘It’s a World of Love and Hope.’” In the face of all this evidence to the contrary; there’s so much going on to be sad and mad about. And all of us in the band, we’re all mad and sad and scared. This is just a little respite. I mean, I’m on the street in Chicago. The trees have colored leaves and people are walking their dogs…it’s Halloween. That’s just as real as all the bad stuff.

I just…well, I’ve never heard anything like it.

Well, we are weird, you know…

(Laughs) Well, I don’t mean just because it’s a little off and has some tongue-in-cheek…

…People try to describe us. Right now Nora and I are trying to book a tour and folks ask us, “Well, what kind of band are you?” And we’re like, uhhhhhhhh, well…

I think we’re like a pack of Life Savers. You’ll get an orange and a lime, and all the different flavors. We just love it all; we love all kinds of music.

Do you have a favorite cut on the album?

(Pauses) Uh…gosh I don’t know. It’s so hard for me to pick from all the different flavors. I don’t think I do. I can’t pick a favorite puppy! I love them all, and they are all different. Some of them were more difficult to get right in the studio than others. I do love the magic of “Bug Light.” I like “Bluebirds in Michigan;” I love that really weird string/bass/flute arrangement.

I’m curious, and this is a Kelly Hogan-centric question. I discovered you as the voice of Cassie Gaines on DBT’s Southern Rock Opera. Do you hear that every now and again, maybe from folks down South?

Oh! Awesome. I love that’s the case; I really love that album and I love those guys so hard. But yeah, a few, a few, definitely. That always makes me feel so proud. We did that at (Mike) Cooley’s house and I was in the dining room with a microphone, drinking a PBR and they were all in the kitchen. I finished a take and I heard some screaming and I found out they were screaming because they liked it. That was really cute.

That album…well, “Angels and Fuselage” makes me weep to this day.

Think about how hard it is to sing it! Because I sit in with them sometimes, and I try to do it – like every song I do – like I’m living it. And those lyrics…it’s just such an honor to be on that record. And you know, hearing your Southern accent, I’m just leaning into it because I love those accents so much. Any excuse to call Patterson (Hood), I’ll do it, just to hear that voice.

What else would you like folks to know about It’s a World of Love and Hope?

Um, it’s definitely an album made by friends who really love singing together. We love it so much we’ve all made time to do it over the last dozen years. We’re the kind of band that will practice together for seven hours and it seems like seven minutes. I mean, if we were at a club to play a show and nobody showed up, we would still play the show! We do this because it’s so much fun. And that’s the spirit It’s a World of Love and Hope was made in.

Because it is a world of love and hope. Sometimes I might be feeling really shitty (giggles) but I’ll just say, “It’s a world of love and hope!” It’s become my mantra. It was made by five friends who can’t not do this.  And I hope people can hear that in the record.

Final note: I’ve not played an album over and over like this one in recent memory and subsequently tried to figure out why. I’m still not sure, but what’s exceptional is this wonderful Venn diagram of the underappreciated Chicago music scene. In fact, when you put elite-level talents like these together – all of whom share such a passion for the craft and an unselfish love for one another – greatness shouldn’t be surprising. –JKB

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It's a World of Love and Hope is available today on iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, etc.

Donald Trump Knows Country Music 4

These aren't real but you can pretend they are if you want.

Album Review: Drive-by Truckers - American Band

A review by Matthew Martin

As I was listening to this album it hit me hard that this is the album I've been missing.  The logical next step in recent Southern albums that are more or less overtly political- from Southern Rock Opera to Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires' Dereconstructed to now, American Band.  It never resonated with me to listen to some person from the North (or Midwest or West) to talk about these issues, because they weren't/aren't from here- they don't grasp the subtleties.  To hear it from Southern voices, that talk the way I grew up talking, that use the same cadence and same odd slang I use, that's something entirely different.  And, to be clear, I don't think you HAVE to be a Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, to fully appreciate the political air of this album and what it means for Southerners (and the country) right now.

Drive-By Truckers have always been somewhat political.  Whether or not they were overt was dependent upon the song, but you can't get more political than past songs "The Righteous Path," "Uncle Frank," "Puttin People On The Moon," or "Wallace."  They may not be set in the current time period, but they are political powerhouses nonetheless.  Interestingly, it's always seemed that Patterson Hood was the one who was willing to delve a bit more into the political side of songwriting, until American Band.  (Which, can I just say as a side note is a perfect name for this album.  A political album by a band from the South called American Band.  No other regional distinction necessary.)  Now we have Mike Cooley really diving deep into the same waters and we are much, much better for it.

I've always been more of a Patterson Hood fan when it comes to songwriting- I like his storytelling and fierceness.   Don't get me wrong, I've always loved Cooley as well, but Hood has always hit a little closer to home for me.  However, on American Band, Cooley has the knock-out punches to me with "Ramon Casiano," "Once They Banned Imagine," "Surrender Under Protest," and "Filthy and Fried."  I mean, when Cooley sings "to half-cocked excuses for bullet abuses regarding anything browner than tan," on "Once They Banned Imagine," it's heavy.  That line got me like a punch in the gut.  The other Cooley songs on the album are wonderful takedowns of the good ol' boy South.  Whatever, or whoever, got us thinking we are too macho, or stubborn, to accept any sort of change has been detrimental to ourselves- and more importantly, those who chose to leave- in so many ways.  The South has been dealing with "brain-drain" for years and I can tell you firsthand, some of us want to go back to a better South, not the same old South.

Back to the album though!  For Hood, his two songs "Guns of Umpqua" and "What It Means" stand to be two of my favorite Hood songs of all time.  "Guns of Umpqua" paints an incredibly eerie and horrible picture of someone on the verge of getting gunned down in the community college shooting.  "What It Means" questions the recent violence on young black men in America and what that means for us as a nation.  These are supremely touching songs and I can't imagine the DBT catalog without them already.

At the albums core, American Band is all about dealing with the current state of the American way of life.  Where do we go from here?  How do we process the last couple of years of utter outrage and fear?  At what point do we start the healing process?  I think it can begin at any moment we want it to, but we have to start asking ourselves the tough questions, and that can begin with those of us in, or from, the South.  Southerners are strong people, mentally and physically.  I miss the South I grew up in where hatred sure didn't seem so prevalent (although I'm sure it was there).  American Band is a good starting point, so go listen and listen with friends and family.  Ask yourselves what it means.  Now, let's see where we can go from here and let's be better.



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American Band is available today on all modes of ingesting music.

New Video: Drive-by Truckers - What It Means (Live Clip)

From the forthcoming American Band.

Drive-by Truckers - Ronnie and Neil

Saturday Night Music: Drive-by Truckers - "Zip City"

Live Review: William Clark Green - Hill Country BBQ - Washington D.C.

William Clark Green

By Matthew Martin

The first thing you notice when you go to a show at Hill Country BBQ here in DC is usually the smell of delicious Texas-style BBQ cooking on the main level.  Once you get downstairs, the second thing you notice is how un-DC it is.  The small venue which holds about 300 brings lots of smaller (at least in this region) country and roots acts from across the country to a small, intimate stage.  Usually you can be right up close and personal with artists who are on their way to never playing to as little as 300 people on a bad night in a different country.  I saw Sturgill Simpson play here 2 years ago and I believe there were around 50 people.  That singular experience has shaped my love for this little venue in the heart of DC.

So, with that in mind, after the recommendation of this great site's end of year list and word from my girlfriend's sister and her boyfriend, I ended up at Hill Country on Saturday night to watch William Clark Green.  

To be honest, I had listened to his latest album a time or two, but I just didn't put in much time with it for whatever reason.  Life, other albums, and work can sometimes get in my way, but that's neither here nor there.  As the show got closer to start time, the bar filled up with ex-Texans (you don't have to ask Texans if they are from Texas, they'll proudly tell you without provocation). 

The show kicked off with "Next Big Thing" off of Green's recent album Ringling Road.  By the end of the song, I knew it was going to be a hell of a show.  While the song on the album is a damn good song, the song live hit another level.  I mean, it had more bite than what is already a biting song- the sarcasm soaked chorus was a stellar singalong among the nearly 300 people there.  It did leave me wondering how many people in the crowd had labeled WCG as the next big thing themselves.  I mean, it's so easy to do these days where we WANT an artist as honest and as talented as WCG to be the next big thing.  We try to will them to be the next big thing.  But, as WCG asks, "what's that mean?"  But, that's a conversation for another day and beer...

As I mentioned earlier, I hadn't really heard much of WCG until the last few months, so I had no real idea what to expect out of the show.  And, let me tell you, that may have been the best way to see the show.  I mean, WCG and his backing band played with a cohesion many bands I've seen wish they played with.  On songs like "She Likes The Beatles" and "Ringling Road," the band truly shined.  WCG commands his bandmates to keep up with his never-ending energy, and they are more than capable of responding to the task.

By the end of the show, it's safe to say that WCG had gained a few new fans.  A few years ago I really couldn't get into the whole Red Dirt/Texas Country scene.  For some reason, it seemed somewhat bland.  It wasn't long after that that it hit me (I think it was when I saw Reckless Kelly and Randy Rogers Band).  Since first becoming truly enamored with the whole scene, I don't think any band has been more invigorating or more fun to watch live.  I saw Drive-By Truckers a couple of weeks ago at the esteemed 9:30 Club here in DC.  It was amazing.  I don't know how William Clark Green's career will go.  I know how it should go.  He SHOULD be the next big thing.  He SHOULD be selling out the 9:30 Club along with the likes of Drive-By Truckers.  It starts with us, the fans.  This guy is the real deal, y'all.  Go see him when he comes around.  Go buy his whole catalog. 

Road Dispatch: Jonathan Tyler at the Variety Playhouse

Road Dispatch: Jonathan Tyler at the Variety Playhouse

By Kevin Broughton

On a Thursday night in Atlanta’s Little Five Points, Jonathan Tyler is in an expansive mood. In a couple hours, he’ll open for the amazing Ron Pope and The Nighthawks, then join them for a couple months’ worth of shows on this leg of their nationwide tour.  

Tyler’s 2015 release, Holy Smokes, opened to wide critical acclaim and was a springboard to several lengthy tours for him and his stellar backing band, as they opened at various times for the Drive By Truckers, Warren Haynes, and Ray Wiley Hubbard. On this night, though, it’s just Tyler and his guitar. And the aforementioned Mr. Pope? He hails from suburban Marietta, and this 18-and-up show – at the iconic Variety Playhouse -- will be packed with local partisans hailing the hometown hero. No pressure at all.

Over boiled peanuts and Bud heavies and a mostly off-the-record discussion,* Tyler holds forth on the challenges of gigs like this one. “I like playing solo shows because they put me on the spot,” he says.  “It's sink or swim.  There's no drumbeat or bass line to hide behind.  So if the lyrics and the melody don't hold water you're sinking and everybody in the room knows it.”

In his case, it’s no overstatement. Tyler’s band is a stand-alone entity in its own right, Rise and Shine. Their tight arrangements on Holy Smokes were damn near perfect, and he’ll produce their forthcoming album; their absence isn’t an oh-by-the-way thing. Pressure?

“There are times I get nervous enough to drink a liter of whiskey but that's mainly when I'm overthinking things,” says Tyler.  “I think I'm finally getting to the point that I've accepted myself and don't really care if I bomb cause I know I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and get another shot.”

Fittingly, at this point Pope strolls into the watering hole, where a table of about a dozen family and well-wishers greet the local hero. Tyler glances at the scene, then at a visitor. “I guess it’ll be a big crowd, huh?” he says with a grin. 

He’s right. Pope is as big a draw as you’d expect in his hometown. Bigger than James McMurtry last spring. And probably as big as Steve Earle and the Del McCoury band, circa 1998. Tyler walks out with his black Gibson acoustic, greets the packed house somewhat meekly, and launches into a 10-song set almost exclusively from his new album. 

And something’s immediately noticeable about this crowd: he has them. It’s a respectful audience, the kind you see regularly in Austin and wish you had in your town. What’s remarkable is they’re all here to see the headliners; and they don’t make a peep. No grumbling between songs, or agitating for the lead act. They’re listening, and roaring their approval after every song. 

Three songs in, Tyler trades the Gibson for a ’73 Telecaster and busts out “River Bottom,” “Honey Pie” and “The Devil’s Basement,” and everyone in the venue is paying rapt attention. 

On seeing Tyler with his band, you notice how comparable the live sound is to the album; Holy Smokes wasn’t just slick production. At a solo gig – the first one he’s done in about a year – what’s immediately obvious is that the lyrics, melody and vocals do indeed “hold up,” even at an acoustic setting in big venue. He has this crowd in his hand.

This Pope-crazed audience is both appreciative and understanding of Tyler, bearing with him between songs as he grabs the wrong harp, or is momentarily perplexed by a mislaid capo. “I’m actually looking for my capo,” he says, concealing some stress. “But I’ll be okay…” Mercifully, the missing implement is at his feet, and he won’t be forced to play “To Live is to Fly,” not only without duet partner Nikki Lane, but also in a much lower key. 

Picking over the last of the boiled peanuts before show time, Tyler mentioned those moments that make it worthwhile. “When everything connects it feels like I'm channeling God and I ride that wave till they kick me off stage.”

As he wound up his set with electrified versions of “Late Night Special” and “Gypsy Woman,” Tyler may not have channeled The Almighty, but he certainly rode a helluva wave. It portends well for the rest of the tour, and validates Pope’s choice for an opening act: a seasoned pro who shines in any setting.   

 

* Topics may or may not have included: making music with Nikki Lane; United States fiscal policy; whether bro country has its roots in shitty 80s hair music; and the perils of telling Donald Trump jokes to a New York audience. (The biggest peril is cricket noises.)

Album Review: Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

By Kevin Broughton

Anyone who’s ever loved the Drive By Truckers has that first, seminal encounter story. Mine was the Friday after Thanksgiving, 2001. I’d heard The Southern Rock Opera (release date: September 12, 2001, how’s that for strange luck?), and been teleported back to my childhood in early-1980s Florida. Real, Southern rock and roll, and nobody else was playing it.

That first show in my immersion:  The Nick, in Birmingham.  I saw the DBT, and my musical life changed in a bar the size of your living room.  For five years, if they were playing within 300 miles, I was on the road. Oh, and at that Nick show? There was this young, third guitarist playing with them. It was his fourth show with the band, and his name was Jason Isbell.

For many DBT fans, it wasn’t until Isbell was gone until they realized he was the backbone of an important band. That band will never be the same, and the three-album run they had with Isbell will forever be considered DBT’s high-water mark.

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Draw a straight line between the last cut of Isbell’s Here We Rest (a hopeful, joyful “Tour of Duty”) and the first song on his new album, Something More Than Free (“If it Takes a Lifetime.”)

That vector was Southeastern, Isbell’s sobriety record, and the notice-serving album that a generation had its songwriting gold standard. Dark? He referred to it in a recent interview as having “a high body count.” A bit of an understatement, unless you were an intimate of Pol Pot. I listened to it twice, the week it came out. Just stopped cutting. I kid.

A story song isn’t worth listening to – or writing, presumably – if it doesn’t pierce a little bit of you. Southeastern’s characters scooped out most of your innards. On Something More Than Free, they offer equal parts hope, redemption and humility, while reminding us their creator is intense even when he lightens up.

“If it Takes a Lifetime” opens the record with a man determined to make the most of a second chance. “I don’t keep liquor here; never cared for wine or beer. And workin’ for the county keeps me pissin’ clear.” It’s a perfect jumping-off point for a follow-up album with a high bar to meet.

“Flagship” packs an album’s worth of tenderness and romance into four minutes, and may be Isbell’s best love song. With its acoustic arrangement and his sweet voice, it’s one you’ll want to hit “repeat” on.  

Isbell delves into characters with a level of introspection and incisiveness most writers can’t even contemplate. And with the impending arrival of his first child with wife Amanda Shires, it’s not surprising he takes a couple cracks at the parenthood thing.

“Children of Children” is a sobering look at the topic. Isbell – born when his own mother was 15 – neatly divides the song in two.  The first half could be Harvest-era Neil Young acoustic, with a money line: “I was riding on my mother’s hip, she was shorter than the corn. All the years I took from her, just by being born.” It’s punctuated by an instrumental back half that’s both sweeping and orchestral.

“Speed Trap Town” sees a guy who’ll say a final goodbye to an ICU-bound father before leaving for good. “He was a tough state trooper till a decade back, till a girl who wasn’t mama caused his heart attack. He didn’t care about us when he was walking around; just pullin’ over women in a speed trap town.” Lord.

There are dozens of intense couplets like that all over the record; about, in other words, what you’d expect from a songwriting mensch who’s hit such a stride it’s hard to imagine an upper limit.

Isbell has one-upped himself again, this time with an album that actually lets you breathe a little. The opening song’s character vows to “keep my spirits high…find happiness by and by, if it takes a lifetime.” Not unlike, it seems, the artist has.

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Something More Than Free is available Friday (July 17, 2015) EVERYWHERE.

Below, you'll find the two lyric videos Isbell has released for SMTF thus far.

Saturday Night Music: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Saturday Night Music: Drive-by Truckers