drive by truckers


I know this band has been around for a while but I just discovered them and really like there sound. Anyone else like them?
kedoades

Showing 9 responses by jdoris

"Decoration Day" my fav, esp. the Stones tribute "Marry Me."

If you like DBT, you might check out Slobberbone, out of Denton, Texas, esp. "Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today."

Also in the conversation is Two Cow Garage, out of Columbus; start with "Wall Against Our Backs."

Both are bands of van warriors making rural-flavored, gritty rock in the vein of DBT. I probably prefer them both to DBT.

John
If nothing else, you gotta like the band name "Two Cow Garage".

As the name might lead you to suspect, lots of witty song writing from TCG. Definitely worth a listen, Marty, if you like the Truckers.

J
jbc: Stephen King plugged "Gimmie Back My Dog" in one of his books. Slobberbone offered him a free ticket on their website.
Have fun shopping, Marty. :)

Jbc is right that the Bottlerockets are very worth a listen (I like "Brand New Year"). For my money, the best St. Louis Bands are no longer active: Uncle Tupelo, arguably among the most important American rock bands of the past 50 years (sort of the Velvet Underground of alt.country) and Nadine, whose "Downtown Saturday," is a classic of Americana. Both bands will likely appeal to fans of DBT type stuff.

Women working more and less in the genre worth checking out: the great Shannon McNally ("Geronimo," "Coldwater") and Sera Cahoone (selftitled, "Only as the Day is Long")

John
Thanks Marty! Just ordered The Reivers' last album (75 cents + sh on the Zon!). They were out of Austin. A little more alt and a little less country, perhaps, than some mentioned above, but very nice (speaking of the Velvet Underground, male lead sounds a lot like young Lou Reed).

John
Yes Marty, Americana covers a multitude of sins. My favorite in the genre, and at the top of my "in heavy rotation" is not even American: Po'Girl, a spin off of the also very nice Be Good Tonyas. But now we are *very* far from the Truckers.

Back to the van warrior rowdy theme: Lucero, out of Memphis (try "Nobody's Darlings"). Perhaps not up to standards of Truckers, and certainly not Uncle T, but very good.

I'll look for Cross Canadian Ragweed, jbc.

John
Kedoades: Slobberbone's excellent bass player "retired" for a while, hence the Drams. He's back at it, and so is Slobberbone, last I heard. This is a good thing, I think. Drams had most of the Slobberbone, plus keys, as I recall. Saw them once: a popier sound -- good, but not as good as Slobberbone. The Sb show I saw on their "last tour" (warmed up by Two Cow Garage) among the handful of best I've seen.

John
Drat, Marty. I think 2CG changed labels (to Suburbanhome) which may have resulted in the back catalog being 86ed.

The band has slowly gotten a bit more poppy, and turned down their live shows, which used to give you hotflashes. I see their first record, "Please Turn the Gas Back On," is available, but it is pretty raw (though it has the lovely "All Sins Forgiven"). A lot of people like "Speaking in Cursive," but it didn't grab me so much. After "Walls," my favorite is "III" -- slicked up a bit from their earlier stuff, and even has horns, but still their trademark grit, and their shrewd and witty songwriting.

John
Yeah, 85 bucks a lot; don't think I've ever paid more than 20 for a single disc. Betcha WAUB get's reissued.

Here's another rec: Hayes Carll, a Texas twanger directly comparable to Steve Earle. No doubt this is controversial, but I think he's a better songwriter, and I prefer him all around. Both "Little Rock" and Trouble in Mind" are nearly without misstep. Very highly recommended.

John