slackercountry.com

(or What I Spent My Grocery Money On)

You all know by now my penchant for owning the physical disc.  Even when times are hard.  I’d love to tell you it’s because my high morals won’t allow me to copy OPD’s (other people’s discs) but, well, I just really like to peel off the wrappers and pop out the pretty inserts and stuff. 

And, I do like to cuss the postal system when it’s late, cuss the state of our society because there are no independent music stores – you know, get myself a little worked up.  Then, when I finally get my hands on the actual item, I run my fingers over the lyrics booklet, read the dedication and thank yous and all before I listen from track one to the very end.

From the moment I sussed out the info that Steve Earle was releasing "Townes", I knew I’d have to have that one.  It’s a forever keeper.  And, Guy Clark’s "Sometimes the Song Writes You" was getting multiple rave reviews before I’d ever heard of it, so I internet-ordered that.  Kris Kristofferson’s "Closer to the Bone" kept me camped out by the mailbox for a while.  Well worth the frostbite, though. 

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So I get Ronnie Fauss’s  EP, New Songs for the Old Frontier (FTG Records), in the mail today.   I play it a couple times and immediately fall in love with it.    Then I play my favorite track (favorite so far – these things change) for Bucky. 

“How do you like my new favorite song?:” I ask him.

“It’s good!” he says.  ‘Is that Jeff Tweedy?”

“Nope,” I reply, smugly.  “It’s someone you’ve never heard of.”

“Yeah?” he says.  “Sure about that?  ‘Cause it sounds like Pre-

Wanker Wilco.”   Or Tweedy with Uncle Tupelo.

This is high praise from Bucky.  Just saying.

So yeah, neither Bucky nor I had heard of Ronnie Fauss but, one quick listen later, we’re both fans.  Listen here and you’ll see why.

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I got this in my inbox this morning…

Message from Jess Barr, guitarist for Slobberbone / The Drams:

Early this morning my car was broken into and all of my equipment was stolen. This includes my red matchless clubman 35 head and cabinet, my black gig bag with cables and pedals, and, most importantly, my Gibson Les Paul Gold Top.

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It really hasn’t been all that long since Slobberbone broke up. Just a few years.

And you could make the argument that they didn’t really break up at all, just went through another personnell change, changed their name to The Drams and tweaked their sound a little.

So why did Tuesdsay night’s show at Dan’s seem like such a return to a time long ago?

They were billed as Whiskey Glass Eye, the world’s premiere Slobberbone tribute band but there wasn’t a person in the jam packed club that night that didn’t know it was a reunion show. Brent Brest, Jess Barr, Tony Harper and the return of Brian Lane (with Scott Danbaum sitting in on about half the set.)

And there I was feeling all nostalgic and shit.

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47 Drams – Straight To Hell

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What can I say- that Tequila Brad sure knows how to throw a damn party.  Saturday night at Dan’s Silverleaf was a total liquor fueled, pull-out-all-the-stops, crank it up and rock this place throw down. With cake.  Todd Mankin and his band started things off.  We got there in the middle of his set and he was already in full rockin’ mode.  He’s got a great voice, some good songs and a kickin’ band behind him. He closed his set with Ted Nugent’s Stranglehold.  Austin’s Band of Heathens were up next. I’ve heard their fine debut CD, Live At Momo’s- and it’s good, but I was still surprised by the full force of their set. Continue reading

We all have our favorites – those bands that are just special to us for one reason or another.  It’s probably no secret to regular readers that we here at SlackerCountry.com are partial to The Drams and, of course, Slobberbone.  And, although jitter has seen them live many times, this past weekend was my first experience when they played a set at Boulder, Colorado’s Trilogy Wine Bar on Friday and a longer head-lining set at Bender’s Tavern in Denver on Monday.

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When Slobberbone released their fourth album, "Slippage," in 2002, it was apparent they were trying for a new direction.  The sound was leaner, tighter, and more produced.  Where they once chiseled out a unique alt country sound with banjos, mandolins, and even the occasional fiddle backing up fiery electric guitars, on "Slippage" they stripped it down to the bare essentials and turned up Brent Best’s lead vocals. 

The result was an unabashed rock and roll record that left many long time fans scratching their heads. While the record sounded different, the live shows still sounded like the old Slobberbone.

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It was a sad day for Texas music on March 13, 2005. That’s when people from as far away as Europe crowded into a sold-out Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton to bid farewell to the State’s reigning ‘best bar band’.  That final show was short on covers and long on remembrances, for the band and the audience alike.

They resurrected a “Barrel Chested” era documentary film to kick off the night, standing quietly onstage while the film rolled on a screen set up near the entrance.  Then they played for a little over two hours.  While the album of the night seemed to be their second release, “Barrel Chested”, they managed to cover their entire career, but went sparingly on their last and most over-produced record, “Slippage”.

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