New Weakerthans

The new Weakerthans album Reunion Tour released today. I haven't listened to it enough to have an insightful opinion, but I have listened enough to appreciate the following:

- The swirling, phased keyboard effect that intros the first track is tastefully angular, very Rush, and, thus, very Canadian!

- The record offers up another song from Virtue the Cat. How many other rock bands out there write (great!) songs with lyrics sung from the perspective of someone's pet?

- John Samson continues to supply smart, erudite, creatively-phrased lyrical narratives. Too bad one is misspent in the boring banjo/spoken-word number Elegy For Gump Worsley.

- I'm not sure that I will be able to enjoy the song entitled Relative Surplus Value.  It sounds too much like something I should be learning in my microeconomics class...

The last Weakerthans album, Reconstruction Site, stayed in our car's changer for over two years. (Not kidding - Kelly really likes the song about the cat.)

Here's hoping that Reunion Tour is just as good. Can't wait to start soaking it in.

A Busy Week...

Kenan-Flagler first years have 2 midterms and a paper due this week. Good times!

Our profs have mentioned numerous times that they work together to try to spread the load as much as possible and, to their credit, they've done a good job so far. I've been busy, no doubt, but it hasn't been the living hell that others had me believe that I would encounter.

(I might be singing a different tune at the end of this week...)

It is worth mentioning that the week won't totally suck. My first flag football game since undergrad kicks off Tuesday at 8PM and Jason Isbell blows up the Local 506 Thursday ~11PM. Can't wait.

Dress Blues

I should probably be working on the statistics homework I have to turn in on the first day of class, but I'm not. (Yes - I have to complete real homework before class even starts. This is not an encouraging sign of what I suspect is to come.)

Instead, I'll observe my final fleeting moments on "The Summer of Eric Gravy Train Extravaganza" by telling you about the best song to be released on record in a long time - "Dress Blues" by Jason Isbell from his debut album "Sirens of the Ditch".

(The album title comes from a great lyric from the song "Grown" - "Last night I heard the sirens' song and I followed it in the ditch".)

When I got back from China and reconnected with reality, I was shocked to learn that Jason Isbell had left the Drive-By Truckers to strike out on a solo career. (He actually made the move in April - not sure how I didn't catch the news then.) I was at once disappointed and excited - disappointed because DBT will never be the same and excited because Jason has the chops to make a serious splash as a solo artist. Plus - I figured that his first record would feature "Dress Blues", a haunting anti-war song he's been performing with DBT for the past couple years or so.

Sure enough, the song made the record and, in my opinion, makes the record. He sings about Matt Connelly, a high school friend from Green Hill, AL, that enlisted in the Marines, was shipped to the Middle East, and never came home.

Check out a video of Jason singing "Dress Blues" solo on YouTube.

The songs lyrics are a knife in the heart:

Your wife said this all would be funny
when you came back home in a week.
You'd turn twenty-two and we'd celebrate you
in a bar or a tent by the creek.
Your baby would just about be here.
Your very last tour would be up
but you won't be back. They're all dressed in black
drinking sweet tea in styrofoam cups.

Mamas and grandmamas love you
'cause that's all they know how to do.
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues.

Like everything else he sings, Jason delivers the lyrics in a smoky, Southern twang that drips with authenticity. The simple symbols in the song - scripture on grocery store signs, a funeral held in a high school gymnasium, sweet tea in Styrofoam cups, silent old men from the Corps - paint a sobering picture of how the costs of war extend deeply into our families and communities.

Most of all, I love that the anti-war statement isn't a zealous rant, a list of mistakes and misjudgments, or an impassioned plea to "bring home the troops". Instead, it's a simple question of risk vs. reward:

But there's red, white, and blue in the rafters
and there's silent old men from the corps.
What did they say when they shipped you away
to fight somebody's Hollywood war?

Such a simple shift in perspective poses a powerful question regarding the outcomes we're seeking and the significant sacrifices we continue to make.

I actually wrote a post a year or so ago about another Isbell song that I love dearly, "Outfit" by the Drive-By Truckers. I still think that "Outfit" is Jason's finest song, but recognize that "Dress Blues" is by far his most significant.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

The new Spoon record, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, isn't terrible, as the buzz around town has intimated.  (By "buzz around town", I mean what my friend Ben has told me that his hipster friends have told him about the record upon hearing an advance copy a few weeks prior to release.)

In fact, I would goes so far as to say that not only is the record not terrible, it is actually quite good.  It is eerie how much Britt Daniels sounds like John Lennon on a few of the tracks...

Check out the record at MergeRecords.com or just buy it from iTunes.

Snoop Sums It Up

America has waited and waited for insightful, intelligent commentary on the Don Imus issue and we finally got it from the D-O-Double-G:
It's a completely different scenario," said Snoop. "[Rappers] are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about ho's that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh--, that's trying to get a n---a for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha----as say we in the same league as him.

New Records - Kings of Leon, The Drams

I downloaded 2 records from iTunes this weekend, both of which I highly recommend.

Because of the Times by Kings of Leon is a great follow-up to their previous 2 records. I haven't read any reviews, but I suspect that they'll all describe how their sound has "matured" and that this record illustrates a greater lyrical and musical depth than the previous adrenaline-driven records.

I like that much of Because is completely different than anything they've ever done. I've always preferred bands that recreate themselves to those that release the same record over and over and over. Plus - though the texture of the songs departs from their past - they all still contain the angular rhythms, sloppy guitar, and the raspy, screeching vocals that, in my opinion, make them great. Even better still - the record is named after an annual Pentecostal minister's convention.

You can hear a couple songs from the record on their MySpace page. Unfortunately, they don't include Charmer and Camaro on the page - they're my faves after listening through a few times.

If you were to take the members of Wilco, DBT, and Weezer and randomly shuffle the players to create a new 5-piece band, that band would probably sound a lot like The Drams. Their debut record Jubilee Dive is outstanding. They actually released it in 2006 - and I'm miffed that I just now bought it.

The tunes are all largely melodic, sing-able, and feature piano/keys prominently, but have the rough edge, raunchy guitar, and vocal quality that keeps 'em country and keeps 'em rawk. (It is no coincidence that they toured with DBT...and that three of their members were formerly of Slobberbone, a mid-90s alt country stalwart.)

Again - you can hear a handful of songs on their MySpace page. Check out You Won't Forget.

The Maw Maw Sessions



This is my grandmother, Catherine Maude Rhyne Boggs Postell. (We just call her Maw Maw.) Among her many talents - which includes cooking macaroni and cheese, mowing her lawn, keeping her home oppressively warm, and exhorting me to wear warm clothes - music is the chief.

Maw Maw can't "play" the piano, per se. She's never had formal training and she can't read music. However, she can bang out hymns like nobody's business. She learned to play by ear as a child and has continued to play throughout her life. In addition to her work on the keys, Maw Maw also has a natural knack for singing the alto line that I've only recently come to appreciate.

In 2000 (?), I took my 4-track recorder to Maw Maw's house and had her lay down a few tracks. Naturally, she elected to perform a few gospel numbers. I had her record on her Lowry organ, both because of the churchy quality and because, as far back as I can remember, her piano has never been in tune.

After recording Maw Maw's vocal/organ tracks, I went back home and embellished the tracks with guitar, harmonica, percussion, and vocals. The finished - and admittedly humorous - recordings are below. I hope that you'll enjoy!

I'm Satisfied

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

More recently, I recorded some footage of Maw Maw playing at my parents' house. My wife Kelly, aunt Cathy, aunt Rhonda, and (unfortunately) I make up the choir. Check out the video on YouTube

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Dave Holland Sextet

Ben and I saw the Dave Holland Sextet at Memorial Hall tonight. The concert was absolutely outstanding. A few observations:

1. Until today, I had never seen anyone play the upright bass shred-metal style. Seriously - some of Dave Holland's licks would have fit perfectly even in the most disgustingly metal of metal records. The numerous music/jazz students sitting around us continuously gasped during his solo turns, as did I.

I feel bad that I jokingly made reference to the numerous droning bass solos I would have to endure as I walked into the auditorium.  In retrospect, I would have preferred that Mr. Holland drop the horns (not that they weren't amazing talented in their own right) and play in a simple piano/bass/drums combo.  In this setup, it would have been much easier to appreciate the subtleties in his talent even when he was not soloing.

2. The drummer, Eric Harland, was the best I've ever seen.

3. Trombone is kinda boring, even when the player is supremely talented. Perhaps I don't have the finely tuned appreciation for the instrument, but to me it sounds like one big muddled mess.

Sunken Treasure

My friend Chris let me borrow "Sunken Treasure" - the new concert DVD from Jeff Tweedy, lead singer of Wilco for those of you that are (so unfortunately) out of the loop.

I give it my utmost recommendation. The music is excellent, as you would expect from the greatest living songwriter not named Bob Dylan. However, it is the charming stage banter that makes the film so enjoyable. Jeff Tweedy carries a reputation for being chatty on stage - albeit a little petulant and whiney - and this film more than confirms it. Frankly, I love the guy for it. As I've said before, I know of no other artist with such on-stage banter prowess.

Two of my favorite nuggets:

Idiot fan - "(something stupid) tequila!"
Jeff Tweedy - "I don't drink. It was in the papers, perhaps you read about it."  (Playfully referencing his much-publicized bout with addiction.)

Jeff Tweedy - <whistling the intro to "The Ruling Class">
Idiot fan - "That is so awesome!"
Jeff Tweedy - "Yes. It is."

Strangely, the end credits were my favorite part of the film. It ends with a beautiful first-person shot of a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge at night backed by one of Wilco/Billy Bragg's best songs, "California Stars".

All in all, 5+ stars.

You Need To Recognize

The ODB AKA "Dirt McGirt" AKA "Big Baby Jesus" AKA "Ol' Dirty Chinese Restaurant" has been pumping through the Boggs family hi-fi for the past 45 minutes and I could not be happier. It has been like re-discovering a thoroughly demented old friend...

A few off-the-cuff ODB-related memories:

- In 10th and (most of) 11th grade, I was the only player on the basketball team that did not have a drivers license, thus I had to hitch a ride home everyday after practice. I can remember riding home in Matt Dowdel's Carolina blue ghetto glider just like it was yesterday. "Return to the 36 Chambers" was still hot at the time - at least to the North Gaston HS basketball team - and we used to blast "Baby C'mon" at gloriously deafening volumes. As the clueless white kid that listened lame white kid music, the outrageously visceral, profane, and hilarious rap stylings of Ol' Dirty make quite the impression.

- No Old West dorm party was complete without a little ODB. "Baby I Got Your Money" soundtracks many of the hazy late night memories from 2001 and 2002.

- Once while listening to ODB in the car with Kelly, she unexpectedly sang along with "Recognize" by substituting my initials - ETB - for ODB. "Mr. Courageous ETB. You need to recognize he's a P-I-M-P. You need to recognize. You need to recognize." This is why I love my wife.

- The day Ol' Dirty died. "During the initial autopsy of the 35-year-old rapper, a doubled plastic bag containing cocaine was discovered in his stomach." Ugh.

Sweet Honey in the Rock

I saw Sweet Honey in the Rock at Memorial Hall today.

Mesmerizing sums it up. Their lyrics were largely simple and repetitive - as are many gospel and spiritual songs. Yet their harmonies created a mind-blowing complexity and texture.

The highlight song for me was the number that portrayed the woman in Mali that so desperately wanted to have a child. The group shifted between English and African languages and used various traditional African instruments to convey a mother's pleading and eventual celebration. Nitanju Bolade Casel - middle right in this photo - seriously let it rip.

I've never heard any person or group so effortlessly use their voices as instruments. They simulated horns, guitars, wind, birds, and engaged the audience in a participatory round that replicated the sounds of a Central African rainforest. One of the singers, Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell, actually moved her hands as if she were playing a cello as she sang the bass lines for the songs.

Their music has a soul, a conscious, and, most importantly, appeal. No doubt, these women can sang!

Furthermore, the concert confirms that I don't hate a capella music after all. (I mean - The Beatles did a capella songs on both Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road. Plus, Rockapella used their vocal stylings on "Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?" to help me learn geography as a youngster.)

I just hate lame a capella music.

Last.fm

I've enjoyed wasting much of today with Last.fm. Finally, a streaming audio site gets it right. (More than half of the time, at least.)

The Last.fm player lets you customize a stream based on genre tags - for example, a playlist of songs tagged as "honky tonk", "alt country", and "americana". Also, you can select a group of artists and enjoy a stream of their music and music from related artists.

This is a great way to dig new music. I've already added a few records to my "to buy on iTunes" list.

Plus - Last.fm "scrobbles" - (their word, not mine) - your listening habits such that you can easily make one of these things to broadcast the artificially generated depth, diversity, and intelligence of your musical interests to the world. This feature detects your listening habits in the Last.fm player, iTunes, and other players.

There is also a fairly deep website with wiki-driven artist bios (very cool) and a community element. I'm sure I could waste countless hours tweaking artist bios, thus, I intend to stay away from the site and just stick to the player...

It remains worth nothing that there are some (somewhat humorous) problems. For instance, "Magical Mystery Tour" just popped up on my "honky tonk" playlist. Not cool. (Perhaps The Beatles pop up on every stream because Last.fm is based in the UK?) A few tunes later, right after a Johnny Cash track, I get Dean Martin. What the heck? Just the beauty - or stupidity - of the community, I suppose.

I've been "testing" the community with other keywords and artists and, like so many community-based streaming services, the stream starts out on point, but eventually wanders into left field. Unfortunately, left field is littered with vapid, watered-down crapola like Coldplay, The Killers and, of course, the crappiest of all crapola, Aerosmith.

Despite it all, I strongly recommend Last.fm. It makes it so easy to wade through the world's great music.

Trucker Concert Review

Friday night's DBT concert certainly did not disappoint. In fact, I would venture to say that I've never been so thoroughly rocked. Read on for a recap of the evening's highlights:

6:15ish - Chris and I had dinner/drinks at Tyler's. Chris has two baby girls at home, so it was quite an ordeal that he was able to get out of the house for an entire evening AND not have a curfew. I suspect that he had to save up - and cash in - quite a few chips. For the sake of continuity, I'm going to leave out all of the times Chris called his wife Lori to "check in". (Zing!)

7:15ish - More beers at Tyler's. We were joined by fellow Bronto Adam and his friend Chris and his special ladyfriend Lauren.

8:15ish - Chris and I walked up to the Carolina Theater. Walking through Downtown Durham at night always proves dicey and this night was no different. We walked past a severely chemically-altered woman on the corner near the old Safari Cuisine that was either A.) quacking like a duck or B.) calling Chris and me "cracker". It was hard to tell...

8:30 - The opener - Bobby Bare, Jr. - goes on. Wow - did he suck. I mean, his band seriously did not sound good. To his credit, I checked his stuff on iTunes and it is actually pretty cool. Also, it is worth pointing out that they performed a song called "The Flat-Chested Girl From Maynard County" and that Bobby Bare, Jr. is the son of - you guessed it - Bobby Bare, country music semi-legend.

9:30ish (?) - Truckers on stage. They opened with "Lookout Mountain" (< link to iTunes snippet) - a great selection to open the show. Next, they played "Cottonseed" (a surprising selection), "The Day John Henry Died" (a GREAT one), and "Puttin' People On The Moon" (my favorite DBT song to sing on my way to work). They continued with songs from "The Dirty South" and "A Blessing And A Curse" - their two latest records - for the first portion of the show.

They closed out their set with my two favorite old school Trucker songs "18 Wheels of Love" - a song detailing the true-to-life FACTS Patterson Hood's mother's relationship with a trucker named Chester and their marraige at Dollywood...by a Porter Waggoner look-a-like - and "Steve McQueen" - Patterson's homage to his childhood hero. "Bullit was my favorite movie that I’d ever seen. I totaled my go-cart trying to imitate that chase scene."

For their encore, they played an acoustic set that included "Outfit". I convulsed with glee as I sang along. After all, it is (possibly one of) the greatest song(s) ever written.

They closed the show with a fury of "Let There Be Rock", "Shut Up and Get On The Plane", "Moonlight Mile" (Yes - the Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile") and "Buttholeville". By this point, they were all completely drunk and had taken their rawking to super-human levels.

12:15 - By the time they closed the set, I was deaf and numb. I would rank the concert as #2 all time - just below the Stones in C-ville and just above the two nights of Wilco at UNC.

Takeaways:

  • John Neff should become the official 6th Trucker, or at least a permanent concert fixture. His work on the pedal steel added a great texture to the songs and helped center to the tonality while Patterson, Jason, and Cooley wanked on their guitars.

  • The acoustic set was a treat. It was a great change of pace, it highlighted the great vocal harmony in the group, and gave my ears a few songs to rest...

  • Jason Isbell is seriously talented. Not only is he the best natural vocalist of the 3, he can seriously play the guitar.


So that wraps it up, I guess. Thanks for taking part in my first ever "themed" week. I promise to return to more intelligent discourse in the very near future. I also promise not write about DBT again for a while...

More DBT

I had grand plans to produce a comprehensive exegesis on "Southern Rock Opera" - DBT's 3rd studio album and the only Southern Rock concept album that I know of. This is the album that Ben recommended a few years ago that initially sparked my obsession with DBT.

Unfortunately, I'm too tired/lazy/worthless to adequately analyze and evangalize the importance of the record.

Thus, I will lazily point you to The Sound of History, a well-researched piece on the Truckers from Dry Ink Magazine.

Enjoy.

Why “Outfit” May Be the Greatest Song Ever Written

Trucker week rolls on...

I wasn't the first to consider the greatness of "Outfit". I exchanged emails with Ben a few weeks ago and he made the "greatest song ever written" comment. (Ben is a friend from college and bass player for Atlanta-based honky-tonk outfit National Grain. I highly recommend their latest record.)

After careful deliberation, I'm happy to declare that "Outfit" is indeed (one of) the greatest song(s) ever written.

Jason Isbell wrote "Outfit" for "Decoration Day", which is arguably the Truckers' best overall record. You can hear a brief snippet of the song at Amazon.com. I recommend that you just buy the entire record from iTunes.

His thoughts on the song from the DBT site:

"This one focuses on the advice I got growing up, mostly from my father. We recorded the song just before Father's Day and I gave Dad a copy as a present.
I'm really fond of Cooley's psycho solo and Patterson's guitar harmonies toward the end."

A few selected lyrics from the song:

Well, I used to go out in a Mustang, a 302 Mach One in green.
Me and your Mama made you in the back and I sold it to buy her a ring.

Don’t call what your wearing an outfit. Don’t ever say your car is broke.
Don’t worry about losing your accent, a Southern Man tells better jokes.
Have fun but stay clear of the needle. Call home on your sister’s birthday.
Don’t tell them you’re bigger than Jesus, don’t give it away.

Six months in a St. Florian foundry, they call it Industrial Park.
Then hospital maintenance and Tech School just to memorize Frigidaire parts.
But I got to missing your Mama and I got to missing you too.
So I went back to painting for my old man and I guess that’s what I’ll always do

So don’t try to change who you are boy, and don’t try to be who you ain’t.
And don’t let me catch you in Kendale with a bucket of wealthy-man’s paint.

So why is it great? Because it is dripping with authenticity. The father-to-son dynamic has certainly been done before. However, I can't think of another instance in which a singer expresses "don't make the same mistakes I did" so eloquently in song. Rich details - the Mustang model, tech school classes, and painting in Kendale - color the song and add to the sense of reality. Did Jason's father utter these exact words? I, for one, do not doubt it.

Furthermore, the song is universal. Everybody gets this kind of advice from their father, mother, mentor, etc., particularly in the South. Everybody knows the story of the unplanned pregnancy that derails one's life plans, for better or worse. "Outfit" encapsulates everything that is true and beautiful in American South. Parents struggling to make a better life for their children, praise for the blue collar man, calling home, Jesus - its all in there!

Musically, aside from the great vocals and guitar work, there really is not a lot of complexity. Straight I, IV, V, vi chords and straight melody and harmony. In my opinion, the simplicity serves the song. The lyrics and the singer are front and center and both stand on their own.

Also - the song is easy to strum and easy to sing. Just ask my wife...

Aerosmith Still Sucks

So the Aerosmith fun just doesn't stop.

For those of you that just showed up, this is the post that ignited the rock and roll firestorm. (Make sure you check out the comments - my wife left a zinger for Ben Russell.)

Yesterday, someone linked my site on an Aerosmith fan board. (My picture is on the thread. Highest of high comedy.)

Tonight, the discourse jumped up a notch as Pop Culture Gangster actually offered a fairly salient rebuttal to my assertions. Scroll past the set list for Aerosmith/Motley Crue (Ha!) concert for his comments.

Before my loyal readers come to my defense with a barrage of witty comments on his site, I'd like to point out that Mr. Gangster actually agrees with me on a number of points:

  • "I actually think that Aerosmith belongs on rock's "B-list" as well."

  • Referring the the "Trilogy of Suck" - "I think they kinda suck myself."

  • "You gotta love blogging - it gives everyone a chance to voice their opinions."

  • "I'm guessing that this guy is a bit of a 'music Nazi'." (I'm not going to deny this. In fact, I appreciate the compliment.)


That said, a few of his points merit further discussion:

  • He writes - "What is funniest about his post is that he calls his opinions "indisputable facts." Dude! It is called irony! (Yes - the irony is the funny part.)

  • Chris Brown and John Clark, note the artists he includes in his "B List" - Aerosmith, Kiss, Jefferson Airplane, etc. I am so right...

  • With regards to the "Greatest Hits" album issue, you got me. I didn't do my research on that one. So it goes... Props to you for knowing your Dylan and your Stones. Aerosmith notwithstanding, I suspect that our tastes are quite similar.


Lastly, can we steer the dialog back to the Truckers!? This is DBT Week for crying out loud!!! They're RELEVANT (unlike other bands bantered about of late) and they're coming to Durham on Friday.

Oh yeah - Aerosmith still sucks.

Aerosmith Comedy

Folks, I would not interrupt DBT Week if I did not have something important to pass along.

First, read the hilarious comments from my first post about my hatred for Aerosmith.  "Jeff B" is a friend from college who's musical insights I truly appreciate.  "Tony K" is a complete stranger - and evidently a passionate Aerosmith fan.

Next, read this.

My favorite post:

"Is this guy serious?
How can you compare Aerosmith to Gun's?,you can't 2 different styles of music.
Plus to just cut on joey like that was way out of line.I can see that he doesn't have his facts or wits about him in the leaast.
Aerosmith means a lot of things to a lot of people,and if he thinks writing that CRAP is going to change someones point of view he needs to think again.
A lot of people stopping using drugs because of Aerosmith,a lot of people have had a great time going to Aerosmith shows and being in this fan club.
So he needs to get a grip and move on,I hear Axel's looking to complete that 10 year record maybe he could help axel finish it since he is into them anyway? Shocked Rolling Eyes
What a moron!
Slapshot"

The Lyrical Wisdom of Mike Cooley

Drive-By Truckers week continues on The Boggs Blog with a retrospective of some of Mike Cooley's rock and roll truisms.

Well my Daddy didn't pull out, but he never apologized.
Rock and roll means well, but it can't help tellin' young boys lies.

- Marry Me, Decoration Day

So it is graphically obvious that the singer was conceived out of wedlock. If I were to venture a guess, I would say in the backseat of a Camaro in a Dairy Queen parking lot. He proceeds to accidentally father a child with his girlfriend later in the song - hence the requests to "marry me" throughout the chorus.

I tried to consider the many lies has rock and roll told me, but really couldn't nail down anything concrete. I think I am more a victim of mass conspiracy.

Livin' in fear is just another way of dying before your time.

- Shut Up And Get Up On The Plane, Southern Rock Opera

This song re-creates the scene on the tarmac before Skynard boards the plane on their ill-fated trip to Baton Rouge. Seems like this philosophical nugget should be on a t-shirt or in a fortune cookie or something.

I know the bottle ain't to blame and I ain't tryin' to.
It don't make you do a thing, it just lets you.

- Women Without Whiskey, Southern Rock Opera

Ernie Bridges, my 8th grade health teacher, tried to explain to our class how alcohol causes one to lower their inhibitions, but no one ever got it. He should have just played this tune.

If you were supposed to watch your mouth all the time
I doubt your eyes would be above it.

- Gravity's Gone, A Blessing And A Curse

While I acknowledge that there is truth to the argument, I would be remiss if I did not state that my grandmother would whole-heartedly disagree.

Saw you standing in the hallway, red plastic cup, and one of those big long cigarettes.
You asked me if I could play you some Dylan.
I said “Dylan who?” you told me to kiss your ass.

- Panties In Your Purse, Gangstabilly

Love the Dylan reference, love the "big long cigarettes", and love that Cooley wrote a song called "Panties In Your Purse" and that the Truckers put it on an album called "Gangstabilly".

Keep your drawers on, girl, it ain't worth the fight.
By the time you drop them I'll be gone,
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life.

- Zip City, Southern Rock Opera

Zip City is supposedly semi-autobiographical. It tells the story of a randy teenage boy's unsuccessful "pursuit" of a daddy's girl raised in the Salem Church of Christ. It is Mike Cooley's best, in my opinion:

I've got 350 heads on a 305 engine.
I get 10 miles to the gallon.
I ain't got no good intentions.

Drive-By Truckers Week!!!

The Drive-By Truckers bring their sweet sweet Southern sound to the 'Ham next Friday night. To properly observe the event, I hereby declare the next week to be "DBT Week" at the Boggs Blog.


The commemoration will feature articles that describe the greatness of the Truckers in excruciating detail and essays that will explore the cultural context of their music and the origins of my fan-dom, all in anticipation of their September 29 blowout at the Carolina Theater.

Tune in for such scholarly works as:

  • The Lyrical Wisdom of Mike Cooley

  • Why "Outfit" May Be the Greatest Song Ever Written

  • The Cultural Implications of "Southern Rock Opera"

  • Critical Analysis - Why Do I Like This Band So Much?

  • A Review of the September 29 Concert

  • And More!


It's going to a Southern rock extravaganza!

You think I'm dumb, maybe not too bright.
You wonder how, I sleep at night.
Proud of the Glory, stare down the Shame.
Duality of the Southern thing.

- The Southern Thing - DBT