Local Punk Bands > The Greenhornes.

Let me start off by saying that I saw Jack Lawrence Friday, Saturday and Sunday somehow. He was ever present and always super awkward. SO SO SO awkward.
I didn't go to mess around in Atlanta because I wanted to see the Greenhornes play in Chattanooga with my friend, who was a huge fan and had never seen them. I had seen them once last year at Max's in Hoboken, NJ and it was sorta boring but I chalked that up to being exhausted and overstimulated from the Lou Barlow show that I had seen earlier that day. Made my friend buy tickets in advance. Thought it would be awesome...

Meanwhile, I met up with my friend at Sluggos for the tribute show to Joey Ramone on the anniversary of his death. Sluggos is one of my favorite places in Chattanooga. Yeah they only have beer and their food is a bit on the overly healthy side, but thats actually a nice change sometimes. Great beer specials, great taste in music. And free Ramones buttons! I was just starting to enjoy the bands at around 10:30pm when I find out the Greenhornes are about to start so we haul ass over to JJ's Bohemia.

JJ's was naturally packed. Tried to buy a Greenhornes lighter (not a zippo but a plain lighter with the Greenhornes logo printed) but gasped at the $5 price tag. SAY WHAT? No thanks. I did however procure some AMAZING Ray's Homemade jerky on the back porch. Man, the show was so BORING. Even my friend, who has praised the Greenhornes incessantly for years was bored.Finally, we said "Fuck this, I'm bailing" before they even completely finished. I hardly even saw anyone I knew there accept a couple of old drunks Im not even fond of. BOO!

So we arrived back at Sluggos, thank God, in time to see the Fast Boys. The Fast Boys are local and not especially extraordinary, but somehow they were perfect! Basic Punk Rawk: simple, conscise, sloppy, and fast. It was exactly what I wanted to hear. I am a fan. The night ended ok afterall. I looked around at everyone in their sweet leather jackets and DIY patches and thought of NYC in the 70's. I thought of the difference between those punk bands back then and all the overblown other shit that was happening. Shitty Disco. And all the hyped shit that may have been epic on record but was padded with overpriced t-shirts and egos live. All the shows I had paid for and been disappointed. Weezer back in 2001. The Cure in 2004. The White Stripes at Sloss Furnace in 2007. The Strokes at SXSW this year. These less than stellar shows effectively ended my great love of these bands, not that I ever loved the Greenhornes like that, but my friend sure did. Yes those bands are still great and hold some place in my heart, but the countless t-shirts I have just remind me of how much I once loved them and saddens me to know how much I just don't anymore. Like childhood posters of Gavin Rossdale, I can't identify with the person who felt so strongly. How can a love so pure and true and big just end so quickly with one bad music experience? The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall I guess.

I Luv Record Store Day

So last weekend was my beloved Record Store Day. Normally a day of general joy for vinylphiles like myself, in Nashville it is nothing short of a frenzy, with Grimey's Records leading the charge of shows and screenings and lines around the block.
Third Man was naturally also insane due to inclimate weather forcing the rescheduling of Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as the fact that they are pretty much a porn store for completist record collectors. But I was cold and tired and not really into dealing with all that mess. I, being the resourceful and lucky charmer that I am, got a young man to pick up my desirables, the (limited to 1000 copies) mono version of The International Submarine Band and a Velvet Underground 7". Subpop released a sweet compilation I got, as did many other smaller companies. There were free shows from some of my favorites including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Hunx and his Punx. Hell I can only imagine who was at Amoeba in LA. I have to say, this has become one of my favorite holidays. The idea of a day specifically to celebrate the dying greatness that is your local record store is amazing and long overdue. Yes, you can download pretty much everything, including the rarities specifically released on Record Store Day. But what can compare to the actual feel of a new record in your hand? To colored or marbled and numbered vinyl? A gorgeous picture disc? A shitty quality MP3? Hell no. And the sound of a record, even a scratched record with it's crackling and popping, is just...more special I guess? Regardless, it's the sound for me.

Drive-By Truckers @Rhythm and Brews, Chattanooga 4/12/11

The first time I saw the Drive-By Truckers was at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga circa June 2004. It was right after Decoration Day came out and Jason Isbell joined. A friend had burned me Alabama Ass Whuppin, a live cd, so I somewhat knew what to expect. But I just couldn't have predicted before that show how much pure pleasure and southern pride I would get from seeing them live then and all the countless times since.

But like most things tend to, the Drive-By Truckers have changed over the years. Isbell left and has since done 3 solo albums and Muscle Shoals legend Spooner Oldham joined them around the Dirt Underneath tour in 2007, followed by Jay Gonzalez. Ultimately, they have calmed down a bit, if not musically definitely in their subsequent live shows. Maybe I am just bias ever since Isbell left because since 2008 I have probably seen Isbell play 3 or 4 times as much as my beloved DBT. And I haven't been that into the albums since the 2008's Brighter Than Creations Dark, much less The Big To Do or Go Go Boots.

However, DBT was coming back to Chattanooga's Rhythm and Brews. This is as close to a hometown show as they will get outside of Alabama in my opinion. Chattanooga really really loves this band. I missed the openers because apperently the show started hella early, but when I got there around 9:45 it was completely packed out, with people driving from all over the South to see them play. The theatrics weren't there like on the Dirty South or Dirt Underneath tour. But musically it was they were on point. Still.. I missed some the excessive drinking/rocking out that I had always seen in their lives shows. I can't tell whether they are just showing their age or they are just more subdued. They played a lot of new stuff which was honestly pretty good, but that meant less of the classics I have known and loved from the years. It's hard for me to love this version of the Truckers when I am still so blatantly mourning the old days, the era Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell pretty much equally shared in the vocals (and I am sorry to say this, Shawna Trucker stuck to bass) and every show had your adrenaline pumping, your ears ringing and you begging for just one more. All and all, this was good show. Just not as wild and awesome as when I saw them there in 2005. Then again, maybe neither am I.

seBADoh!

Ok so I am a superfan. I have tour art tattooed on my sidebottom. I cannot be objective.

That being said, I went and saw Sebadoh in Nashville at the Mercy Lounge with some of my bros and of course, it was amazing.

This tour was sort of to celebrate the reissue of Bakesale and Harmacy, my two favorite Sebadoh albums. Lineup was Lou Barlow and Jason Lowenstein of course, but instead of Eric Gaffney who has always sort of annoyed me, they had the Bob D'Amico who plays with Lowenstein in the Fiery Furnaces. I really loved when Mike Watt's drummer Raul Morales was playing with Lou last year, but this guy was certainly adequate at least. They played pretty much everything off of Bakesale (which means I was super stoked on life) including "Careful", "Magnet's Coil" "Shit Soup" "License to Confuse" and "Got it", some of my favorites. In the encore, as Lowenstein yelled out "Black tar living room couch professor!" (from "Not Too Amused") I thought I was gonna have an aneurysm from pure joy. I also got to hear my three favorite tracks off Harmacy, "Prince-s", the song that got me into Sebadoh way back in middle school "Ocean" and an amazing version of "On Fire". When they played "Brand New Love" off of Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock/The Freed Weed, I was so happy my eyes watered a bit.

There was even some funny Lou banter when he proceeded to tell everyone how Conor Oberst goes through a mic a night due to his spitting problem.

Never get sick of this band. Never will

I luv luv luv luv luv Sebadoh 4-ever!

Short and To the Point Reviews of SxSW shows I can remember

Turbo Fruits: Liked it, should see this Nashville band more
Natural Child: This is probably my favorite Nashville band actually. Saw them at the Jackalope and they filled me with pure joy, my favorite kind of garagy rock.
Mister Heavenly: Michael Cera's band. didnt get to see them. Really bummed me out
Smoking Popes: Holy Shit, this band sounds as good as they did in 1995. I was super impressed. "No More Smiles" was perfect even with my splitting headache and lap full of Long Island Ice Tea.
Heligoats: They were no Troubled Hubble but I truly love this not-so-new project by their former singer. Catchy in exactly the right way. Still kind of Built to Spillish but without the pretension.
Surfer Blood: Their live stuff still lacks some of the punch of their album. I guess it's the great production and echoey vocals. That being said, still really fun live.
The Strokes: Um, I was sort of disappointed only because I built up seeing them live again as my mission in life. Not their fault. Too many people (free show after all) and I am not that into the new album. But when he butchered lyrics to songs I know by heart, it was somehow endearing?
Personal and the Pizzas: Good but not as epic as I thought theyd be. I officially like Hunx and his Punx better
Screaming Females: They had a screaming female. kind of cool
Deer Tick: MOre forgettable than the last time I saw them opening up for Jenny and Johnny
J Mascis: Loud, man he played a shit ton of times
Odd Future: I was scared of the frenzied crowd and frankly, underwhelmed.
Screeching Weasel: Ben Weasel sure loves to hear himself talk but between his incessant bitching there were some heart exploding happy moments when I sang my heart out and jumped around to songs I truly love. Then he punched two girls.
Joey Cape: He was good and all, and maybe I am a jerk for this, but I really wanted to hear some Lagwagon
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Good everytime I saw them. Big shock. Seriously though, I could have watched them 10 more times and not been bored.
Caitlin Rose: She was funny and had just as beautiful a voice if not more so than on her recordings. In that setting however (daylight, free drinks, dumb people) it didnt hit me as hard as I thought it would. I mean, when I listen to "Sinful Wishing Well" I have been known to cry. This room was way too happy.
Dead Milkmen: Holy shit this was amazing. They were so fun and happy and great. dancing on stage with random punkers, playing new songs which actually didnt suck, this was the highlight of my time at SXSW. I almost climbed the scaffolding and stage dove but realized I was wearing a short dress.
OFF!: I was mostly getting bacon wrapped pickles at concession during this set, but I seemed fun and raw and rad. Weird long banter, there was the reading of a children's book. Still don't understand.
Mean Jeans: So fucking good. I get why all my friends are obsessed now. Garage punk at its absolute best.

What am I forgetting?