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?

My newly learned tips for SXSW aka South By aka the happiest I have ever been ever

So my intention was to report everyday on my experiences. That did not happen because A: I didnt bring my computer. B: I was having too much fun. C: I will do this right next year okay?

I ultimately did not buy any sort of ticket or wristband prior to this event. Who has $750 dollars to spend? Not me folks. Not ever me.
TIP #1 I did however, under the sage advisement of Seth Graves, RSVP for a shit ton of free parties everyday through Austin360.com
which I highly RECOMMEND, but create a different email address or get spammed all year. I also downloaded a free app for my phone.

We (mostly Seth) drove 13 hrs, all night, to arrive in Austin around noon, Wednesday the 16th. Seth got his press pass from the convention center and on NO SLEEP, we began to drink and see bands at one of many free parties, including the PUREVOLUME party (free booze). Note on PureVolume: Although great on some levels, the long lines and general doucheyness of this everyday party makes me think I will avoid it next year. Right off the bat I saw Jason Isbell play and Caitlin Rose so I was pretty stoked, that was at the Swan Dive. I also at some point went over to Emos (Yeah? I think?) and saw the Fruit Bats while enjoying free Sparks. Which brings me to...
TIP #2. Get all the free shit you can. Free drinks are yours if you plan accordingly, as is free food (and holy shit the breakfast tacos are plentiful at SXSW) just get there early. But you can generally get at least 1 free shirt everyday (I got a rad free SXSW shirt at an Eventbrite party, a Firefly Vodka shirt and a random shirt featuring Richard Pryor with Dre headphones. I dont get it, but I do love it). But there are so much other freebies, strings, water bottles, cell phone cases, hair dos, photobooth pictures, tote bags galore and even capos! The free parties are where you get this shit, plus free music. Just RSVP in advance although hardly anyone checked it.

I literally saw so many bands that I cant quite remember everything, plus I was admittedly quite drunk. I managed to only pay for 6 shows there and they were all pretty reasonable. Jason Isbell ($15 at Swan Dive), the Heligoats ($10 I think, Easy TIger) Joey Cape and Screeching Weasel ($20 at Scoot Inn ugh but thats another story, see TIP 11), Joey Cape at the Fat Wreck CHords showcase ($15 maybe at Barberella ?) the wonderful Smoking Popes ($20 Maggie Maes Gibson Room, good venue) and probably best bang for my buck, Mean Jeans and River City Tanlines (Easy Tiger for a measly $5). So my conclusion...
TIP #3. Don't buy a badge. I spent less than a hundred dollars and saw most of everything I wanted since the Strokes were free and most everyone else played several free day parties. The badges are several hundred dollars and yes you dont always have to wait in a line and you have more flexibility to go between shows, but SHIT! Theres so much music at all times that its overwhelming. You will be fine.

TIP #4. Nap. Between noon and 7pm ish, there are free parties and booze and wonderful times to be had. The shows start about 8ish with the good headliners after 11pm. It is tempting to think you are gonna party all day, catch J Mascis at 6pm (He literally played everyday around 6 somewhere I was), eat your 50th free taco and then start your nights shows. NOPE, YOU WILL CRASH AND BURN. I say, get home by 5ish, take a power hour nap and get in line around 8 for the hard to get in shows and up to about 9 for everything else. How to get home at 5pm for said nap?...

TIP #5. Dont think you can drive or get a cab friend. Not a wise move AT ALL. Cabs and parking is few and far between. If you do cab it, get a cabbies name and number asap and try to call them first. My housemates found a Pantera listening to, pothead cabbie who was super nice and helpful. But ultimately bicycles, walking, or a 24 hr bus pass ($2) is definitely the way to go. Oh and speaking of walking...

TIP #6. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES! Seriously. Everyone there is absolutely gorgeous and super fashionable so rest assured you will not be the best dressed there regardless of what you do. But even comfortable shoes will hurt your arches if you have been on your feet for several hours so be prepared. Oh and layer. The desert is hot in the day, cold and breezy at night so a light jacket you can wrap around you/sit on during the day will be your saving grace at night. This was especially true at the Mess with Texas Party.

TIP #8 MESS WITH TX RULES! RSVP (though they wont check) and plan on going to the free Mess With Texas Party. Not an official event of SXSW, it is a little far off from the main area of shows, couple miles maybe. It was at a huge outdoor venue with lots of amazing eats, reasonable shade and two stages. Ted Leo, Deer Tick, Screaming Females, OFF!, Lemuria, !!!, Fresh and Onlys, The Oh Sees, Surfer Blood, Dead Milkmen and Odd Future all played. It was definitely my favorite event. Come on, THE DEAD MILKMEN PLAYED!

TIP #9 Go with cool people who hopefully are veteran South Byers, or at least be ok with going solo and do your research. I had the pleasure of going with a friend with similar taste, but he had a press pass which sometimes meant, I was slummin it solo. But I met a lot of cool people (free rides!) and stayed with 8 people who all seemed pretty rad so I was generally not alone. That being said, for at least a couple hours every day I was by myself, but I had a blast. Why? Because I go to do whatever I wanted. And I am a nice, sociable person. However, I wasnt there to socialize, I was there for music. And that was never in short supply. Speaking of my friends...

TIP #10. Dont lose your cell phone!!! You will be fucked. get a tracker app if possible just in case. Carry extra batteries or at least a charger. For God's sake dont lose it because you will just be screwed. Payphones arent real anymore. My friend Seth had his stolen at the Pure Volume douchery over shitty vodka and probably shitty music. I left mine at Barberella but luckily the people there were cooler and someone turned it it, and I rewarded those good samaritans with Jameson shots. I would have had a small aneurysm otherwise. Someone elses phone magically appeared in a tote bag when were back in TN which means someone else lost their phone when their totebag got mixed up with my friends. DONT LOSE YOUR PHONE, YOUR LIFE WILL BE OVER.

and last but not least, BONUS TIP #11. Dont throw Ice or beer or a dirty look at Ben Weasel, or he will punch you in the face or kidneys. Especially if you are a girl.

Evidence:

Next post: Reviews of especially rad/ memorable bands from SXSW.

Full report to follow but in the drunken meantime...

Theres nothing more satisfying than doing exactly what you want when you want. SxSw and live music in general brings me the kind of bliss, core happiness that nothing else can. As the oh so wise Drive-By Truckers say " Its fucking great to be alive"

THE CON

So I am leaving for SXSW soon (or South-by as the hip music insiders say but eff that). I tried to get a platinum or music badge via eBay but failed repeatedly to win the auctions as I refuse to pay over $500 for the essentially 3.25 days of music I'll get arriving Wednesday night/ Thursday morning.

Then suddenly, a $500 Platinum Badge (get in to everything, don't pay, no real lines) pops up on Craigslist. Rad right? So I contact the guy, using his gmail address, I gchat him and he tells me the only catch is that I cant pay via paypal because he doesn't have an account and it would take too long to verify. This made sense until I googled his email and saw he was selling several pairs of tickets. RED FLAG. Why wouldn't this guy have a paypal? Still, I did as instructed and went to to Walmart, and put $500 on a greendot card. As I paid for it, I read on the package specifically NOT TO PAY PRIVATE PARTIES. So again, I feel really uneasy. The, quite by accident I google ToddEldridge81, accidentally leaving off @gmail.com. AND WHAT pops up via Craigslist?
"SCAM toddeldridge81 Ticket Scam!! - $300 (Ultra Music Festival/ Basketball)" Needless to say, I didn't buy the tickets. Now I am simply gonna go down to Austin ticketless and hope for the best.
I did just receive my Pitchfork Festival tickets in the mail for July 15-17th. So I can sleep a bit easier I guess.

Loser/Winner

Last night I bailed on Jucifer. It was a 30 minute drive in the pouring rain and my wipers were acting up. Im lame, I know.

Just scored a day pass for each day of the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, July 15-17. Cost me $157, Instead of the $110 it would have if I had purchased the 3 day passes when I first thought about it. Whatever. still gonna be cheaper than my SxSW experience, that's for sure.
"The Pitchfork Music Festival once again returns to Chicago's Union Park July 15-17, and we're thrilled to reveal some of the more than 40 artists who will perform on this year's eclectic bill. Among the acts who will appear: Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Cut Copy, the Dismemberment Plan, Deerhunter, Destroyer, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, James Blake, and OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), Das Racist, Kylesa, Curren$y, Woods, Yuck, and Sun Airway. Many more will be announced soon."

This is gonna be pretty rad.