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Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and Other Good Stuff

Seasick Sailor

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Celery Man

Celery Man 20979

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re: speed trap town - small town (everybody knows you in a speed trap town, some lady gave him flowers in the store cause they all know his dad is in the hospital), his dad was a philanderer and a d-bag in general (had a heart attack fucking a girl who wasn't momma, didn't care about us when he was walking around) but apparently the only family he has (there's no one left to ask if he's alright). getting drunk in the stands watching his small town high school get beat up, cause there's shit else to do. he probably played for the same reason. he's finally realizing he could leave, asking himself if there's anything here in this town he can't leave behind. Comes to the conclusion that there is no, hits the road. The one line I don't love in that song is having a cup of coffee next to an Indian man. I don't know what it means - is the Indian man just... first off, dot or feather, second off, is he just mentioning this guy as a stranger in a different place he knows nothing about at all except that he's an Indian, as compared to literally anyone in the speed trap town whose family tree he has memorized? I think that's it? But not clear.

 

My favorite Isbell line is "I belly up and disappear. Well I ain't really drowning cause I see the beach from here." Honestly, probably not the best line in a song that is comprised entirely of great lines, but I think that's the one that I feel the deepest. My interpretation of that song is lost love/heartsickness/fucking around and being on the road (and being disconnected, and those things playing off each other) but over and around all of that, disappearing into the bottle and swirling in the abyss. Belly up/disappear/beach from here line - man I don't know when he wrote that line and how long he drank after that (well I guess I do, and I'm impressed he had that much left in him) but that is some deep alcoholism shit. sitting at a bar, numbing yourself away, booze relaxing your nerves and neuroses, all the life and noise going on around you, being able to trick yourself for a minute that you're not drowning. I'll be pissed if someone explains that that song has a very specific and different meaning and proves it, because that one felt real and raw and familiar and precise before I even picked out the different words and thought about the lines together.

also I wouldn't feel weird about cheering the sober up lyric, and john henry is a great song

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Buzzrock
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This is blowing up today.

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Not sure if this is the right thread or not but any Billy Strings fans? Kid is fantastic.

strangulation!
strangulation!

getting real close to wearing an outfit

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12471

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That doesn’t bother me. I can drink beer without a problem. He unfortunately had a problem and I’m glad he beat it.

I feel like I’m rubbing my not having a problem in his face, or something.

I’m a German Catholic from the upper
Midwest. Guilt is like 85% of my genetic makeup.
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12471

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Plus, seems like his issue was more than just beer at a concert.

Yeah. When you think about it, it would be so damn easy to develop a dangerous drinking habit as a touring rock musician.

His job is literally to throw a kick ass party every night. Most of us go to a concert, tie one on, sleep it off and go back to our job for the next week. Those guys are in a position where people almost expect them to go wild every fucking night.
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12471

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re: speed trap town - small town (everybody knows you in a speed trap town, some lady gave him flowers in the store cause they all know his dad is in the hospital), his dad was a philanderer and a d-bag in general (had a heart attack fucking a girl who wasn't momma, didn't care about us when he was walking around) but apparently the only family he has (there's no one left to ask if he's alright). getting drunk in the stands watching his small town high school get beat up, cause there's shit else to do. he probably played for the same reason. he's finally realizing he could leave, asking himself if there's anything here in this town he can't leave behind. Comes to the conclusion that there is no, hits the road. The one line I don't love in that song is having a cup of coffee next to an Indian man. I don't know what it means - is the Indian man just... first off, dot or feather, second off, is he just mentioning this guy as a stranger in a different place he knows nothing about at all except that he's an Indian, as compared to literally anyone in the speed trap town whose family tree he has memorized? I think that's it? But not clear.
 
My favorite Isbell line is "I belly up and disappear. Well I ain't really drowning cause I see the beach from here." Honestly, probably not the best line in a song that is comprised entirely of great lines, but I think that's the one that I feel the deepest. My interpretation of that song is lost love/heartsickness/fucking around and being on the road (and being disconnected, and those things playing off each other) but over and around all of that, disappearing into the bottle and swirling in the abyss. Belly up/disappear/beach from here line - man I don't know when he wrote that line and how long he drank after that (well I guess I do, and I'm impressed he had that much left in him) but that is some deep alcoholism shit. sitting at a bar, numbing yourself away, booze relaxing your nerves and neuroses, all the life and noise going on around you, being able to trick yourself for a minute that you're not drowning. I'll be pissed if someone explains that that song has a very specific and different meaning and proves it, because that one felt real and raw and familiar and precise before I even picked out the different words and thought about the lines together.
also I wouldn't feel weird about cheering the sober up lyric, and john henry is a great song

I assume dot, because the implication is he got the coffee at a gas station.
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Celery Man

Celery Man 20979

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20 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:


I assume dot, because the implication is he got the coffee at a gas station.

that's my assumption, although the imagery is still a little weird - I guess, standing at the counter drinking the coffee? sitting on a bench outside while homeboy is taking a break? the scene would make more sense to me at a waffle house (or shit maybe a perkins, he drove for a while), but then explicitness of the guy's ethnicity is confusing

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45998

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55 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Yeah. When you think about it, it would be so damn easy to develop a dangerous drinking habit as a touring rock musician.

His job is literally to throw a kick ass party every night. Most of us go to a concert, tie one on, sleep it off and go back to our job for the next week. Those guys are in a position where people almost expect them to go wild every fucking night.

A friend with connections beyond mine told me to come down to Liberty Lunch one afternoon before Soul Asylum loaded in and sound checked.  A couple of hours later, Dave Pirner stumbled in, completely shitfaced, wearing shoes that didn't match.  It was probably 4 PM.  It was eye-opening.

They killed it that night.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12471

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A friend with connections beyond mine told me to come down to Liberty Lunch one afternoon before Soul Asylum loaded in and sound checked.  A couple of hours later, Dave Pirner stumbled in, completely shitfaced, wearing shoes that didn't match.  It was probably 4 PM.  It was eye-opening.
They killed it that night.

Well, they used to hang with the Mats, so that’s about par for the course
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45998

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5 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:


Well, they used to hang with the Mats, so that’s about par for the course

Yeah, but Soul Asylum was a FAR better live band.  Like, as good as I've ever seen.  I'm a bigger 'mats fan, but not by much.  I caught Soul Asylum for the first time on a lark in NYC at CBGB as they started to tour "Hang Time", and they blew my mind.  A sample from that time frame:

(Yeah, it ain't thread-specific.  I don't care.)

 

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tbone_

tbone_ 14133

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I would kill to sing like that.  He's so underrated as a vocalist.  It's effortless for him.  No histrionics, no fireworks, just dead nuts on perfect pitch, with a nice burnished tone.
Some people just got it, and some people just don't.  #ahem

100% agreed. I’m just wishing for something that might have a chance of coming true.
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Seasick Sailor

Seasick Sailor 3747

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5 hours ago, Celery Man said:

The one line I don't love in that song is having a cup of coffee next to an Indian man. I don't know what it means - is the Indian man just... first off, dot or feather, second off, is he just mentioning this guy as a stranger in a different place he knows nothing about at all except that he's an Indian, as compared to literally anyone in the speed trap town whose family tree he has memorized? I think that's it? But not clear.

I always thought the lyric was ". . . by an Indian mound." There are Indian mounds all over the south. 

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noharleyyet

noharleyyet 2838

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3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

It is "Indian mound".  I just took it as him pulling over and having a cup.

Indian mound in the waning lines of a sociological and personal dirge is perfect....clever wordsmithing is what you think it means to the writer and what you know it means to yourself. 

Edited by noharleyyet
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45998

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2 hours ago, bluto said:

Some of those lyrics sites are Effin terrible, especially with clever lines. For an isbell type ya pretty much have to find liner notes or him discussing meanings sometimes.

I've found the best way to get the right lyrics is with live recordings.  Somehow they tend to be more clear; maybe it's the brighter vocal mics.

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NOMAAA

NOMAAA 1696

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On 4/17/2021 at 9:08 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Yeah, but Soul Asylum was a FAR better live band.  Like, as good as I've ever seen.  I'm a bigger 'mats fan, but not by much.  I caught Soul Asylum for the first time on a lark in NYC at CBGB as they started to tour "Hang Time", and they blew my mind.  A sample from that time frame:

(Yeah, it ain't thread-specific.  I don't care.)

 

dan murphy was in golden smog, which is pretty alt country and badass so i would say it fits.  plus soul asylum is badass. 

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TexPx

TexPx 2323

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Caught Lucinda at the Granada...good venue & her band is tight tight. 

Saw her at the Old 97s County Fair a few years back. She was pretty good in that casual setting.

First time I saw her she opened for the Neil Young/Crazy Horse Greendale tour in 2003. Considered her more of a songwriter than a performer at the time but she was awesome. Outstanding band and yes, tight tight!


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usmc0331horn

usmc0331horn 953

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5 hours ago, TexPx said:


Saw her at the Old 97s County Fair a few years back. She was pretty good in that casual setting.

First time I saw her she opened for the Neil Young/Crazy Horse Greendale tour in 2003. Considered her more of a songwriter than a performer at the time but she was awesome. Outstanding band and yes, tight tight!


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I'm so starved for live music that I'll think they're both the greatest performers ever.

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4th&Five

4th&Five 41569

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We’re very excited to share some foundational news today—our band is now called Watchhouse. It’s a new name to carry this music you know as Mandolin Orange into the future. We’d love to tell you a little more about it…

Watchhouse comes from a memory—a place where I spent memorable, secluded, and meditative times as a teenager. During those same years I learned how music wasn’t something that happened. It’s a place, it’s gravity (Strawberry Fields was the song that did it). It was an escape, and I began spending all my time there. I wrote song after song, and found someone to share it with when I met Emily. 

This past year has been the first time we’ve stayed still since we were 21, and the pause gave us the opportunity to sit with ourselves and set intentions. We have long been burdened by the dichotomy between our band name and the music we strive to create—if you’ve heard the songs, you know they are personal. Now that we can see a future where music is a shared experience again, we’re defining the space we share with you on a stage or in your headphones, and making it one that welcomes our creativity and anyone who wants to listen. 

We are lucky that Mandolin Orange means something to many people, and have no intention of leaving behind our older material. It’s as important to us as ever, and we can’t wait to bring it back to your ears as Watchhouse, alongside a brand new album that we’re particularly fond of (news soon!). Thank you for hearing our music—we owe something to anyone still reading this and can’t wait to continue this journey with you.

 

 

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Seasick Sailor

Seasick Sailor 3747

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So I know of late to the party on this one. I had heard of Terry Allen, but I hadn't listened to any of his records. I started listening to Lubbock (on everything) this weekend. It's a phenomenal record. Reminds me of Billy Jo Shaver with a little of John Prime's humor. If you haven't listened to it, I can't recommend it enough.



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40acredropout

40acredropout 2902

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On 4/15/2021 at 8:45 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

Todd Snider would be the modern heir to Prine, in my mind. I’m not sure I have a readily available comparison to Isbell from that era. He hits such savage depression. McMurtry is pretty close on that front, but they seem like contemporaries.

I this this is pretty accurate. 

McMurtry is my favorite song writer.  In large part because he can so easily lull you in with the sharp, chuckle inducing lines just to fuck you up with some truth in the same song.  Isbell is more likely to leave me speechless but fuck, can McMurtry tell a story.  Some of my favorites:

 

Ruby and Carlos:

From:   

"Down below the mason dumb ass line the food gets worse
I can't go back to Tennessee
That Nascar country's not for me"

To:

"And holding back the flood Just don't do no good.  You can't unclench your teeth, To howl the way you should.
So you curl your lips around The taste of tears and the hollow sound
That no one owns but you.  No one owns but you"

 

Copper Canteen:

From: 

"Honey, don't you be yelling at me when I'm cleaning my gun
I'll wash the blood off the tailgate when deer season's done
We got one more weekend to go
And I'd like to kill one more doe"

To:

"We grew up hard and our children don't know what that means
We turned into our parents before we were out of our teens"

 

Some other favorites:

All of State of the Union and of course, Choctaw Bingo.

 

You Got to Me:

"The paper boy wants a smoke
Leans his bike against a tree
And he's tired and cold and broke
And he don't know what to make of me
Standing here in my three piece suit
Standing here just like I am
With my vest unbuttoned and my necktie loose
Impervious to all abuse"

 

Carlisle's Haul:

"Hear them crabbers cuss the weather
And they cuss the government too
'Cause nowadays crabbin' and fishin'
Hangin' on to a pot to piss in
Is just about the best a man can do

It's hard not to cry and cuss
When this old world is just bigger than us
And all we got is pride and trust in our kind"

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40acredropout

40acredropout 2902

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It got dusty the first time I heard this Isbell line after Roy Halladay's passing.  Still can't hear it without thinking of him. 

Christmas time when folks go off the deep end
His woman took the kids and he took Klonopin
Enough to kill a man of twice his size

Not for me to understand
Remember him when he was still a proud man?
A vandal's smile, a baseball in his right hand
Nothing but the blue sky in his eye

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12471

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6 hours ago, 40acredropout said:

It got dusty the first time I heard this Isbell line after Roy Halladay's passing.  Still can't hear it without thinking of him. 

Christmas time when folks go off the deep end
His woman took the kids and he took Klonopin
Enough to kill a man of twice his size

Not for me to understand
Remember him when he was still a proud man?
A vandal's smile, a baseball in his right hand
Nothing but the blue sky in his eye

I love "Relatively Easy".  One of the more underrated tracks of his.

"Met a brother on a church kick, seems like just another form of dope sick" I think everyone has spent time around this guy before, and I think Isbell nails the reality of it in one sentence.  Trade one addiction for another.  The new one just won't kill you as fast.

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40acredropout

40acredropout 2902

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3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I love "Relatively Easy".  One of the more underrated tracks of his.

"Met a brother on a church kick, seems like just another form of dope sick" I think everyone has spent time around this guy before, and I think Isbell nails the reality of it in one sentence.  Trade one addiction for another.  The new one just won't kill you as fast.

Agreed on Relatively Easy.   

I'd put Live Oak up there in the underrated category.  It's a little different than most of his other writing in that (I've read) it's an allegory about his recovery from addiction that drops the listener into the life of an outlaw in a different time.  He's talked in interviews of how he was afraid of getting sober because how much drinking was engrained in who he had become / his lifestyle.   I read this song as his fear that with sobriety, he'd lose a (the) piece of him that made him liked / attractive to the people around him before he got clean.

Well you couldn't stay a loner
On the plains before the war
My neighbors had been slightin' me
I had to ask what for
Rumors of my wickedness had reached our little town
Soon she'd heard about the boys I used to hang around
We'd robbed a Great Lakes freighter
Killed a couple men or more
And I told her her eyes flickered like the sharp steel of a sword
All the things that she'd suspected
I'd expected her to fear
Was the truth that drew her to me when I landed here

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