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

[Pdawg88 1126]

 

[UTexasFight 9520]

Whataburger flag

nice 

[Celery Man 20991]

I put on Too Far to Care while doing some cleaning around the house last night and listened to it front to back. It's been a minute since I've done that with any Old 97s record and that one is bangers all the way through.

[Kennythetiger 9424]

On 11/7/2022 at 5:07 PM, Celery Man said:

My understanding of that album is that he basically taught himself fiddle and then made an album of old fiddle songs + long violent history. Which is rad. I listened to it while moving to North Carolina and had Zollie’s Retreat stuck in my head long enough that I eventually just watched the Ken Burns civil war documentary again.

Listening to this album this morning during my half pot of coffee. Very cool to hear the waltzes. 

[Viper 12111]

 

[Viper 12111]

I'm at the karbach rodeo clown roundup. Best part is Shane Smith and the Saints. Worst part is having to drink Karbach. 

 

Zach Wilkerson is opening, not bad blues. 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Viper

[BigOrange1 6466]

 

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

I swear to Christ if it’s another album full of Dreamsicles….

[tbone_ 14142]

Yes let’s hope it’s better

[IDIOTsavant 8502]

7 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I swear to Christ if it’s another album full of Dreamsicles….

The list of songs off that album I’ve given more than two spins:

Only Children

[BigOrange1 6466]

i can't believe that more people don't love "overseas."  this shit is awesome:

 

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

Isbell’s earned the right to make whatever the fuck he wants to make.  He could fart in a microphone for 45 minutes and still get a 7 from NPR and sell out theatres.

So I don’t expect him to make something all that different than what the bulk of his audience enjoys, which is the schlock that’s comprised the better half of his post-Southeastern work.

But I’ll still always hold out hope that the next album is full of screaming guitars and absolutely gut wrenching stories.

[tbone_ 14142]

Because you know he has the ability to write really good songs.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

23 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

Because you know he has the ability to write really good songs.

Proven it many a time.

[4th&Five 41575]

First single. Album out June 9th. 

 

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

Seems pretty similar to Reunions.  I don't hate it, but it doesn't do much for me either.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

I'm listening to Reunions now to see if anything grabs me more than it did before.  "Only Children" is a really good song.  "It Gets Easier" is catchy.  "Overseas" is decent, and that Mark Knopfler tone sounds cool.

The rest sucks.

[Ten Bears 2483]

Sounds like the same easy listening dreck he has been putting out lately.

 

They should do an album of covers.  That I would listen to.

[4th&Five 41575]

Unless otherwise note, pre-sale tickets will be available beginning tomorrow (2/22) at 10am local time using the code: WEATHERVANES

Edited February 21, 2023 by 4th&Five

[Ramsalot 25]

No Houston, but 3 nights in Austin, Dallas, and a Lubbock show?!?! 

[4th&Five 41575]

I’d think that was strange if Springsteen tix weren’t selling for $3 in Houston last week. Amanda’s from Lubbock too. 

[Shoxthemonkey 1982]

15 hours ago, Ramsalot said:

No Houston, but 3 nights in Austin, Dallas, and a Lubbock show?!?! 

And a Salina, KS show. Lucky me.

[Buzzrock 14936]

Sounds like the same easy listening dreck he has been putting out lately.
 
They should do an album of covers.  That I would listen to.

You serious Clark?

[Pescado_Rojo 19427]

On 2/21/2023 at 8:27 AM, 4th&Five said:

First single. Album out June 9th. 

 

meh

[4th&Five 41575]

47 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

You serious Clark?

besides the two they've done!

[Ten Bears 2483]

Two what?  Cover albums?  

I am firmly in the fat drunk Isbell camp.  I haven't enjoyed anything of his since Southeastern.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

I could scrape together an album's worth of songs I like since Southeastern, but none of the albums after Southeastern have been better than any of the ones that came before it.

I'm not one of those people that think artists need to be killing themselves with substance abuse or miserable to make great art (just look at what BJ Barham's done since getting sober), but Southeastern put Isbell on some kind of meteoric rise that couldn't help but turn his music towards the poppy, accessible, and ultimately boring side of things.

[4th&Five 41575]

44 minutes ago, Ten Bears said:

Two what?  Cover albums?  

I am firmly in the fat drunk Isbell camp.  I haven't enjoyed anything of his since Southeastern.

You’d probably dig this:

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

That "Sway" cover is tits.

[The Royal We 3072]

37 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I could scrape together an album's worth of songs I like since Southeastern, but none of the albums after Southeastern have been better than any of the ones that came before it.

I'm not one of those people that think artists need to be killing themselves with substance abuse or miserable to make great art (just look at what BJ Barham's done since getting sober), but Southeastern put Isbell on some kind of meteoric rise that couldn't help but turn his music towards the poppy, accessible, and ultimately boring side of things.

Well said.  I wish I liked more of it, but nothing comes close to grabbing me like Southeastern did.  That might be an unfairly high bar as well though.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

4 minutes ago, The Royal We said:

Well said.  I wish I liked more of it, but nothing comes close to grabbing me like Southeastern did.  That might be an unfairly high bar as well though.

I don't know that I expect him to hit that high point again.  That was a guy who was already a brilliant musician and incredible songwriter relaying the kind of powerful personal transformation that most people don't (most don't have to) go through.

But I'd be pretty stoked to get an album as good as Sirens of the Ditch, S/T, or Here We Rest, and I've finally given up on that walking through the door.  It's cool.  I'll always have those albums.  I'll always have those DBT songs.  I'm legitimately happy that he's earned a high quality of life from his music, even if his music does nothing for me anymore.

[4th&Five 41575]

The songwriting on SE is better but Here We Rest is still my favorite and the one I listen to the most.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

Honestly, Sirens of the Ditch is my favorite and the one I listen to the most.

It's probably a "time in my life" kind of thing, but I think outside of SE, it's the tightest batch of songs.  I had discovered DBT in May of 2007.  Right around when he left the band.  I was immediately obsessed and quickly drug a lot of my buddies down the rabbit hole.  Sirens was the first album that any of them released after I'd become a fan and I was just frothing at the mouth for new music from these folks.

It was also a wild time in my life.  I had just graduated from ISU and was taking the year off from school to just decompress, work a normal job, and apply for law school.  I had just started dating my now wife that January.  My folks announced in March that they were splitting up, beginning a painful and ugly divorce.  My brother and I had moved in together with 5 other buddies into a party house in Ames.  Gene Chizik was prowling the sidelines of Jack Trice Stadium.  The music I was into in those days was very much a salve to the chaos around me, and I'll always be heavily connected to it.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Al_4_ISU

[Kennythetiger 9424]

5 hours ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

And a Salina, KS show. Lucky me.

My family attends a lot of concerts there. Not a bad venue 

[Buzzrock 14936]

Two what?  Cover albums?  
I am firmly in the fat drunk Isbell camp.  I haven't enjoyed anything of his since Southeastern.

Yes. Georgia Blue is not on Spotify.

A lot of the later stuff is better live than recorded IMO. Children of Children, for example, is epic live.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6rIjMU8NhMdTPwtl49SS2c?si=21ZEGv5lQUaHqz1x8SovoQ

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

19 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Yes. Georgia Blue is not on Spotify.

A lot of the later stuff is better live than recorded IMO. Children of Children, for example, is epic live.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6rIjMU8NhMdTPwtl49SS2c?si=21ZEGv5lQUaHqz1x8SovoQ

Children of Children might be his best post-Southeastern track.  Brilliant songwriting, and some shredding in the mix.  I like Speed Trap Town, Tupelo, Last of My Kind, and If It Takes a Lifetime a lot too.

[tbone_ 14142]

Maybe it’s time is good too

[Celery Man 20991]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:37 PM, Buzzrock said:

Yes. Georgia Blue is not on Spotify.

A lot of the later stuff is better live than recorded IMO. Children of Children, for example, is epic live.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6rIjMU8NhMdTPwtl49SS2c?si=21ZEGv5lQUaHqz1x8SovoQ

This precisely. He needs to put out an album of Isbell songs that sounds more like a Sturgill Simpson record (doesn’t matter which one) or just… can I skip the studio one and listen to a life recording after they’ve toured with the songs for a few months? And don’t record it at the Ryman.

[Stringer 1439]

I forgot about the sale, so maybe I am behind but these prices are doing my head in. I picked tickets on the top balcony first and they were $250+ fees each. WTF?

I’ve seen this dude probably 7 times, including at the student union. I don’t need to spend that kind of cash on this, especially the further we get from his better stuff.

[4th&Five 41575]

What are you looking at? Balcony tix are $59.50.

[Stringer 1439]

What are you looking at? Balcony tix are $59.50.

Yeah I saw that later. I was trying to get the first two rows of the balcony and those were $250 each for some reason. There is huge variation in pricing. No idea how they set these prices but I’m sure it’s some Ticketmaster fuckery.

[Gil Bang 25989]

Shires is the guest DJ on the Tom Petty channel today.   Jeez her voice is fingernails on a chalkboard.

[tokamak 6433]

Charley Crockett at the NPR Tiny Desk

 

 

[NOMAAA 1696]

On 2/22/2023 at 1:46 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

That "Sway" cover is tits.

gd right

[Buzzrock 14936]

Holy crap. What is the deal with Morgan Wallen (his music, not the other stuff)? My niece who is into Isbell and Stapleton and Zach Bryan etc was raving about him. I listened to 30 seconds of that new album and good lord that is some awful shit. Do people put him in the same bucket with the others I mentioned?

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

His music sucks.

[tbone_ 14142]

What, y’all don’t like this?

[Buzzrock 14936]

I don’t like all the cancel stuff, but there should have been no hurry to bring that guy back.

[Al_4_ISU 12475]

I think the N word incident revealed a guy that wasn't necessarily some closet Klansman, but more of an immature asshole.

Who also makes terrible music.

If Morgan Wallen was out saving kittens from trees and leading racial justice marches, I wouldn't give a shit because his music sucks.

[Buzzrock 14936]

Then again if we got rid of all the immature assholes making shitty music then Spotify would go out of business.