Some friends of mine here in Washington DC invited me to go to a club last night. They wanted to see this band - the Drive By Truckers. Actually, I think one of my friends wanted to go anywhere that he could to be close to my other friend, but that's a story for another time (right J.P. ?). Now I'll have to be totally honest with you, I have never heard of the Drive By Truckers before, and coming off a night of little sleep and lots of spirit(s) I wasn't sure I wanted to do anything other than gobble down some more aspirin and chase away my headache with the sleep I needed. But I was in the same boat as J.P. - so I went anyway.
We headed to the 9:30 Club where The Drive By Truckers were slated to take the stage around 11pm. After a brief stop at Ben's Chili Bowl for a chili dog and a half smoke (if you have never been to Ben's you are truly missing out) we headed on to the venue. We found a place on the balcony to watch the show. It was a bit distant but we had a great view of the band. I asked J.P. who was opening and he said that it was Allison Moorer. That name sounded familiar to me but I couldn't quite place why. I know I've heard the name before. After that show, I will never forget that name.
As I was pondering these thoughts in my brain, the band took the stage. Out walks this 6 foot something redhead wearing a tight black tee shirt that reads "FREEDOM" across her chest. She steps to the microphone and begins a set that will not soon be forgotten, by me, or anyone else there. I have seen Dylan, Steve Earle, The Bottle Rockets, Matthew Ryan, Garrison Starr, and countless others, and Allison Moorer is on par with any of them (ok so no one is on par with Dylan, not now, not ever but she is damn good). Even our female friend who leaned over to me when Allison Moorer first took the stage and said "I don't like female band members" admitted to me a few songs later "She has an amazing voice!" And that, my friends, is an understatement of unconscionable proportions.
Allison Moorer has one of the strongest voices I have ever heard. I was reminded of Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard soundtrack each time that Allison Moorer would open her mouth. Words fail me when trying to convey how great a voice this woman has. Her set was as good as any, anywhere. The $15 for the show would have been worth is just to look at her for 2 hours, but this one is far more than eye candy. She is wonderful for the eyes, but that much better for the soul. Go and get her latest CD. "The Duel" it is truly a great album. Allison Moorer is the epitome of the Americana style of music (Americana is the category for artists that fit no category. On any given night you will be as likely to find them playing Punk as you will to find them playing Bluegrass - and many times you will find them doing that in the same set). If you like Patti Griffin , Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, etc then you will love Allison Moorer that much - umm more.
As to the rest of the night, well, it kinda went down hill. I expected the main act to be the "main act" for a reason. That thought process proved to be dead wrong for the remaining 2.5 hours of the show. The Drive by Truckers should have kept on drivin' by in their truck. They seemed to be more of a prop band. Like they had a nice banner; maybe they are good painters. Seriously, the best thing I can say about the Truckers is that they sounded a lot like another band - The Counting Crows. Except the Truckers didn't have the talent, lyrics, or style that The Counting Crows do. It's just that their lead singer sounds a little like Adam Duritz. I actually left before they got done playing, and I don't ever remember doing that. Their drummer was the highlite for me. He appeared to be rather annoyed that he had to be there. He kept looking around like he was missing a drum that he thought would appear if he just kept lookin'. Ohh yeah, Casey (our female friend) seemed to really like them, so apparently they have more going for them than we did last night. SO it doesn't totally suck to be them, I guess.
I'll leave you with my favorite quote from J.P. last night. After seeing the shirt Allison Moorer was wearing he said "Freedom isn't free"
Remember,
Be good, and if you can't...
At least be good at it ;)
E
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
The Alcohol Stuntband
Do you like Punk rock? I'll be the first to admit that in the main, I'm not much of a Punk music fan. Sure, I was a fan of The Dead Milkmen (Oh come on, who wouldn't love the "badger" song?) and I respect the historical significance of The Sex Pistols, but punk music just isn't my thing. That being said, this entry could change my perspective - and isn't that what punk music is all about?
The Alcohol Stuntband is the best punk rock to come along in a decade or maybe even longer. This three piece band so rocks my face off! Completely off. And get this, they are from - wait for it - Nashville. The country music capital of the world has now produced one of the best punk acts in recent history. Go figure. You will come up with 2+2 = 5, and that The Alcohol Stuntband is everything and more that you could hope for in a punk sound. You can visit their web presence and check them out for yourself, unless you are a Republican in which case you will just blindly trust what you are told and go buy their demo album regardless of the consequences.
If you would like a sample of their music to listen to (you so should do this) you can find it on the link I posted yesterday under the Punk/Hardcore category.
One note here, this music is NOT for audiences under 21 (my mother would say that it's not for anyone due to the language - but again that is the point of punk right?). But for anyone that can handle the lyrics you are in for an awesome, rockin', mash pitting, body surfing experience.
Remember,
Be good, and if you can't...
At least be good at it ;)
E
The Alcohol Stuntband is the best punk rock to come along in a decade or maybe even longer. This three piece band so rocks my face off! Completely off. And get this, they are from - wait for it - Nashville. The country music capital of the world has now produced one of the best punk acts in recent history. Go figure. You will come up with 2+2 = 5, and that The Alcohol Stuntband is everything and more that you could hope for in a punk sound. You can visit their web presence and check them out for yourself, unless you are a Republican in which case you will just blindly trust what you are told and go buy their demo album regardless of the consequences.
If you would like a sample of their music to listen to (you so should do this) you can find it on the link I posted yesterday under the Punk/Hardcore category.
One note here, this music is NOT for audiences under 21 (my mother would say that it's not for anyone due to the language - but again that is the point of punk right?). But for anyone that can handle the lyrics you are in for an awesome, rockin', mash pitting, body surfing experience.
Remember,
Be good, and if you can't...
At least be good at it ;)
E
Monday, September 06, 2004
Adrienne Young
I was frequenting the Matthew Ryan website, as I often do, and I found out that he was up for an award. An award that I could vote for online. The Nashville Scene Music Awards (Click here to vote) have Matthew Ryan up for a singer/songwriter award. I, of course, voted for him, however, there were many other artists that were up for awards. In the process of listening to the music samples of the artists up for awards in various categories there was one that really caught my ear. Just grabbed it and forced it to listen. The music was good. Really good.
Adrienne Young & Little Sadie are something special, indeed. Their music philosophy - according to their website - is that of a shared experience rather than a performance:
Adrienne Young believes that, in the past, music was more of a communal activity than it is today. "Ideally, music is something you play with people, not just for them," she says. Young and her band, Little Sadie, trust that by sharing what moves them, people who attend their performances will walk away feeling that they were part of a creative exchange.
I have listened to a couple of tracks from their website, and they are really worth your time. They hail from an Americana base with touches of gospel and bluegrass mixed in and about lovely lyrical content. You will find the best of all musical worlds here from washboard and spoons to electric guitars and mandolins.
Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to allow this pleasure into your life. I promise it will be worth it. Check out Adrienne Young & Little Sadie's new debut album "Plow to the End of the Row"
Be good, and if you can't...
At least be good at it ;)
E
Adrienne Young & Little Sadie are something special, indeed. Their music philosophy - according to their website - is that of a shared experience rather than a performance:
Adrienne Young believes that, in the past, music was more of a communal activity than it is today. "Ideally, music is something you play with people, not just for them," she says. Young and her band, Little Sadie, trust that by sharing what moves them, people who attend their performances will walk away feeling that they were part of a creative exchange.
I have listened to a couple of tracks from their website, and they are really worth your time. They hail from an Americana base with touches of gospel and bluegrass mixed in and about lovely lyrical content. You will find the best of all musical worlds here from washboard and spoons to electric guitars and mandolins.
Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to allow this pleasure into your life. I promise it will be worth it. Check out Adrienne Young & Little Sadie's new debut album "Plow to the End of the Row"
Be good, and if you can't...
At least be good at it ;)
E
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Welcome
Welcome to the Music Loop!
Throughout my life I have always stumbled across great music, but almost without exception the music is from virtually unknown artists. At least, unknown on the national level. I have always shared the music with friends, family, and anyone who will listen to me preach the gospel of the unknown artist. I'm the artist's listener. I'm the artist's market. So are you. That's why you are here. You are here to find the music from that artist that you might have missed your entire life if it were not for this blog.
I can only shudder to think what my life would have been like without being introduced to artists like Steve Earle, Ryan Adams, John Prine, Matthew Ryan, Townes Van Zant, Lucinda Williams, Ani Difranco, or Patty Griffin. I can only imagine what it would have been like to drive home from a harsh breakup with a lover and have to listen to something other than Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues" What would my reflection on war be without John Prine's "Sam Stone" or my enjoyment of the bar scene be without Ryan Adams "The Bar is a Beautiful Place" ? Life would surely be akin to seeing everything in black and white.
So I'm looking to share the music I discover with the rest of the world. Come discover some color with me :)
Throughout my life I have always stumbled across great music, but almost without exception the music is from virtually unknown artists. At least, unknown on the national level. I have always shared the music with friends, family, and anyone who will listen to me preach the gospel of the unknown artist. I'm the artist's listener. I'm the artist's market. So are you. That's why you are here. You are here to find the music from that artist that you might have missed your entire life if it were not for this blog.
I can only shudder to think what my life would have been like without being introduced to artists like Steve Earle, Ryan Adams, John Prine, Matthew Ryan, Townes Van Zant, Lucinda Williams, Ani Difranco, or Patty Griffin. I can only imagine what it would have been like to drive home from a harsh breakup with a lover and have to listen to something other than Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues" What would my reflection on war be without John Prine's "Sam Stone" or my enjoyment of the bar scene be without Ryan Adams "The Bar is a Beautiful Place" ? Life would surely be akin to seeing everything in black and white.
So I'm looking to share the music I discover with the rest of the world. Come discover some color with me :)
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