Drive-By Truckers Bring The Rock

Waiting on the Old 97's to start their set at Austin City Limits 2008, a little band from Georgia called Drive-By Truckers took the stage to warm up the crowd. Little did I know that an hour later I would have begun a love affair that would build on itself over the course of two years.

DBT have been creating and releasing music since 1998 and their newest release, The Big To-Do is possibly a defining moment in their career. The Truckers have made a name for themselves as an alternative country group as they've toured all across the states with a number of different acts, but taking the southern-drawled vocals out of the mix, The Big To-Do is a by-the-book rock album.

"Daddy Learned to Fly" starts you off easy with a nice alternative riff. After ten seconds, I thought I had accidentally hit play on a Foo Fighters record. "The Fourth Night of My Drinking" brought that Tom-Petty-meets-Tripping-Daisy groove that I've come to love form Drive-By Truckers. It's a calmer track that leads you to think that the band has taken the edge off for the new record...

Then comes "Birthday Boy" (available for free download here), packed with hard-hitting melodies that let you know that this is going to be a rock-and-roll roadtrip. "Drag the Lake Charlie" brings complexity by layering organs and fuzzy guitars like a track off of Sgt. Pepper. "The Wig He Made Her Wear" is a great storyteller song full of some funky rhythms and a catchy tune.

The album takes a turn with "You Got Another", when bassist Shonna Tucker steps up to the mic. It's the kind of jam that makes you feel like you're in a church. Just as you're caught up in the angelic hymn, you're dirtied up again by the pent-up aggression and brutal harmonies in "This Fucking Job." Segue into "Get Downtown" - A smokey bar, blues guitar, piano rocking, biscuits and grits southern rock anthem.

"After the Scene Dies" tells the story of a road-worn band while "(It's Gonna Be) I Told You So" and "Santa Fe" calm things down a bit and let the slowmo-swing shine. "The Flying Wallendas" is a beautiful couples'-dance song filled with ebbs and flows. The pairing of banjos and organs with a fantastic build at the end is a seamless climax to the album. Bringing it home are the acoustic guitar and a Wurlitzer in the beautiful lullaby "Eyes Like Glue."

After over a decade packed full of major releases, it's strange to say that it's a good time to start listening to a band, but if you've not heard Drive-By Truckers yet, The Big To-Do is a great jumping-off point. The album hits shelves March 16 and can be ordered in CD, digital download, vinyl, and deluxe formats on the band's website.

Farouk, Farouk, Farouk Is On Fire!

We don't generally get political on AudioADD, and in no way is this an endorsement of any candidtate, but this is just too good to pass up.

Local Houston rapper J. Xavier has offered up his "talent" to the Farouk Shami for Texas Governor Campaign.

The following video is what he came up with. Fire away in the comments - we'd love to hear what you think!

New Wayside Drive LP Coming for Free

This afternoon, the AudioADD Crew received an exciting press release from some friends of ours: Houston musicians, Wayside Drive. Here's how it read:

Wayside Drive's 2nd full-length album “The Other Side” will be released for free digital download. Starting tomorrow 3/2 one song will be available for free download every Tuesday until all 12 songs are released. With each single’s release there will be individual artwork, the stems for remixing, and a band trivia poll. 
 
The album was recorded and produced by the band and mastered at ES Mastering located in SugarHill Studios. On this album the band expanded it's instrumental line-up adding sitar, tabla, doumbek, tin whistle, and more. Among the guest artists on the album are Houston's own Aric Alan (formerly of Awaken From Falling) playing guitar on three tracks.

Track listing:
1. Last Dream I Remember
2. The Other Side
3. I Will Rise Above The World
4. Forgetting
5. I Don’t Belong Here
6. Revolver 9
7. Static Attraction
8. The Great Divide
9. Listen To What’s Missing
10. Just 5 Minutes More
11. The Best Part of Me
12. The Final Exit

We're pumped about what this eclectic and original group has produced for the new album! For more about Wayside Drive and to find out where you can catch them live, check out their website.

Advice for Music Bloggers (from EFF.org)

As a music blog, this article , Practical Advice for Music Bloggers Worried About DMCA Takedown Censorship, is very poignant. At the same time, it's worth looking over for the you, the reader. There are many people out there, you included, who might post links to favorite music and not know that doing so violates copyright laws. So, for your own protection in this litigious society, it is well worth the short time necessary to read.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, is a non-profit organization that strives to protect our freedom in the ever-changing technological world by

"Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 50,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public."

Free Press Summer Fest 2010

via www.freepresssummerfest.comOur friends at Free Press Houston just tipped off the world to what they have in store for Summer Fest 2010. Let's just say there should be something to delight everyone...

The event, slated for June 6-7, 2010 in Elanor Tinsley Park, has us jonesing for summer to be here now! Flaming Lips, Lucero, Slim Thug, Mix Master Mike, Girl Talk, Detroit Cobras, Kid Sister, and Cro-Mags, Dead Prez, Buxton, Robert Ellis and more (just to name a few).

Hop on over to their site for the full line-up and access to passes ($15 for a limited time). We'll see you there!

The Forgotten South

Thumbing through some old photos the other day, I came across some snapshots of the blazing-hot Austin City Limits festival in 2008. One that caught my eye was an image of my father smiling ear-to-ear, clutching his Lone Star tallboy as Conor Oberst rocked the stage in a purple mariachi suit behind him.

I chuckled at the picture and sighed, 'too bad I'll never see Conor play live again.'

Then I began to question my thought process. Why did I know that I'll never see that band play another show? They're still alive, still writing music, and still touring. Then, it came to me: The world is stricken with southern prejudice.

My musical tastes range from the seldom-heard-of to the ultra-megastars, however it seems like I've only gotten to see the latter live. It's almost as if bands that haven't won a Grammy or two will never make it to my town, which is strange because I live in the fourth largest city in the US. Bands from the midwest, the east or west coast all cruise straight through the center of the island - hitting Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh - the obligatory New York City and Los Angeles. No one seems to venture through Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi - it's like we're the armpit of America. 

It's a shame that we have to wait around for big festivals like ACL or Voodoo to come around to catch some of our favorite bands. So now, I'm asking you, bands! What gives? I'm sure just as many people in my state listen to your music than in Utah. It's not like we're in Montana or something (no offense to our Montanan readers, of course). We're all clamoring to hear your answers, and so we open our comments section to you!