Jason Isbell question.

[Cole Younger]

This for those folks here that were lucky enough to see the Truckers when Jason was in the band. I became a fan just before he left so I never saw that line up play.

I was reading an old thread comparing that line up with the current one (or the one that included Shonna, it's just wrong that she's not there anymore) and I ran across an interesting narrative.

I saw where several people described Jason as "the big rock star" on stage and said that it could be a little over the top sometimes.

Since I never saw them with Jason, what was it that he did? I've seen the DVD's of course and it seemed like he added a lot to the show. Did he have a tendency to take over the stage? What was it?

Just curious.

[DD&N 2002]

Lots of different opinions on this issue and from video you can try to draw your own conlcusions. I probably saw about 20 shows with Jason in the band and never thought he detracted from anything and thought his joining the band was nothing but a big positive. He was coming into his own as a great songwriter and played a mean guitar. The incredible power of the band and the quality of their releases since he left certainly establish, as was always the case, that Patterson and Mike are the absolute essential element of the band. Surround them with top quality players and you cant go wrong. I was sorry to see Jason go and certainly Shonna, Jay has been a great addition and nice to see Neff step up to a bigger role. As long as Patterson and Mike are fronting the band DBT rocks on without missing a beat in my humble opinon. All that said, i would never say "no" if i was asked to decide if Jason should be added back, though i doubt that will happen.

[beantownbubba]

You're gonna find as many different opinions on this as there are people on this board. My initial infatuation w/ the band overlapped w/ the last part of Jason's tenure. I saw them 2x when he was still in the band and I did not see the kind of behavior you're describing. OTOH, I think it's important that at the time I was just becoming familiar w/ their music and didn't really have any sense of the personalities and band dynamics so there could have been a lot going on that I didn't pick up on. But OTOOH, I think it's fair to say that if something was going on, it was not obvious to an "interested more than casual" fan.

[Cole Younger]

Thanks guys. I think he was great for the band personally. I agree that Patterson and Cooley are the essential elements.

[gordonlw]

I just think he songwriting was heading in a different direction than theirs. don't get me wrong I like the majority of his stuff but it started to not really fit dbt imo.

[Cole Younger]

I just think he songwriting was heading in a different direction than theirs. don't get me wrong I like the majority of his stuff but it started to not really fit dbt imo.

I've heard other people say that. I'm not sure whether I agree or not. I don't really know that the band is or ever has been headed in a single, agreed upon, direction. Patterson and Cooley's songs have their similarities but they are pretty different too and often come at the same topic from totally different view points. I am one of the few who likes Jason's songs on ABAAC and don't really care for When The Well Runs Dry.

Now Jason's first solo record was very different from the Truckers' sound with the exception of a few songs. But right now they seem to be in the same place as far as having more of a country and R&B influenced sound.

[westncdude]

I would never have thought this had you not mentioned it but i could see how some people might see his lead playing as over the top. He was a hell of a lead guitarist, still is, and didn't mind showing his skill but that is what attracted me to the band really. i became a fan when he joined (well a little later actually) and saw them a few times at that point.

[GTO]

But right now they seem to be in the same place as far as having more of a country and R&B influenced sound.

Amen. I haven't heard anything except Here We Rest of Jason's non-DBT work and every time I listen to it (it's in my current daily rotation) I think "What the hell is this different direction people talk about?" There's nothing on that record that wouldn't fit in on GGB.

Not that I'm complaining. I'd much rather have GGB plus Here We Rest than just one disc that's half of one plus half of the other.

[Flood18]

IMO

w/ Jason-Controlled Chaos, sloppy, dirty, beat you into a corner rock

w/o Jason- What you have now, tight, well-knit, controlled, refined, but still knows how to beat you into a corner.

[rawkshow]

IMO

w/ Jason-Controlled Chaos, sloppy, dirty, beat you into a corner rock

w/o Jason- What you have now, tight, well-knit, controlled, refined, but still knows how to beat you into a corner.

yea, i think you totally nailed that one. w/ jason theey were more balls out rocking. i kinda thought he might leave tho for nothing else than he was always gonna be the 3rd songwriter in the band. patterson is so prolific & cooley's songs are always gems so jason was looking at 2 to 3 songs of his every album. that had to be frustrating for him at times.

[Cole Younger]

But right now they seem to be in the same place as far as having more of a country and R&B influenced sound.

Amen. I haven't heard anything except Here We Rest of Jason's non-DBT work and every time I listen to it (it's in my current daily rotation) I think "What the hell is this different direction people talk about?" There's nothing on that record that wouldn't fit in on GGB.

Not that I'm complaining. I'd much rather have GGB plus Here We Rest than just one disc that's half of one plus half of the other.

You should definitely grab his first solo album. Very good. I can see how people might say that it was a departure from what DBT generally does. The songs just have more of a pop sound to them. It's not overdone. but people who don't really like DBT might very well like Jason's first solo album or at least like some of the songs. To me, The Magician, Razor Town, and Dress Blues could all be on a DBT record.

The odd thing is, Jason has said that because that album was recorded in pieces when he had time to do it (he was still a Trucker) it has a disjointed feel to him and does not sound like an album but a batch of songs.

To me it works as a good album. It's his second one that feels disjointed and rudderless. Of his three solo records I definitely like the second one the least and Good is the only song I find myself going back to on that one.

I like Here We Rest. There are a few that I generally skip but there are some very strong songs on that record. I just hate it for him that he lost Browan. he has to feel like he is back to square one.

Jason seems like he struggling from what I read. I hate that because he's a really talented guy.

[lotusamerica]

A few comments...

There were times with DBT when his mic could've been turned down a bit

Think he's doing just fine - clearly his most successful year yet since leaving. Wish he'd bring more of his wit to his role as front man - he's a funny engaging guy when he wants to be.

I didn't miss Browan a whole lot in the set when I last saw them, and thought it pushed Isbell up a notch on guitar in his absence, though I did miss some of the dual leads. Browan can now pursue his own thing if he's got the songs, which we hear he might. Would like to see him save Psycho Killer for karaoke night.

IMO, love the more positive energy on Rest, and still think S/T is a great work of mood, sound and songs. I'm probably 3-400 listens deep on that record so I don't think duke, zip, Iowan or TC are going to convince me otherwise at this point!

[Cole Younger]

A few comments...

There were times with DBT when his mic could've been turned down a bit

Think he's doing just fine - clearly his most successful year yet since leaving. Wish he'd bring more of his wit to his role as front man - he's a funny engaging guy when he wants to be.

I didn't miss Browan a whole lot in the set when I last saw them, and thought it pushed Isbell up a notch on guitar in his absence, though I did miss some of the dual leads. Browan can now pursue his own thing if he's got the songs, which we hear he might. Would like to see him save Psycho Killer for karaoke night.

IMO, love the more positive energy on Rest, and still think S/T is a great work of mood, sound and songs. I'm probably 3-400 listens deep on that record so I don't think duke, zip, Iowan or TC are going to convince me otherwise at this point!

yeah I know what you mean. You can hear it on the live stuff. His backing vocals were great but they were overpowering at times.

You can really hear it on live versions of Heahtens ("...til the rods are THROOOOOOOOOOOWN") and WWW ("...from MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.").

[RevMatt]

A good comparison between the Jason era and the post- Jason era is the Live At The 40 Watt versus the Austin City Limits dvd. I don't necessarily think it is Jason's presence or absence that accounts for the differences, just that is the direction the Truckers went with their live shows after Jason left. I think the reason for the change is that The Dirt Underneath Tour and BTCD featured Neff's pedal steel and Spooner Oldham's keyboard playing. That combo called for a different approach.

[Iowan]

A good comparison between the Jason era and the post- Jason era is the Live At The 40 Watt versus the Austin City Limits dvd. I don't necessarily think it is Jason's presence or absence that accounts for the differences, just that is the direction the Truckers went with their live shows after Jason left. I think the reason for the change is that The Dirt Underneath Tour and BTCD featured Neff's pedal steel and Spooner Oldham's keyboard playing. That combo called for a different approach.

I dunno about that.

ACL is VERY different from the ~10 DBT shows I've seen, and all of them have been post-Isbell. It's a mellower set than most of the shows I've been to.

There isn't really a DVD that truly shows where the band is at right now, IMHO. I would agree that the ACL dvd is a good starting point, but I feel its a pretty narrow window into what the band is doing post-Jason.

[whizalen]

I used to post regularly here and stopped around 2007/8 as my interest in the band and general life has changed, but I lurk and actually re-registered just to discuss this topic because I think there’s a lot of revisionist history around Jason around here.

Fortunately for me, I accidentally caught them during one of Jason’s first tours and the band ended up crashing at my place that night (Cooley talked the cops out of giving me a “quiet hours” ticket). I saw the band A TON during the Jason era, just a ton (I was living in Chicago, young, had some cash and places to crash in Milwaukee, Ohio, St. Louis, Athens, Colorado…). Between the Metro Halloween show in 2004 and the NYE run in 2005 in Boulder, there wasn’t a better band going in my opinion – that NYE run is important historically because you could sense that all was not well at Camelot (which others on here commented about at the time, particularly Jenn which I thought was insightful). Apropos there’s so much footage from that run in the documentary.

Undeniably, Jason has a bit of an ego – which I’ve personally seen him own up to so I don’t hold it against him. But, the band was forever changed by two of his two songs: Outfit and Never Gonna Change. The DBT of today doesn’t exist without those two songs, period. XRT in Chicago played the shit out of NGC and while they drew well in Chicago before it, they went from playing Schuba’s to selling out the Metro because of Never Gonna Change – and how amazingly great TDS is as a whole. And to their credit, they haven’t looked back.

I think people throw around the “rock star” label at Jason and unfairly criticize him because they need to blame someone for him leaving. I’ve found the shut down of the “why did Shonna really leave?” talk ironic because the same thing happened when Jason left – and, honestly, a driving force as to why I stopped participating in this forum regularly. (I get WHY you don’t want that stuff discussed, I just don’t agree with it b/c this has gone from the “personal, only affecting me” to affecting the band, its music and its fans).

Personally, there’s no comparing the two eras because they are totally different bands. With Jason – especially after Shonna joined – they rode this edge every night where you felt at any moment the whole thing would fall apart. And it was intense and passionate and you just FELT that energy. It’s impossible to describe in words.

But I would describe the band today as being very tight and professional. It’s not my thing; it’s not what drew me to the band and it doesn’t excite me. This board is much larger than when I was on here regularly in 05/06 as are the shows, so, obviously, there’s a market for the new stuff. I tried to turn EVERYONE on to them and I’ve seen certain groups get really into them over the last two-three years (mainly people who first saw them on the hold steady tour). But in my circle of friends, no one who was regularly hitting shows with me back then are still passionate about the band. I missed their last time through Denver (my daughter was born the day of the first show), but was more bummed about standing up my buddy than missing the show. Coming from a guy who, more than once, woke up and decided to drive 6+ hours because he needed a show.

To end this, and I guess get it back on topic, the eras are incomparable and if Jason came back full-time, it wouldn’t be the same dynamic as it was. Just like seeing the Stones now isn’t the same as seeing them in 1968. He’s become this “rock star” around here because of his ABAAC whoring and his personality which grew immensely during his time with the band. When I met him, he was pretty shy, scared to be away from home, only playing third guitar and a BIG dude. From what I understand, he was a big dude growing up. But he lost a lot of weight, his band was playing bigger shows each time through town, his songs were a big reason why, chicks are paying attention to him….

I get where the rock star label originated; I don’t think it’s correct, but it’s there. And, ultimately, I think the personalities within the band and not the “direction of their songwriting” is why the band moved on without him (whether he was fired fired or just told, “yeah, it’s time to do your own thing”). It’s Patterson and Cooley’s band, not Jason’s. And when the push comes to shove of, “it’s him or me,” it was always going to be Jason. It was convenient that he wanted to tour more, wanted to put his own band together so it gave everyone an out. Had he stayed though, there might not be a band anymore. Of course, had he never joined, there might not be a band anymore for completely different reasons, so…

[edit] This line is great, "There were times with DBT when his mic could've been turned down a bit" So, so true, but also one of the endearing memories of that era: Jason always shouting over the lead singer, esp. Cooley (hmmm....)

[Cole Younger]

I used to post regularly here and stopped around 2007/8 as my interest in the band and general life has changed, but I lurk and actually re-registered just to discuss this topic because I think there’s a lot of revisionist history around Jason around here.

Fortunately for me, I accidentally caught them during one of Jason’s first tours and the band ended up crashing at my place that night (Cooley talked the cops out of giving me a “quiet hours” ticket). I saw the band A TON during the Jason era, just a ton (I was living in Chicago, young, had some cash and places to crash in Milwaukee, Ohio, St. Louis, Athens, Colorado…). Between the Metro Halloween show in 2004 and the NYE run in 2005 in Boulder, there wasn’t a better band going in my opinion – that NYE run is important historically because you could sense that all was not well at Camelot (which others on here commented about at the time, particularly Jenn which I thought was insightful). Apropos there’s so much footage from that run in the documentary.

Undeniably, Jason has a bit of an ego – which I’ve personally seen him own up to so I don’t hold it against him. But, the band was forever changed by two of his two songs: Outfit and Never Gonna Change. The DBT of today doesn’t exist without those two songs, period. XRT in Chicago played the shit out of NGC and while they drew well in Chicago before it, they went from playing Schuba’s to selling out the Metro because of Never Gonna Change – and how amazingly great TDS is as a whole. And to their credit, they haven’t looked back.

I think people throw around the “rock star” label at Jason and unfairly criticize him because they need to blame someone for him leaving. I’ve found the shut down of the “why did Shonna really leave?” talk ironic because the same thing happened when Jason left – and, honestly, a driving force as to why I stopped participating in this forum regularly. (I get WHY you don’t want that stuff discussed, I just don’t agree with it b/c this has gone from the “personal, only affecting me” to affecting the band, its music and its fans).

Personally, there’s no comparing the two eras because they are totally different bands. With Jason – especially after Shonna joined – they rode this edge every night where you felt at any moment the whole thing would fall apart. And it was intense and passionate and you just FELT that energy. It’s impossible to describe in words.

But I would describe the band today as being very tight and professional. It’s not my thing; it’s not what drew me to the band and it doesn’t excite me. This board is much larger than when I was on here regularly in 05/06 as are the shows, so, obviously, there’s a market for the new stuff. I tried to turn EVERYONE on to them and I’ve seen certain groups get really into them over the last two-three years (mainly people who first saw them on the hold steady tour). But in my circle of friends, no one who was regularly hitting shows with me back then are still passionate about the band. I missed their last time through Denver (my daughter was born the day of the first show), but was more bummed about standing up my buddy than missing the show. Coming from a guy who, more than once, woke up and decided to drive 6+ hours because he needed a show.

To end this, and I guess get it back on topic, the eras are incomparable and if Jason came back full-time, it wouldn’t be the same dynamic as it was. Just like seeing the Stones now isn’t the same as seeing them in 1968. He’s become this “rock star” around here because of his ABAAC whoring and his personality which grew immensely during his time with the band. When I met him, he was pretty shy, scared to be away from home, only playing third guitar and a BIG dude. From what I understand, he was a big dude growing up. But he lost a lot of weight, his band was playing bigger shows each time through town, his songs were a big reason why, chicks are paying attention to him….

I get where the rock star label originated; I don’t think it’s correct, but it’s there. And, ultimately, I think the personalities within the band and not the “direction of their songwriting” is why the band moved on without him (whether he was fired fired or just told, “yeah, it’s time to do your own thing”). It’s Patterson and Cooley’s band, not Jason’s. And when the push comes to shove of, “it’s him or me,” it was always going to be Jason. It was convenient that he wanted to tour more, wanted to put his own band together so it gave everyone an out. Had he stayed though, there might not be a band anymore. Of course, had he never joined, there might not be a band anymore for completely different reasons, so…

[edit] This line is great, "There were times with DBT when his mic could've been turned down a bit" So, so true, but also one of the endearing memories of that era: Jason always shouting over the lead singer, esp. Cooley (hmmm....)

That's the kind of post I was hoping for when I started this thread.

Thank you.

[rlipps]

http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-72 ... ories.html

This article doesn't do anything to disprove the "ego" comments, lol

[Penny Lane]

wow, Whizalen, great post...

[one belt loop]

wow, Whizalen, great post...

I agree, a great post, and there's much in there that I agree with.

[cortez the killer]

I used to post regularly here and stopped around 2007/8 as my interest in the band and general life has changed, but I lurk and actually re-registered just to discuss this topic because I think there’s a lot of revisionist history around Jason around here.

Fortunately for me, I accidentally caught them during one of Jason’s first tours and the band ended up crashing at my place that night (Cooley talked the cops out of giving me a “quiet hours” ticket). I saw the band A TON during the Jason era, just a ton (I was living in Chicago, young, had some cash and places to crash in Milwaukee, Ohio, St. Louis, Athens, Colorado…). Between the Metro Halloween show in 2004 and the NYE run in 2005 in Boulder, there wasn’t a better band going in my opinion – that NYE run is important historically because you could sense that all was not well at Camelot (which others on here commented about at the time, particularly Jenn which I thought was insightful). Apropos there’s so much footage from that run in the documentary.

Undeniably, Jason has a bit of an ego – which I’ve personally seen him own up to so I don’t hold it against him. But, the band was forever changed by two of his two songs: Outfit and Never Gonna Change. The DBT of today doesn’t exist without those two songs, period. XRT in Chicago played the shit out of NGC and while they drew well in Chicago before it, they went from playing Schuba’s to selling out the Metro because of Never Gonna Change – and how amazingly great TDS is as a whole. And to their credit, they haven’t looked back.

I think people throw around the “rock star” label at Jason and unfairly criticize him because they need to blame someone for him leaving. I’ve found the shut down of the “why did Shonna really leave?” talk ironic because the same thing happened when Jason left – and, honestly, a driving force as to why I stopped participating in this forum regularly. (I get WHY you don’t want that stuff discussed, I just don’t agree with it b/c this has gone from the “personal, only affecting me” to affecting the band, its music and its fans).

Personally, there’s no comparing the two eras because they are totally different bands. With Jason – especially after Shonna joined – they rode this edge every night where you felt at any moment the whole thing would fall apart. And it was intense and passionate and you just FELT that energy. It’s impossible to describe in words.

But I would describe the band today as being very tight and professional. It’s not my thing; it’s not what drew me to the band and it doesn’t excite me. This board is much larger than when I was on here regularly in 05/06 as are the shows, so, obviously, there’s a market for the new stuff. I tried to turn EVERYONE on to them and I’ve seen certain groups get really into them over the last two-three years (mainly people who first saw them on the hold steady tour). But in my circle of friends, no one who was regularly hitting shows with me back then are still passionate about the band. I missed their last time through Denver (my daughter was born the day of the first show), but was more bummed about standing up my buddy than missing the show. Coming from a guy who, more than once, woke up and decided to drive 6+ hours because he needed a show.

To end this, and I guess get it back on topic, the eras are incomparable and if Jason came back full-time, it wouldn’t be the same dynamic as it was. Just like seeing the Stones now isn’t the same as seeing them in 1968. He’s become this “rock star” around here because of his ABAAC whoring and his personality which grew immensely during his time with the band. When I met him, he was pretty shy, scared to be away from home, only playing third guitar and a BIG dude. From what I understand, he was a big dude growing up. But he lost a lot of weight, his band was playing bigger shows each time through town, his songs were a big reason why, chicks are paying attention to him….

I get where the rock star label originated; I don’t think it’s correct, but it’s there. And, ultimately, I think the personalities within the band and not the “direction of their songwriting” is why the band moved on without him (whether he was fired fired or just told, “yeah, it’s time to do your own thing”). It’s Patterson and Cooley’s band, not Jason’s. And when the push comes to shove of, “it’s him or me,” it was always going to be Jason. It was convenient that he wanted to tour more, wanted to put his own band together so it gave everyone an out. Had he stayed though, there might not be a band anymore. Of course, had he never joined, there might not be a band anymore for completely different reasons, so…

[edit] This line is great, "There were times with DBT when his mic could've been turned down a bit" So, so true, but also one of the endearing memories of that era: Jason always shouting over the lead singer, esp. Cooley (hmmm....)

Excellent post whizalen - very well written and incredibly well thought out. I remember you from the old 9B board. If I am not mistaken, your avatar was a close-up of a dog's face. You bring up some very interesting points (I particularly like your point regarding Jason "saving" the band initially and then "saving" it again by no longer being in it). His impact on the band is/was huge and seems to be easily dismissed by many. I saw a few shows during TDS/ABAAC era and I agree with your assessment about the tenacity, passion and fire that the band possessed during that run. From '05 - '08 I had the Trucker bug. I was not young, single, or in possession of the cash money you speak of, so my experiences were obviously different than yours. However, I had a strong passion for the band and tried to convert any music fan I could - mixes, bringing to shows, sharing articles, etc. The band has changed. This board has changed. Life is all about changes. I'm glad you decided to come out of lurk mode and posted this. I really enjoyed reading your post and it crystallized some thoughts I had on things as well.

[dime in the gutter]

[Iowan]

No matter the question, in the dime-a-verse, the answer always starts with GB.

[Bill in CT]

I first saw DBT in 2001 when Patterson introduced Jason as "the nearly famous" Jason Isbell. I've seen them every year since then. While they are undeniably more tight and professional than they used to be, that is a natural change for any band to make and they still melt faces at the rock show. Do I miss some things about the old days? Of course I do. I miss Jason's songs, singing, guitar playing, and stage presence. I know Neff is a superb musician but he doesn't bring as much personality to the DBT experience as Jason did back then. I miss how Jason would play some Thin Lizzy when Patterson sang "the band that I was in played The Boys Are Back In Town." I miss that Patterson would intro LTBR by saying "This next song is about how drugs and arena rock kept me from killing a bunch of motherfuckers back in high school." Now he says, "This next song is about how rock and roll saved my life as a teenager." We know it is...but the old intro said the same thing in a much more colorful way. I also miss the possibility of a crazy cover (at a regular rock show and not only NYE) like when we got The Range War at the TLA in Philly on the Dirty South tour. (I was on the rail for that and it was truly special.)
I wasn't really on 9B back in the day...I joined the Yahoo list in 2003 and didn't venture to 9B until relatively late in its existence. So I can't comment on what was said on 9B back then. I can definitely say that there are many folks here who love what DBT is doing now and didn't get into the band through the RnR Means Well tour (which I saw but was not my favorite DBT tour by any stretch as I didn't and still don't care for The Hold Steady). I like Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit shows and I like that I can see both bands when they tour.

[Cole Younger]

I first saw DBT in 2001 when Patterson introduced Jason as "the nearly famous" Jason Isbell. I've seen them every year since then. While they are undeniably more tight and professional than they used to be, that is a natural change for any band to make and they still melt faces at the rock show. Do I miss some things about the old days? Of course I do. I miss Jason's songs, singing, guitar playing, and stage presence. I know Neff is a superb musician but he doesn't bring as much personality to the DBT experience as Jason did back then. I miss how Jason would play some Thin Lizzy when Patterson sang "the band that I was in played The Boys Are Back In Town." I miss that Patterson would intro LTBR by saying "This next song is about how drugs and arena rock kept me from killing a bunch of motherfuckers back in high school." Now he says, "This next song is about how rock and roll saved my life as a teenager." We know it is...but the old intro said the same thing in a much more colorful way. I also miss the possibility of a crazy cover (at a regular rock show and not only NYE) like when we got The Range War at the TLA in Philly on the Dirty South tour. (I was on the rail for that and it was truly special.)
I wasn't really on 9B back in the day...I joined the Yahoo list in 2003 and didn't venture to 9B until relatively late in its existence. So I can't comment on what was said on 9B back then. I can definitely say that there are many folks here who love what DBT is doing now and didn't get into the band through the RnR Means Well tour (which I saw but was not my favorite DBT tour by any stretch as I didn't and still don't care for The Hold Steady). I like Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit shows and I like that I can see both bands when they tour.

I agree about Neff. Great musician. But he has little to no stage prescense IMHO. I know people who have met him and they say he is real nice. But during the show he kind of just stands there with the same expression on his face the entire show. Nothing wrong with that I guess but after Jason it just feels like something is missing where that's concerned and nobody stepped in to fill it.

I agree that they ought to throw a cover in the mix more often. It seems like Jason does it a lot and it's pretty cool. I don't like the Hold Steady either. At all.

I have not seen Jason and the 400 Unit but I want to. He plays Athens often enough that I should be able to catch him within the next year.

I think it's true that people are a bit revisionist about Jason's time in the band. I was listening to Decoration Day on the way home from work a while ago and that line up was just something special. I love the current incarnation of the band, (kind of feels weird to type that since it is in a state of flux and we don't know who the new bass player will be) but I would trade a little of the "tight and professional" stuff for a little of the the old balls to the wall, bad assedness to return. You still get it in the live show when they play the older stuff. And Patterson can say whatever he wants about how they are now doing the kinds of songs they have wanted to do all along, he never looks happier during a show than when they are playing a song like Lookout Mountain, Puttin People On The Moon, Hell No I Aint Happy, or even Cooley's older songs from that era.

I love the band as is, and can't wait for Athens next week, but I think it's possible to love the current line up and still recognize that the line up with Jason had something that the current one does not. I know Patterson is super proud of those records with Betty LeVette and Booker T and what they learned making them, and he should be, but the direction that it took them doesn't stand up to the bad ass rocking stuff IMHO.

[cortez the killer]

A man of many words. Those are some excellent albums. Care to rank 'em?

[Iowan]

A man of many words. Those are some excellent albums. Care to rank 'em?

I figured he did.

[Smitty]

music wise, I'd rather hear DBT with Neff than with Jason any day - whatever he lacks in stage presence, he more than makes up for in virtuosity.

[Jonicont]

^^^^X2

[cortez the killer]

A man of many words. Those are some excellent albums. Care to rank 'em?

I figured he did.

Looks like a chronological listing. The "care to rank em" comment is not to be taken literally or seriously.

RE: The Neff situation

I love John Neff. I think he brings an incredible dynamic to the band. I could care less whether or not he smiles, strikes a pose, hangs his nuts out, or stands on his head. The man can fucking play and his contributions to the band are outstanding. I never saw him as a "replacement" for Jason. He contributed to The Truckers before Jason and he filled in when Jason was gone. While he happens fill certain roles Jason did (3rd axe, harmonizing vocals, an occasional non-Cooley/Hood solo), to portray it as a Jason vs. Neff scenario is an incredibly simplistic and flawed way to approach things. They are completely different animals. I just hope Neff did not stroke Shonna's hair while she was sleeping.