Released in 2002, Back in the Woods is the epitome of "southern gothic", a term that get's tossed around too much; but this is the real deal. Just his voiced backed by acoustic guitars, banjos, stand up bass, fiddles, and even the occasional musical saw, it's got a sparse, haunting essence that should be right up a 3dd'ers alley. Many of his lyrics are clearly influenced from his strict Penecostal upbringing.
After the somewhat stripped down Back in the Woods, Don assembled a motley crew of musicians to be his backing band, the aptly named GOAT. They include Matt “Pistol” Stoessel (guitar, pedal steel), Brandon McDearis (Drums), Jim Wilson (ladder, percussion), Fritz Gibson (bass), and formerly Patrick Hargon (guitar), Lisa Hargon - Smith (bass), Kevin Lane (bass).
In 2007, Zebulon was released and after the recognition they received from touring with the Drive-By Truckers, it turned out to be Don Chambers' best selling album to date. Produced by Patterson Hood and featuring him on a couple tracks, Chambers explained that many of the places and characters from the album he encountered while touring the South.
“Now, once you pass the sign with the bullet holes, turn left at the Doolie Hill Trailer Park, you know they say ole Doolie he had a predilection for vegetables, well, then hang a louie ‘til you get bored, and then look for the twisted oak tree with a pair of rotting converse sneakers hanging in ‘em, and then….” The curves and detours of following such a path become the importance of the journey. “You have no idea where he’s telling you to go. Hell, you forgot where you were going, but you’re fascinated with the rhythm of speech and details, your eyes are glazed over and you lose track of time. I like records that give you that kinda feeling, like you’re going somewhere and not sure how you’ll get there,
Don has a new album coming out sometime in 2011. In the meantime check out his official website: http://donchambersmusic.com/index.html
blog: donchambersmusic.blogspot.com
live recordings: http://southernshelter.com/category/don-chambers/
here's a short sampler I put together for the uninitiated; spans all the albums: http://www.mediafire.com/?lgnbt74aova9atn
