It's with a wide range of emotions and feelings that I'm announcing that we have parted ways with Jason.
The split, which I consider extremely amicable is the result of a period of personal and artistic growth from all sides which has left us with differing dreams and goals.
Jason joined our band, mid-tour, in the fall of 2001, shortly after the release of our 4th album (Southern Rock Opera). His impact on the band was immediate and profound, bringing an awe-inspiring combination of vocal range, guitar dexterity, and amazing songwriting and leading us into an era of creativity that has resulted in three albums that I will be proud of for as long as I live.
Life in a band is always a delicate balancing act of personal and musical chemistries. Having been in bands for most of my life, I still marvel that any band stays together for longer than a year. Especially if the band in question spends anywhere from 150-220 days a year on the road, as our band has done since 1998. That said, I have also likened this band to a family. A big, messy, sometimes dysfunctional one, but a family full of love all the same. It is in this spirit that I plan on Jason continuing to be a part of our lives wherever our roads and dreams take us in the immediate future.
Jason is about to embark on a tour (including a leg of dates with Son Volt) with his stellar band and will be releasing (finally) his amazing solo album "Sirens of the Ditch" < July 10 from New West Records > . We all are wishing him nothing but the absolute best on every step that plays before him.
Cooley and I will have played together for 22 years this summer and DBT is about to begin it's 12th year of existence on the very day that we will be going into the studio to begin recording our 8th album. Cooley recently sent me a demo of five new songs and yesterday I demoed nine new ones for consideration. In addition to Shonna and Brad (who is coming up on ten years in the band) John Neff will be playing with us full time, playing both guitar and pedal steel. John was a founding member of the band in 96 and has already played on four of our albums and has been on the road with us, full time for going on two years.
It is my sincere and and adamant hope that everyone will support all of us, and by that I mean our band and Jason's, as we deal with this transition. Jason's tenure in this band has been one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me on a personal and musical level and our love for him and his music is in no way changed or endangered by our collective decision to move into different directions.
In addition to the upcoming THE DIRT UNDERNEATH tour and the recording of our next album, we will also be playing some special ROCK SHOW dates this summer and hope to do another leg or two of THE DIRT UNDERNEATH in the fall.
As always, the bond that we have with each other, as well as with the folks that come to our shows and listen to our records has always been one of the things that has set this band apart. We plan to continue on in that tradition and spirit and hope you will come with us as we attempt to tell another tale and Rock the nights away a little while longer.
Sincerely Yours,
Patterson Hood
Drive-By Truckers
April 6, 2007
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
First, Pearl Jam snubs us, then Jason and DBT part ways....:( What a sad way to start the musical year.
The initial word from Jason and the flat-out refusal to answer questions added to the fact that Patterson mentions Shonna still in the band leads me to speculate that the condition of their marriage might be a clue to this mystery, especially if there were already rumors about it flying across the wires. :( :(
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
Well, at least it sounds like Shonna will stay in the band (from Pattersons post above). That's good news, she plays a mean bass, and brings her own bad-ass attitude to the stage.
I suppose I can see where this would have happened eventually. All of them are strong songwriters, and it must get difficult to only have 2-3 songs per album for Jason. It will definitely impact the albums though. Each of them have individual styles, and Jason brought a different perspective and generational voice to 'the southern thing' that really complemented the last few albums.
I would not mind them giving Shonna a chance to sing....she has a pronounced drawl, but there ain't nutin' wrong wit' that.
Jason will be missed....some really great songs. He gave the band a great sense of balance.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
It is pretty great of Patterson to address this so fast for their fans, rather than leaving everyone hanging and speculating.
I saw Jason solo a few weeks ago, and remember speculating to my friend that he wouldn't be in this band forever, if that much longer at all. But I figured it would be a bit more calculated and measured, rather than a sudden departure with a shitload of tour dates coming up.
It still really fucking sucks, but I am glad Shonna and Neff are staying.
The curious part of me would really like more details on exactly what went down, but I know better than to think we will ever know for sure. Suffice it so say, I don't really see this band going anywhere for awhile, and look forward to the show in Athens later this month.
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
It is pretty great of Patterson to address this so fast for their fans, rather than leaving everyone hanging and speculating.
Yes, far better communication to the fans and better regards for the fans than we have seen from Pearl Jam in the last couples of years.
I wish Jason all the best.....Dude, I will buy your album later this year. Us Alabama boys have got to watch each other's back.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
First, Pearl Jam snubs us, then Jason and DBT part ways....:( What a sad way to start the musical year.
The initial word from Jason and the flat-out refusal to answer questions added to the fact that Patterson mentions Shonna still in the band leads me to speculate that the condition of their marriage might be a clue to this mystery, especially if there were already rumors about it flying across the wires. :( :(
Yeah I think there is little doubt at this point and the Jason and Shonna situation, I am just glad we didn't lose both of them... that would have been a huge blow to the band (not that this wasn't).
Practically speaking, that would have required bringing someone in and having them learn the huge ass Truckers catalog, which would have been a bitch and even more disruptive. Right now we just have 3 guitars instead of 4 and one less vocalist. So honestly on most of the songs there shouldn't be too much of a sonic difference, except for, of course, the vocals.
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
I would not mind them giving Shonna a chance to sing....she has a pronounced drawl, but there ain't nutin' wrong wit' that.
Jason will be missed....some really great songs. He gave the band a great sense of balance.
I think the band too gave his songs a sense of maturity and cohesiveness that many artists don't get unless they've been in a band for a number of years. I hope he has a strong touring/recording band with him that can do his songs justice.
Shonna does great on the backup vocals (although I did give her a hard time for not singing the background vocals on Aftermath U.S.A. last time I saw them). Shes only sung lead once, on the Like A Rolling Stone cover.
"You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.
After hearing some of his solo material, I can't help but wonder if he wasn't holding back some of his better stuff for the solo record. In a competitive situation where you have 3 songwriters all trying to get songs on the record, you can't really hold stuff back. I mean the songs on ABAAC were OK, but not his best. And then I hear something like Dress Blues, which is just amazing. And then they started playing Dress Blues at DBT shows, and everyone loves it and requests it, and its huge... but it isn't really a DBT song.
I can't see Patterson and Cooley being ok with having Jason songs on a record if they aren't up to par with what everyone else is bringing to the table.
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
i don't know much about them and i'm only now listening to decoration day (i've liked my sweet annette for awhile). were jason and shonna married and that might have something to do with the split? sorry i'm just confused
That is more than likely part of it, there has been some speculation for awhile in DBT land about this.
I think ultimately it has more to do with not enough room for all three songwriters, egos, etc.
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
sadprofessor...thanks for the heads-up last night...I didn't find out until I saw your comments this morning.
I sent messages out to all my DBT friends and we were literally speechless.
It really sucks that he's leaving...I haven't read all the comments in this thread yet...but I wish him well and I'll continue to support both Jason and DBT.
This is a sad day indeed.
PBM
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
All I`ve got to say is this just plain sucks!! I knew it was a terrible terrible idea to have a husband/wife combo coming into an already formed band. Something bad was bound to happen. Either divorce (which it looks like), the whole band breaks up, or you lose 2/5 of your lineup at one time.
were jason and shonna married and that might have something to do with the split? sorry i'm just confused
Jason and Shonna are still married as far as we know....so, yes, they were married.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
The best thing is to look at the positive aspects of it, there is gonna be a new Truckers album which has 14 tracks demo'd for it already, plus Jason's solo album, that's a whole lot of good music to look forward to.:)
The best thing is to look at the positive aspects of it, there is gonna be a new Truckers album which has 14 tracks demo'd for it already, plus Jason's solo album, that's a whole lot of good music to look forward to.:)
Don't forget that they had a bunch of demos that they shelved...then they wrote ABAAC.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
Thanks to everyone for your kind words in the last day or so. I'm doing fine, and I'm excited about the new opportunities I've been given. I think 'Sirens' is a great record, and I have to say it'll be nice to be the boss for a while. We made it to Iowa city after driving all night, so forgive me if it takes a while for me to get back to you guys. I've been bombarded with positive emails and phone calls and it has done me a lot of good.
I ask that you continue to support the Truckers (they are still friends of mine) and check out my solo band when we come around. I think we're calling it Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, at least for now, and we'll be burning up the road. If you have inquiries, I think Patterson's blog on the DBT page is answer enough. It's well put.
-Jason
Good deal....both sides are showing a lot more maturity than, say the Van Halen brothers.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
Don't forget that they had a bunch of demos that they shelved...then they wrote ABAAC.
Ahh, I've only recently gotten into them, I wasnt aware of that, just got the 40 watt DVD last week and discovered who's who and what they look like.
I've got that ABAAC and The Dirty South, gonna buy Southern Rock Opera and Decoration Day next me thinks.:)
Ahh, I've only recently gotten into them, I wasnt aware of that, just got the 40 watt DVD last week and discovered who's who and what they look like.
I've got that ABAAC and The Dirty South, gonna buy Southern Rock Opera and Decoration Day next me thinks.:)
Great choices....if you do the mp3 and use the iTunes store, they have some songs available for download from the concerts that became the DVD.
All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
It is my sincere and and adamant hope that everyone will support all of us, and by that I mean our band and Jason's, as we deal with this transition. Jason's tenure in this band has been one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me on a personal and musical level and our love for him and his music is in no way changed or endangered by our collective decision to move into different directions.
...
As always, the bond that we have with each other, as well as with the folks that come to our shows and listen to our records has always been one of the things that has set this band apart. We plan to continue on in that tradition and spirit and hope you will come with us as we attempt to tell another tale and Rock the nights away a little while longer.
Sincerely Yours,
Patterson Hood
Drive-By Truckers
April 6, 2007
i'm saddened by this news but kinda knew, deep down, that 3 really super good, guitar players, singer songwriters couldn't co exist in 1 band, for forever.
patterson has got class. i'm sure it wasn't an easy parting. it never is.
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
Any idea what time Jason will hit the stage tonight? Venue says doors are at 6:30, but I hate showing up too early. Also, my gf's gotta wake up super early tomorrow, so any idea what time the show might end, how long each band will play for, and are there only 2 bands?
Any idea what time Jason will hit the stage tonight? Venue says doors are at 6:30, but I hate showing up too early. Also, my gf's gotta wake up super early tomorrow, so any idea what time the show might end, how long each band will play for, and are there only 2 bands?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
my ticket specifically says what time son volt starts at
Ticketmaster says doors at 6:30 as well (doesn't say what time the show starts), and I don't have tickets (was gonna pay at the door).
Anyone have any idea what time Jason goes on stage, and how many bands there are?
endlessparade, thanks for trying to help, but that website didn't seem to help me unless I missed something.
this is what i'm working with and have found out
doors 630
jason 715(now magazine ad)
son volt i think it said 815 or 830 start on the ticket, which i dont have with me...
2 bands only
should be over by 1030, by the look of son volts setlist as of late
ninebullets message board will tell u jason is playing approx 45mins...
doors 630
jason 715(now magazine ad)
son volt i think it said 815 or 830 start on the ticket, which i dont have with me...
2 bands only
should be over by 1030, by the look of son volts setlist as of late
ninebullets message board will tell u jason is playing approx 45mins...
sweet, thanks a lot man...gonna go eat and head down there...if you're going enjoy
Good show the other night, but short. I wish Isbell headlined, cause I wasn't overly impressed with Son Volt. I love SV's guitarist, but the rest of the band didn't do it for me.
I hope Isbell does headlining shows soon cause I'd love to catch them for a longer set.
I arrived late (a couple songs in), but loved the feeling of him playing to an empty room. Felt bad for him because he's got so much talent, but no one was there to watch.
I just got home from Athens and night 2 of The Dirt Underneath tour...
That was undoubtedly one of the best shows I have ever seen from any band anywhere. I cannot remember the last time I was in such utter fucking awe. They played 28 songs over 3 hours, 16 of those songs I had never heard them play before and I have seen them 5 times. The arrangements were just stunning, absolutely stunning, the songs took on a life I didn't know they had, and I love those songs.
Seriously, there were moments that gave me goosebumps...
They are just as good, if not better in the semi acoustic setting as they are in full on rock show mode, that may sound like overstatement, but I assure it is not. Go see this tour, if you can.
If anyone was worried about Jason's absence fucking anything up, you can stop now. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, I'll go to his shows and buy his records, but the Truckers certainly proved that they don't need him to still be one of the best bands in the world right now.
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
Download the new Cooley song "A Ghost to Most" it is absolutely stunning.
Also... looks like Jason's record has leaked...
The Man has a branch office in each of our brains, his corporate emblem is a white albatross, each local rep has a cover known as the Ego, and their mission in this world is Bad Shit.
•Try
•Grown
•Shotgun Wedding
•Dress Blues
•The Devil Is My Running Mate
He'll be in Memphis June 21st at Hi-Tone...$10 Cover.
PBM
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
Comments
First, Pearl Jam snubs us, then Jason and DBT part ways....:( What a sad way to start the musical year.
The initial word from Jason and the flat-out refusal to answer questions added to the fact that Patterson mentions Shonna still in the band leads me to speculate that the condition of their marriage might be a clue to this mystery, especially if there were already rumors about it flying across the wires. :( :(
Jason will be missed....some really great songs. He gave the band a great sense of balance.
I saw Jason solo a few weeks ago, and remember speculating to my friend that he wouldn't be in this band forever, if that much longer at all. But I figured it would be a bit more calculated and measured, rather than a sudden departure with a shitload of tour dates coming up.
It still really fucking sucks, but I am glad Shonna and Neff are staying.
The curious part of me would really like more details on exactly what went down, but I know better than to think we will ever know for sure. Suffice it so say, I don't really see this band going anywhere for awhile, and look forward to the show in Athens later this month.
I wish Jason all the best.....Dude, I will buy your album later this year. Us Alabama boys have got to watch each other's back.
Yeah I think there is little doubt at this point and the Jason and Shonna situation, I am just glad we didn't lose both of them... that would have been a huge blow to the band (not that this wasn't).
Practically speaking, that would have required bringing someone in and having them learn the huge ass Truckers catalog, which would have been a bitch and even more disruptive. Right now we just have 3 guitars instead of 4 and one less vocalist. So honestly on most of the songs there shouldn't be too much of a sonic difference, except for, of course, the vocals.
I think the band too gave his songs a sense of maturity and cohesiveness that many artists don't get unless they've been in a band for a number of years. I hope he has a strong touring/recording band with him that can do his songs justice.
Shonna does great on the backup vocals (although I did give her a hard time for not singing the background vocals on Aftermath U.S.A. last time I saw them). Shes only sung lead once, on the Like A Rolling Stone cover.
http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
spotify:user:merkinball
I can't see Patterson and Cooley being ok with having Jason songs on a record if they aren't up to par with what everyone else is bringing to the table.
That is more than likely part of it, there has been some speculation for awhile in DBT land about this.
I think ultimately it has more to do with not enough room for all three songwriters, egos, etc.
I sent messages out to all my DBT friends and we were literally speechless.
It really sucks that he's leaving...I haven't read all the comments in this thread yet...but I wish him well and I'll continue to support both Jason and DBT.
This is a sad day indeed.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
Ahh, I've only recently gotten into them, I wasnt aware of that, just got the 40 watt DVD last week and discovered who's who and what they look like.
I've got that ABAAC and The Dirty South, gonna buy Southern Rock Opera and Decoration Day next me thinks.:)
i'm saddened by this news but kinda knew, deep down, that 3 really super good, guitar players, singer songwriters couldn't co exist in 1 band, for forever.
patterson has got class. i'm sure it wasn't an easy parting. it never is.
It's up at his Myspace account.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
my ticket specifically says what time son volt starts at
now magazine says what time jason starts at
time to discover http://www.ninebullets.org
Ticketmaster says doors at 6:30 as well (doesn't say what time the show starts), and I don't have tickets (was gonna pay at the door).
Anyone have any idea what time Jason goes on stage, and how many bands there are?
endlessparade, thanks for trying to help, but that website didn't seem to help me unless I missed something.
this is what i'm working with and have found out
doors 630
jason 715(now magazine ad)
son volt i think it said 815 or 830 start on the ticket, which i dont have with me...
2 bands only
should be over by 1030, by the look of son volts setlist as of late
ninebullets message board will tell u jason is playing approx 45mins...
sweet, thanks a lot man...gonna go eat and head down there...if you're going enjoy
I hope Isbell does headlining shows soon cause I'd love to catch them for a longer set.
I arrived late (a couple songs in), but loved the feeling of him playing to an empty room. Felt bad for him because he's got so much talent, but no one was there to watch.
Looking forward to his album.
That was undoubtedly one of the best shows I have ever seen from any band anywhere. I cannot remember the last time I was in such utter fucking awe. They played 28 songs over 3 hours, 16 of those songs I had never heard them play before and I have seen them 5 times. The arrangements were just stunning, absolutely stunning, the songs took on a life I didn't know they had, and I love those songs.
Seriously, there were moments that gave me goosebumps...
They are just as good, if not better in the semi acoustic setting as they are in full on rock show mode, that may sound like overstatement, but I assure it is not. Go see this tour, if you can.
If anyone was worried about Jason's absence fucking anything up, you can stop now. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, I'll go to his shows and buy his records, but the Truckers certainly proved that they don't need him to still be one of the best bands in the world right now.
http://www.southernshelter.com/
Download the new Cooley song "A Ghost to Most" it is absolutely stunning.
Also... looks like Jason's record has leaked...
•Try
•Grown
•Shotgun Wedding
•Dress Blues
•The Devil Is My Running Mate
He'll be in Memphis June 21st at Hi-Tone...$10 Cover.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org