I have the A.R.M.S. concerts on VHS which I see has also been released on DVD.

I can deal with yodeling but only in small doses. On the subject of comps, I just picked up the January issue of Uncut (Page cover) that comes with one.

It's not saying that Zeppelin is great that bothers me. It's those that believe Zeppelin are the best band ever and that they can be no better band ever that gets on my nerves. Sure, it's ok to have that opinion but it's not one I can get on board with especially when it's said with the intent of pissing others off. That sort of arrogance just to provoke a response is uncalled for. When posters take that approach I see nothing whatsoever the matter with calling them on it. We all have favorites. As I've said, mine is the Beatles but that doesn't mean I believe they're the best group to ever walk the earth and that no other artist could possibly ever surpass them. Believe me, there's no danger in that happening.

That's all well and good but I still don't think it excuses anyone from falling back on describing the album as "bluegrass" or "country" when that isn't what Raising Sand is all. That just strikes me as laziness on their part. In the most recent case here the person that used those terms actually knew better so it was a case of laziness. On the other hand it is very good to know that the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? had such a great impact worldwide as it had absolutely no effect on Nashville here. In fact, around that same time Loretta Lynn was nominated for a Grammy for her album Van Lear Rose yet it had never received a bit of support from country radio or the Nashville establishment. Ironically the same thing happened with Johnny Cash's first album on Def American Recordings. It won a Grammy despite being ignored by Nashville. Right now, next to Rick Rubin, T Bone Burnett has to be one of the most in demand producers out there. I'd like to think that has a lot to do with his past track record but it probably has more to do with the overwhelming success of O Brother, Where Art Thou? than anything. Add the success of Raising Sand to that and you'll see why so many artists want to work with him.

I love compilations, they're a great way of discovering new artists. Lots of my favorite music magazines such as Mojo, Uncut, Paste, etc. all come with compilation discs. One that's on the stands right now that's well worth seeking out is Oxford American's annual Southern Music issue that comes with a sampler disc. By "Southern Music" they don't mean "Southern Rock" but Southern Music in general so you get a good cross section of styles from a wide variety of artists from both the past and present. There's more info here if you're interested.

It's only natural (the flake aspect). I saw it with the Grateful Dead and have witnessed it at lots of other shows including the Truckers. That said, I can't say it's really ever detracted from my concert experiences all that much (except in cases of extreme asshattery). My favorite at the Wilco show was Remember the Mountain Bed. Ever since their Chicago residency shows last year where they played all their material they've been working more and more of those lesser played songs into their setlists. Mountain Bed was worth the price of admission alone. As for the building into a crescendo thing, they were still doing that but not nearly as much as openers Bon Iver. I did like Bon Iver but could have done with more originality on their part. I know imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery but if that's what they were going for, it didn't work. mmmm, back to solos....

I honestly don't think one has to be an expert on American music to offer an informed opinion of Raising Sand. Afterall, bluegrass grew out of Irish music so in a sense it does have an international flavor. Put on a record by Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, etc. That is bluegrass. Raising Sand is not. It's really not all that hard to figure out.

Very good example but unfortunately there's probably only a good handful of us here that even know who Wilco is. Their concert last year in Cary, NC was among the best I saw in 2008 (R.E.M. and Plant/Krauss being a couple of the others). As much as I love them live, their style of slowly building to a crescendo and then getting all noisy does have a tendency to get tiresome after a while. Still one of my favorite live bands out there though.

When I refer to a solo I'm mostly talking about concert performances when the entire band stops playing so the guitarist, bassist, drummer, etc. can take a solo. Those can still be well done and tasteful but a lot of times they aren't. That's when they tend to remind me of the excesses of very many 70s era bands.

Maybe that was me in another thread that suggested the solo (whether it be on guitar, bass, drums, etc.) is a thing of the past. Maybe I should have worded that differently. In some instances it works but if not done right it can come off as needless wankering (at least in my opinion). To me, one of the downsides to 70s era bands was the need for solos during their shows. Now, that just seems very self-indulgent and excessive. Though they meet none of your criteria, I've always admired R.E.M's Peter Buck and how he's hardly ever worked any solos into their songs. One notable exception would be She Just Wants To Be from their album Reveal. In concert he even takes it a step further and gets into some very extended soloing, a true rarity for Mr. Buck indeed.

Fair enough but personally, I've never been put off by his guitar playing. That said, when they played the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach a couple of summers ago their guitar tech/builder Scott Baxendale came out to sit in on Buttholeville>State Trooper>Buttholeville and pretty much stole the show. Then again, that's not really saying a whole lot since openers Patty Hurst Shifter had pretty much already done that during their set. It was obvious they were still rebounding from Jason's departure (even though it was needed) and trying to find their footing as a live band again. By the way, speaking of Scott, it you haven't seen the video for Cooley's from the last record, it's well worth checking out.

When dealing with certain members (especially those that feel Led Zeppelin is the best band to ever exist), I find it hard to keep that attitude in check. Yes, this is a Zeppelin board but not all of us are here share that opinion. One of my favorites? Yes, my very favorite? Not by a country mile. Some feel it's some sort of prerequisite that if you post at a certain board, the artist the board is devoted to has to be your favorite (some will even get into splitting hairs, such as tallying up your post count). Not true. I'm a music fan therefore I like a lot of artists and embrace many different musical styles. I belong to several different music related boards and mailing lists, the artists or styles of music they're devoted to can't all be my favorite. Some here seem to believe that I only like one band (the Drive-By Truckers) and one musical style (alt.country). When they try to engage me with those notions they're only showing their ignorance because it's more than obvious to me that they're not paying attention. Anyone that reads my posts and has actually taken the time to get to know me is very aware that I in fact love many different kinds of music and don't focus on just one artist. As I've said, my favorite band is the Beatles yet I've never belonged to a Beatles board or mailing list. Go figure. If someone wants to knock Raising Sand that's fine but at least take the time to actually listen to the record before commenting on it. Don't just dismiss it out of hand simply because you have the misguided notion that Robert Plant is somehow holding up your Led Zeppelin reunion or my favorite, that Alison Krauss is "Yoko". Quite frankly, those people have shit for brains. If that offends anybody, so be it. That's not my intent, it just shows your ignorance when you comment on something you haven't even heard. Perhaps even worse are those that refer to Raising Sand as a "bluegrass" or "country" album simply because they only know Alison Krauss from her career as a bluegrass instrumentalist. Those that have actually heard the album know it isn't a bluegrass or country record. If anything, it sounds closer to Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball, an album that defies catergorization. If you're going to knock something, at least come to the conversation with an informed opinion. I don't see where that's too much to ask. That's without even getting into the multitude of threads here on exactly the same fucking topic.

As much as I enjoyed the Isbell years I truly believe they're both better off going their own separate ways. I liked Brighter Than Creation's Dark well enough but something sounded like it was missing (not Jason), like the spark that seemed to fuel their earlier records pre-Jason. That said, I still found a lot to like about it, particularly Cooley's songs (especially Self Destructive Zones). As for a solo project, he's said he has no interest in pursuing a career outside of the Truckers. In fact, when asked about a solo record by a review once he said, "I made a solo record, it's called Decoration Day". Still, "mikecooley.com" has been reserved as a URL for him but from my understanding it's only for his rare solo shows. I love Shonna's tunes but feel they would probably work better outside the context of the Truckers. I'd love to see a solo record from her. As for Neff, I have absolutely nothing against him and am very glad he's been back with the Truckers full time these days. His pedal steel prowess is a big part of what drew me to their sound to start with.

I agree that there should also be news posted but people also have a right to express their opinions, that's what these message boards are for. If I see someone refer to Raising Sand as a "pop country" or "bluegrass" album just because of Alison's affiliation with country and bluegrass music then obviously myself as well as others are going to speak up about it. Mainly because it shows in some cases they haven't even bothered to listen to the record before commenting. Same for those that dismiss the album as "hillbilly" music out of hand. That strikes me as "clueless" to say the least. As for me being "humorless", that only goes to show you haven't been around the board long enough to get to know me very well.

What in the world do the Drive-By Truckers have to do with anything?

Sigs that look like they belong on MySpace. I still haven't figured what in the hell Pamela Anderson has to do with anything.

I've never gotten around to purchasing it but I've enjoyed what I've heard from Keep It Simple on XM/Sirius. By the way, the link above was supposed to take you to a good portion of Van's catalog on vinyl at MusicDirect.com but it doesn't. If you just add his name into the search engine on the site you should be able to find it.

4 Non Blondes were opening for Aerosmith on their Get A Grip tour but I arrived at the last minute and missed their set so I never got to see them. I'm not sure if Linda was in the Pink video but she has gone on to great success producing and writing for other artists.

They did have other hit songs, like Sister Havana from their Saturation album but I don't think it was as big as the tune you mentioned which appeared on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack.

I'm not sure but I hope so especially since they're on New West.

I never said I was a "mind reader", you posted yourself that you were going to go if you were able to get tickets. It just seems highly hypocritical to be so outspoken about the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame yet on the other hand you also want to attend the ceremonies. I stand by that observation as well.

Drive-By Truckers will be on Austin City Limits on February 7th followed by Ryan Bingham (who's record Mescalito was produced by Marc Ford formerly of the Black Crowes). Clip of The Righteous Path More info on the episode here. The setlist (although all of the songs obviously didn't make the cut):

Which is why the whole deal with Walmart still strikes me as strange, especially with how they sell censored records and have gone to such great lengths to cultivate a wholesome image. I guess it is true that "money talks and bullshit walks"...

Check the Billboard link I just posted, looks like they've made some very interesting song choices as well including Hey Ya (which the Truckers have covered in concert before) as well as the Truckers' own Space City.

It just strikes me as you talking out of both sides of your mouth. I get the impression you're really not all that against the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame or where it's located or you wouldn't even be entertaining the thought of going.