Author: chip midnight

This week ex-Drive-By Trucker guitarist Jason Isbell and his band – The 400 Unit – release their self-titled album. It’s Isbell’s second post-DBT release but the first where he’s put a name to the guys backing him up. And it’s with good reason that he gives credit where credit is due – the 400 Unit brings a consistency to Isbell’s sound, a consistency that was lacking (a bit) on his 2007 debut, Sirens of the Ditch. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that album and went so far as to call it one of 2007’s most “outstanding country-influenced rock albums” but it sounded exactly like what it was – a culmination of years worth of songs that had been brewing in Isbell’s head.

With less time to write, and more input and influence from his band, Isbell’s latest sounds like the fully realized vision of an accomplished Southern songwriter and contains some of Isbell’s strongest compositions to date (“Sunstroke,” “Good,” “No Choice in the Matter” and “The Last Song I Will Ever Write” are personal favorites).

Preview Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit CD.

I sent Isbell some questions via his publicist a few weeks ago. Read the interview after the jump.

Continue reading “Interview: Jason Isbell”

Last year around this time, Alex Dezen of The Damnwells wrote on the band’s MySpace blog that he was busy recording some new songs in Mississippi with the band’s former manager Wes Kidd (ex-Triple Fast Action) overseeing things. With the depatures of drummer Steven Terry and guitarist Dave Chernis, and with bassist Ted Hudson seemingly giving up the rock n’ roll lifestyle for a paying career,  it seemed as if the music Dezen was recording was destined to be a solo album. But, as Dezen told me earlier tonight, there never really was the thought of releasing the stuff he had been recording under just his name. Regardless of who is playing in the band and/or contributing to the songs, it’ll always be The Damnwells in name.

It came as a shock then to learn just a few short weeks ago that The Damnwells were going to forgo the traditional label route and, instead, partner with Paste Magazine to give away … yes, I said ‘give away’ … the new CD, One Last Century, for free on the Paste Magazine website starting Tuesday, February 10. The Damnwells aren’t the first band to give away music but Alex has always had interesting ideas about how to get the music he writes out to the masses and he’s interested to see how this whole experiment goes.

While I’ve had the CD for a little over a month now (it pays to know people within The Damnwells camp), I’m going to hold off on a review of the CD until a later date. I’d rather you check it out for yourselves, without hearing any of my opinions, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Take a listen to what Alex had to say just a few short hours before the on-line release of One Last Century.  The interview is just shy of 40 minutes.

DOWNLOAD: The Damnwells – One Last Century
DOWNLOAD: The AtomicNed.com exclusive Alex Dezen interview

I was reviewing a CD recently and scanning over a bio when I noticed that the person who mixed that CD had also mixed a CD by The Comas. The last time I saw The Comas was at SXSW 2007 when I accidentally caught them performing at a day party put on by Jane magazine. I was there to see Great Northern but the show was running late and when I entered the venue I caught a band who sounded familiar but who I couldn’t place. It wasn’t until I went to the soundboard and saw the schedule that I noticed that it was The Comas who were playing.

Before going any farther, I have to say that The Comas 2004 release Conductor is nothing short of amazing. You can pick up a used copy through Amazon for under a buck. And, “New Wolf” from 2007’s Spells was one of my favorite songs of that year.

So, a quick Google search revealed that Comas leader Andy Herod has been working on a new project for the last year or so called Electric Owls. He put out a 4-song EP at the tail end of 2008 as a precursor to a full length that Vagrant will release in April. He’s been doing some dates, opening for Bishop Allen, and I sent these questions to him while he was on the road to discuss The Comas and Electric Owls.

Continue reading “Interview: Andy Herod (Electric Owls)”