Jason Isbell out of Truckers?

[PearlSnapMan]

Please tell me this is a late april fool's joke.

http://www.myspace.com/jasonisbellmusic

I am not in the Drive By Truckers anymore. Go figure. I wish them luck. I will not answer questions about it.

Patterson Hood statement....

http://www.drivebytruckers.com/news.html

[nacho]

so Shonna's still in the band.

iiiiiiiiiiiinteresting.

[El Santo]

this really blows.

[Lushus]

damn that sucks.

[Trailer]

[El Santo]

I'm not exactly sure what went down with the band...but if I had to assume...it sort of seems as though Jason was forced out. In reading his myspace blogs....they seem to be coming from someone that's really peeved....and really hurt.

assuming this is the case....
I really don't see how they could kick out someone that has contributed so much over the last few years. Isbell was a part of some of the Truckers most mindblowing work.
We could debate at length which one of the three has written the best songs...but it's a pretty sure thing that we could all agree that they write great songs. I appreciate and love certain songs by all three of the main songwriters.
Other than seniority in the group....what really gives Cooley/Hood the right to do that?? Jason was as much a part of that group in recent years as they were.
I don't favor Isbell over the other two....I can honestly say that I like Hood/Cooley/Isbell the same across the board. I just feel like this is sort of an injustice.

[RavingLunatic]

Well, it's impossible to know exactly what went down. Maybe Isbell's just a real asshole and they didn't want to put up with him anymore.

[greatbahen]

Well, it's impossible to know exactly what went down. Maybe Isbell's just a real asshole and they didn't want to put up with him anymore.

i saw isbell solo two years ago and talked to him after the show and he was as nice as he could be. i definitely did not get the impression of him being an asshole and he was more than happy to talk with a fan

if i were to take a guess, this probably has to do with the delayed release of him album. it has supposedly been ready for two years and the truckers have just been waiting for when "the time is right" to release it. he probably just got pissed off at patterson for not letting him put out the album.

[Petty]

I love all three equally and the truckers will still be good...but I don't see how this can be anything other than a bad thing...

Honestly, I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with the crap songs Isbell contributed to the last album...like maybe he was saving the good ones for his solo album and that pissed the rest of the band off...

...of course if the two songs besides Dress Blues on Isbell's Myspace page are any indication the solo albums not gonna be that great either....

Still, it's a sad day for DBT fans.

[SadBastard]

Damn, this does suck. Jason was becoming the best songwriter in that band IMO. Every favorite track I had on the last 3 records were Jason's.

[Beldo]

I dunno, I'm betting it had something to do with touring behind his solo album interfering with touring with DBT and when it came down to it, he chose his solo tour and that was that. Just a guess though.

I actually liked his songs on the last one Petty, but I can see what you mean. Holding out good songs is what broke up Rod Stewart and The Faces.

Also, find his profile picture on myspace interesting...flicking off the camera with a card showing the album title and release date in his hand. I don't think there's much question it has SOMETHING to do with the solo album.

And he starts his tour tomorrow, so I'm guessing he'll be talking about it at his shows.

[Petty]

I actually liked his songs on the last one Petty, but I can see what you mean. Holding out good songs is what broke up Rod Stewart and The Faces.

I didn't hate them, I just thought they were the weakest on the album...and definitely the weakest that Isbell has written.

[SadBastard]

Come on Petty, 'Daylight' and 'Easy on Yourself' the weakest? Even the bonus disc song 'When the Well Runs Dry' is greatness. If that track was included on 'Blessing' it would have easily been the best track on the whole disc. I actually dont really like anything before 'Decoration Day'. 'Southern Rock Opera' had its moments but it is way to inconsistent, 'Pizza' and 'Gangstabilly' were just...ehh. The band really hit its stride when Isbell started writing songs, gave the band great new energy. 'Dirty South' would not be near the masterpiece that it is without "Never Gonna Change", "John Henry" and "Goddamn Lonely Love". Dont get me wrong I think Patterson and Cooley are amazing songwriters but Isbell's songs really made the last 3 records for me.

[El Santo]

"dirty south" is my all-time favorite DBT's record...and it's as much due to Isbell as anyone else. Sure he's a bit poppy at times...but I think you need that balance in a band like that. It's good to have a nice break in between Patterson's harsh-reality sort of songs.

[Lushus]

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Important Message.

Y'ALL:

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