A couple of weeks back while doing a little research for the piece about the new Drag cd I stumbled across the fact that they had done a split EP with a Boston punk band called The Dents. The premise appears to have been pretty simple….take two pop:punk songs from The Dents add two songs from Drag the River…each record their take on the song and put them back to back on an 8 track EP. The results are a mixed bag but the closer, Trainwreck, makes the cd worth owning. As a whole I think Drag won this battle 4-0 but I might be a tad biased.

Drag the River - Trainwreck
The Dents - Trainwreck

Drag the River’s Official Site, The Dent’s Official Site, Buy Found All Parts

The album opens with a song called “Death of the Life of the Party”, and since You Can’t Live This Way is a posthumous album for Drag, the song seems appropriate in that opening position. Though, I keep finding myself wondering if this really is a posthumous record. I mean, the album comes out after the band calls it quits, and they are about to embark on a mini-tour in support of the album, and it all just seems a little soon to be considered a reunion. The whole DTR split thing seemed a little odd to me, and since I am pretty new to the Drag bandwagon I’m hoping that their death announcement was premature.

Regardless of what is going on with the band, though, the fact is that they have a new album in stores tomorrow and if it really is their final release, it’s a fucking shame. Passing on the ‘almost all drinking songs’ formula, You Can’t Live This Way is easily the most mature effort of their catalog. It seems like the guys were/are finally beginning to fully realize themselves as songwriters and as a band, and to cut that short is a pity. Featuring the classic cowpunk/country sound fans have grown to love, some are gonna say this is their best effort yet, while others will argue that It’s Crazy is a little better. I agree with both, depending on my mood, but I will say You Can’t Live This Way hits me in the exact same way The Fox Hunt’s (favorite album of last year) cd did the first few times I heard it, so it obviously gets to share the driver’s seat on the 2008 Essential Listening list with Left Lane Cruiser.

Drag the River - Death Of The Life Of The Party
Drag the River - Br00tal
Drag the River - Bad Side Of A Good Time

Drag the River’s Official Website, Drag the River on myspace, Buy You Can’t Live This Way

Were you all a tizzy like my wife when Drag the River decided to go on an indefinite hiatus? My wife was, and still is, I suppose, completely in love with the Drag the River albums and was really bummed to be losing one of her bands.

Enter Armchair Martian.

I had never heard of Armchair Martian until I started poking around the DTR message board in the days surrounding their breakup, but it turns out that Armchair Martian was Jon’s band prior to Drag. They recorded a couple of albums, but have not been active in a couple of years. During that downtime, the band’s cds became essential listening for DTR diehards and punk/country music fans alike. Now those groovy kids over at Suburban Home Records are reissuing Who Wants to Play Bass?. Originally released in 2002 on My Records, a label owned and operated by Lagwagon front man, Joey Cape, Who Wants To Play Bass? is considered by most fans to be the essential Armchair Martian album.

What does it sound like? Well, Jon is the singer and they have that familiar rock/country sound, so I’d say they sound like Drag, but with songs about stuff other than drinking. A must listen for any fan of alt.country, and especially for DTR fans still mourning the demise of the band.

Armchair are currently doing a small West Coast tour to support the reissue. Hopefully this is something they will repeat on the other coast, and specifically Florida sometime in the coming year. For now, we’ll just have to be happy with this cd.

Armchair Martian - Break Your Frame
Armchair Martian - Confession / Jeff’s Son
Armchair Martian - Saving Anger

Armchair Martian on myspace, Buy Who Wants To Play Bass?

More Jon Snodgrass/Drag the River news: Chad and Jon finished recording the final DTR album tentatively titled You Can’t Live This Way. It needs to be mastered, sequenced and have some artwork made, but there will be a final record. Jon is also planning on starting to record a solo album in October…no release date, no title…no firm details at all.

I read some sad news on the internets yesterday and thought I would pass it along. Apparently, Jon Snodgrass, co-vocals and guitars for Drag the River has left mid-tour. There are plenty of rumors and much conjecture out there already, but as this is an .mp3 blog and not a gossip site, I’ll quote the closest official source I could find. The following comes from one of the fellas at Suburban Home Records:

I have spoke to both Dave and Jon twice now. At this point, it is definite that there will be no Jon Snodgrass on the rest of the tour. Drag will continue to play as a 3 piece and as Chad will be the only vocalist, he will only be doing his songs.

As far as what happens after this tour, there is no official news at this point. I would like to think that after everyone has had time to think about it, things will work [themselves] out. Drag are just way too good for this to be the end. They have an entire album recorded and let me just say that it will blow people away.

So that’s it. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and a little time heals all wounds. I sure am glad I made it to the last Lucero show in time to see them open though. Drag the River was a band I have just started getting into after ignoring them for quite sometime due to a misunderstanding. Hopefully all of this will just turn into a quit the tour thing and we’ll all laugh about it in next tour. For now I’ll have a whiskey drink and put It’s Crazy in the cd changer.

Drag the River - Fire and Flood
Drag the River - Tired and Fired

While we are on this sort of news. Mario left The Weary Boys to pursue his solo career. Neither Mario nor the band have said anything about officially so I keep hoping that it will all be a terrible joke and Mario will take the stage here in Tampa come April 26 but I do not think that will be the case. Again, there is rumor and speculation but I am not in the business of spreading such things so I’ll just reprint what I was told by Mario via email:

Basically, we are all still friends but I was just feeling like my heart wasn’t in it anymore especially in regards to creativity. I think the rest of the guys sensed this and started to resent me for it. It just seemed like I should quit before I became an enemy to my friends. So, I’m doing my solo thing now and I’m gonna see where it takes me.

Hopefully things will work out for both Mario and The Wearies. As I said earlier, The Weary Boys are playing New World here in Tampa on April 26. I am not sure what to expect of a Mario-less version of the band but you can beat your ass I’ll be there to find out. I also hope Mr. Matteoli manages to make it down to Tampa with the same frequency he did as a Weary Boy. Here’s to wishing the best of luck to both efforts.

The Weary Boys - Good Times
The Weary Boys - Baby Have No Fun

Mario Matteoli - Hard Luck Hittin
Mario Matteoli - Sun Keeps Beatin’ Down

Tomorrow we’ll try and lighten things up a little by talking about Tijuana hookers a donkey shows and a bad rash.

update: Jon left this message on the DTR message board today:

I did not quit Drag the River. Drag the River is Chad and I’s band….Chad is also my best friend.
I did however quit this tour….it had to be done.
…talk later, sorry everybody.

Well, that is good news indeed.