Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Surly Horns

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and Other Good Stuff

Featured Replies

  • Replies 3.7k
  • Views 308k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

Posted Images

I've listened to that song a bunch and never really figured it all out until I just read the lyrics.
I'd always took it as a couple of older folks fooling around (kind of a theme on that album) and the man trying to keep his distance, but I never grasped that she commits suicide.

How do you figure? The lyrics say she left on a train. I assume you see that as a metaphor?

I was already looking for it (suicide) when I listened to the song, but “stains on the rugs and the curtains” with “note left on the stairs” feels suicide to me. The train line could be a metaphor.

9 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I was already looking for it (suicide) when I listened to the song, but “stains on the rugs and the curtains” with “note left on the stairs” feels suicide to me. The train line could be a metaphor.

Stains got me too, but then he describes them as ordinary wear and tear. The note and him promising not to tell anyone makes me think suicide. And I guess the overall cold and dreary tone. 

36 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:


How do you figure? The lyrics say she left on a train. I assume you see that as a metaphor?

What the other two said.  It's the stains and the promise to keep a secret.  I think the train is a metaphor for the sound of the gun shot.

. . . or the train is a metaphor for her transport to the afterlife.

Yeah, that would work too.

Also, I think the "to tell you 'no'" morphs in meaning over the song.  Early on it's about telling someone "no" to their bad habits, and by the end of the song it's about trying to stop the final act of self destruction.

  • Author

I think it's about suicide as well. The Virginia Woolf reference is just coincidental otherwise.  

On 9/11/2023 at 1:12 PM, Seasick Sailor said:

RIP Charlie Robison. This was always my favorite of his:

 

My favorite as well, especially the Antone's performance w/ the tasty tele. 

Quote

The album ends with the song “Blackberry Winter,” a Southern term for an unexpected cold snap in May or June, when the blackberry bushes are in bloom. McMurtry assumes the persona of a new boyfriend of an older woman, whose children have all moved away and left her with none of the activities that have always warded off the depression. And when the blues come on strong like a cold snap, she’s tempted to fill her pockets with rocks and walk into the river, like Virginia Woolf. The narrator can only “tell you no and tell you no and tell you no.” He can only offer the good cheer of the song’s bouncy, descending melodic line.

 

Well that’s just a ray of sunshine ain’t it. 

  • 2 weeks later...

Tyler Childers at Red Rocks last night. Just an awesome show. I went in with low expectations and loved every minute. There was almost a riot when he didn’t play “Feathered Indians”. He opened with eight or ten acoustic songs and then added the band. I have never seen an artist do that. I would have been ok if the entire show had been acoustic. 
His stage presence and mannerisms reminded me very much of Evan Felker- especially how he holds his arms when he sings, and how he doesn’t seem to make eye contact with the crowd. 

Why would you have low expectations?

1 hour ago, tbone_ said:

Why would you have low expectations?

I enjoy his music when it comes across my radio, but I don’t follow him very closely and don’t know much about him. Have some friends who helped me out when I was in a bind, so I lined up tickets, hotel rooms, and transportation with the expectation that I was going to do everything I could to have a good time and enjoy the show. 
“Low expectations” wasn’t anything against Mr. Childers, just a recognition that I didn’t know much about the subject matter at hand. Was very, very impressed. 

It’s always cool when shit works out like that.

I had low expectations when going to see The Black Crowes opening up in a bar once way back in the day.

14 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

I enjoy his music when it comes across my radio, but I don’t follow him very closely and don’t know much about him. Have some friends who helped me out when I was in a bind, so I lined up tickets, hotel rooms, and transportation with the expectation that I was going to do everything I could to have a good time and enjoy the show. 
“Low expectations” wasn’t anything against Mr. Childers, just a recognition that I didn’t know much about the subject matter at hand. Was very, very impressed. 

For reasons, I never tire of hearing Follow You to Virgie.

My biggest disappointment of Covid was there not being a re-schedule of Childers and Sturgill who I had tickets to see at the Erwin Center in April 2020

On 9/28/2023 at 8:48 AM, Kennythetiger said:

Tyler Childers at Red Rocks last night. Just an awesome show. I went in with low expectations and loved every minute. There was almost a riot when he didn’t play “Feathered Indians”. He opened with eight or ten acoustic songs and then added the band. I have never seen an artist do that. I would have been ok if the entire show had been acoustic. 
His stage presence and mannerisms reminded me very much of Evan Felker- especially how he holds his arms when he sings, and how he doesn’t seem to make eye contact with the crowd. 

I saw him at Willie's picnic a couple years ago and there were some drunk frat bros that were super pissed he didn't play Whitehouse Road, which he rarely plays live anymore precisely because of frat bros like them. 

I just assumed he stopped playing Whitehouse Road because he quit doing drugs himself and wasn't real interested in going playing a song about hammering 'shine and snorting rails.

9 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

 

1) Where is Sadler?

2) Ol' Jimbo still out on Mental Health leave I see. 

That sounds like some one hit wonder 90s alternative shit

18 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

1) Where is Sadler?

2) Ol' Jimbo still out on Mental Health leave I see. 

Holy shit.  Is that Will Johnson on guitar?  

18 hours ago, Scraps said:

That sounds like some one hit wonder 90s alternative shit
 

what-is-this-what.gif

Yes, Will's been playing with them for a few months.  Mostly percussion.

what-is-this-what.gif
Yeah i know no one will agree on this thread with all you fan boys, but you can dislike stuff from artists lol. Not a fan of that one.

8 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Yes, Will's been playing with them for a few months.  Mostly percussion.

That's really cool.  Didn't know that.  I LOVED Funland. 

4 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Yeah i know no one will agree on this thread with all you fan boys, but you can dislike stuff from artists lol. Not a fan of that one.
 

I couldn't stand Isbell's last couple albums and made that pretty clear in this thread.

I just don't get how someone listens to that song and gets Dishwalla from it.

I freaking love "Love You Just the Same" and have never really gotten that into anything else Will Johnson has done.  Even though pretty much every musician I like and lots of people with similar tastes to me hold him in the highest regard.

I did find him really good when I saw him open for John Moreland awhile back.

Thoughts:

-- that ain't 90s rock

-- red boots are awesome

-- tempo was a tiny bit draggy

-- who's the bass player?

7 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I freaking love "Love You Just the Same" and have never really gotten that into anything else Will Johnson has done.  Even though pretty much every musician I like and lots of people with similar tastes to me hold him in the highest regard.

I did find him really good when I saw him open for John Moreland awhile back.

Same here.  I get to see him quite a bit just living here and seeing him open shows or sit in with my faves.  He does bust out a tune every now and then that blows me away though.

Good example:

 

I do like the Marie/Lepanto albums A LOT though.

That Isbell tune reminds me of Brand New Kind of Actress

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Thoughts:

-- that ain't 90s rock

-- red boots are awesome

-- tempo was a tiny bit draggy

-- who's the bass player?

Anna Butterss

 

Also, Jason tweeted today:

 

2 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Anna Butterss

Sounded good.

10 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Anna Butterss

 

Thanks for the info.  She played on that Better Oblivion Community Center project.    Never heard of her before that.  

I like the looks of that tele, but 1800 is a lot of dough for a mexican made fender.

22 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

Thanks for the info.  She played on that Better Oblivion Community Center project.    Never heard of her before that.  

Saw her last year with Andrew Bird so obviously she has range. 

At that tempo it reminded me of… this one a bit? It’s been a minute since I’ve rocked some Ryan Adams but this is what it was taking me to a bit.

I love it, but I love a lot of mid 90s alternative rock anyways.

  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/5/2023 at 6:15 PM, Celery Man said:

At that tempo it reminded me of… this one a bit? It’s been a minute since I’ve rocked some Ryan Adams but this is what it was taking me to a bit.

I love it, but I love a lot of mid 90s alternative rock anyways.

The first thing I thought of when I heard when When Were Close was that it sounds like Ryan Adams's Gimme Something Good. As I recall Adams made that whole album as a 90's arena rock tribute.

It seems to me that a lot of Weathervane's songs are tributes to various artists.  I hear Allman Bros in Middle of the Morning and Miles is basically a Neil Young song.

 

12 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Man that’s a lot of talking.

. . . and he kinda missed some of the key artists in the shift away from hair metal.  Number one on that list was Guns 'n Roses in 1987, even if they didn't totally kill pop metal off.  He also makes a weird reference to REM getting big in the 90's.  Uh, they were also huge by 1987, dude.

From a while back, but interesting interview between Bruce Robison and Jack Ingram.

 

They're right . . . "Strawberry Wine" is a fantastic song.  SO SO SO much better than all the populist bullshit being cranked out these days.

I liked Bruce's comment about the hard shift to the right after Natalie Maines did what she did.  Never knew their was a movie about to be made for Travelin' Soldier.

Posting here for lack of a better place

Had no idea Robbie Robertson had such a long relationship with Scorsese. But makes a lot of sense for why I was digging the music watching Killers of the Flower Moon just now

 and now running through he soundtrack.

outstanding

Man, I miss John Prine.  Love the intro to this..  

 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.