Dress me up, Jason.

It is no secret that I've have been involved in a long standing love affair with the Drive-By Truckers. From the first moment that I put in and listened straight through to Southern Rock Opera on a drive down to Missouri three years ago, to blaring Zip City on my weekly walk home across the Hennepin Ave Bridge two years ago, to screaming my brains out when the band, playing at First Ave, broke into The Day John Henry Died on the stroke of midnight last year, the exact second it had become my 25th birthday. I fucking love the Drive-By Truckers.

And...

I have the biggest boner school girl crush on this guy.


(taken by cheap point and shoot)

No, he's not smoking hot but when I watch him play, I get all mooshy. He's reeeeeeeally cute, he rocks and he breaks my heart. His lyrics and voice are stellar. And THAT makes him dreamy. When I found out that this guy, this guitar shredder, wrote Decoration Day, Outfit, and The Day John Henry Died, which are three of my top 5 DBT songs, I pretty much ripped off my clothes, beat my breast, did some sort of Southern jig and wept. Yes, this crush is based purely on watching and listening to him sing as I know nothing about his character and very little about his life(besides the fact that he has good taste in books, movies and tv and likes cheerios...thank you myspace.) All I, M. Alexandra Jones, really need to know is that he's (one of) my rock-n-roll boyfriends(). I also know he's 28 years old (so young, so much closer to me in age than my rock-n-roll husband.) Though his myspace says otherwise (stop teasing my cyberworld), I know he's married (like that's ever stopped me) to Shonna Tucker who can jam, beat and drink me under the table. Not only does Shonna play bass, which of course means she's extra stealth and cool, but she plays bass in the Drive-By Truckers. I laugh hysterically at wiener dogs, would most definitely lose in a fight, and get tipsy off of one beer.


(taken by jealous cheap point and shoot)

Sadly, I also know Jason, as of April of 2007, left the Drive-By Truckers. I guess my dream of hearing Zip City live will no longer be fulfilled with him a part of that rock-n-roll monster. Yes, Jason and Shonna are still married. Yes, I am still in denial.

I didn't mourn the DBT departure for long. Jason Isbell left the band for a noble purpose, to pursue a solo career and thus released Sirens of the Ditch on July 10th. Last week, I returned a gift to Electric Fetus which validated my spending money on an album...I had three I was deciding on and Jason (due to the upcoming show and the fierce dedication to DBT) won.

Thank the beautiful breast beating gods because melikey.

I fell in love with Track 5, Dress Blue, when I first heard him play it when he opened for Son Volt a few months ago (and blew Jay Farrar out of the fucking water.) Track 4 and Track 10 have gotten me through the last week. I've listened to them over and over and over again as I've driven to and from work, to and from rehearsal, to and from shows, to and from reality.





No, I don't love every song on the album. But I adore some and thoroughly enjoy almost all of them. I can't stop listening to my Magician do the Chicago Promenade. I can't wait to see what comes of Jason Isbell's solo career.

I can't wait for his in-store appearance at the Fetus tomorrow. I can't wait for his show afterward at the 400 Bar. I can't wait to have my camera with me. I can't wait to stand there and get all (calmly and subtley...I swear) mooshy. I can't wait to have my heart broken by my Southern singer.

TOMORROW IS JASON ISBELL DAY!

EDIT: Kyle told me at the in-store that Jason and Shonna divorced. I actually turned red. RED! I AM APPARANTELY A TEENAGE GIRL! More to come...