The Drams : Jubilee Dive

There were probably about twenty of us in the hotel room. It must have been close to 4am, just a few hours after The Drams wrapped their set on the 18th floor of the Hilton. We were in Austin, Texas for what very well may have been my final South by Southwest. As we downed one Tecate after another, I decided to declare that Drams lead singer/songwriter is "a better songwriter than Paul Westerberg." I stand by that statement, but Brent, who was in the room, along with many of his rabid fans and friends, kinda laughed it off. I think I repeated the statement time and again and challenged everyone, Brent included, to dispute what I clearly considered fact. Man I had a rough hangover the following day.

Brent recorded four albums from 1996-2002 with his first band, Slobberbone, the highlights being 1997's Barrel Chested and 2000's fantastic Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today. In early 2005, Slobberbone played their final show. A few months prior, they'd announced via their website that they were going on hiatus. If you've ever told friends that you and your boyfriend or girlfriend were "taking a break," well, you know the usual end result. But it wasn't long before Brent's new band, The Drams, which included three members of Slobberbone, released Jubilee Dive via New West. And like most great records, this one took me a while. But I kept going back. A good buddy of mine, who was in that hotel room that night, was relentless in his support, but I just kept uttering the predictable: "It's not Slobberbone." Now four years later, the statement hasn't changed, but the intent has. As "Make a Book" blasts through my headphones, I realize that this may be Brent's best work. And may only add support to that Westerberg line.

We've heard very little from The Drams since '06. Disproving a statement above, Slobberbone actually have returned, playing a handful of shows in Texas and throughout the Midwest. I've heard rumors of new records by both bands. Maybe they can follow their Texas pals, Centro-matic/South San Gabriel, and just toss together a double album, using both names. Paul Westerberg never did that. Oh wait, yes he did.