2007 was a year of transition and reinvention for our band, having been on the road almost constantly since the fall of 2001 a break was desperately needed. A little time at home to recharge and perhaps rethink some things.

The blurring of the lines between the personal and the musical has always been an integral part of what this band does and part of what sets it apart from the corporate music machines that dominate so much of pop-culture in the name of what used to be called Rock and Roll. That said, when things go wrong it can become an unbearable situation on levels both personal and artistic. Such is what led to the amicable and mutually desired parting of ways with Jason Isbell in the spring of 2007. He had been an integral part of our musical family for five years and three albums but personal and creative
differences brought about the need for change.

Moving on after such a loss seemed at first a daunting challenge. Our band’s survival instincts (much of what has kept mine and Mike Cooley’s partnership alive and well for 22+ years) led us to strip everything down to the essential elements of song and rebuild it from scratch. This led to us booking and playing a semi-acoustic tour we named The Dirt Underneath where we would go out without all of the trappings and decorations of “The Big Rock Show” and put the emphasis on the songs and stories.

When we all convened to work up The Dirt Underneath show, everyone came in with lots of new material and it became almost immediately apparent that the show’s emphasis would be on working up our new album in front of a live audience over the course of the tour.

Inter-connected themes explored by three different writers (with three very different points of view) has always been a hallmark of what sets our band apart. This album might even take all of that to the next level, as this is by far our most eclectic, yet cohesive album ever.