Musings RE: Trainwreck at Dada on Thursday
Current mood: 
hungry
Category: Music
Background
Trainwreck was formed sometime around the new millineum when I met Rob Stave at a Thursday night picker session at the Sons of Hermann Hall. Shortly after we both joined the SOH for the beer discounts, we rounded up a few of my old bandmates from college who were living in Big D and Trainwreck was born. The name was as much a nod to our sloppiness (musically and behaviorally) as it was to our heroes, the Old 97’s. Though Adair’s would become our monthly home, we played all around the state. We shared bills with people we admire (Old 97’s, Jack Ingram, Rusty Weir, Larry Joe Taylor, Beaver Nelson, Drive By Truckers, etc.) and made alot of new friends along the way. In 2001 Trainwreck released our one and only album, Wrecked. In 2003 Trainwreck played over 100 shows (some were just me and Rob acoustic). By 2004, things were slowing down. By 2005, Trainwreck had faded away. We never really “broke up” as some bands do… we just quit booking gigs and everyone kinda moved on…
So Here We Are
So, when was asked to play The Fine Line’s “Listening To:” series on a Thursday at Dada, I was intending to play my new material but to help Amanda with the booking by arranging to have the guys from Trainwreck’s new bands on the bill following me… as a way for us all to have a good excuse to get together on a school night. That line-up did not happen. But, a couple of the guys suggested I use them in the lineup and do the Trainwreck thing. Wah-Lah. There you have it. A Trainwreck reunion.
Damn it!
As Travis Hopper (who was supposed to play prior to us on Thursday… more on that in a sec) said of his show last week at Dada… Who could have predicted the little Mavs would go “all the way” and compete with our shows? I was at Dada last week. I was able to hear great live music, watch the little Mavs take it to Shaq and experience the comraderie of being in the presence of fellow Mavs fans with similar tastes in music. So, please come watch the Mavs take home their first title we us! The game will be on at Dada.
Any Major Dude Will Tell You
So here’s why Travis “I Can Put Spin on It” Hopper got bumped from the bill…
Naked Lunch, a Steely Dan tribute band that has been named “Best SD Tribute” in a national poll, will now be playing from 6pm - 10pm. Rumor has it that this last minute, rare appearance - from another band that had gone separate ways - is due to the fact that an unnamed original member of “the dan” will be joining them for the evening. I used to go see Naked Lunch every week at Dada. They are a blast.
Trainwreck will play from 10:00pm - 11:30pm.
Leda Atomica, passing through from L.A., will go on at midnight.
Not to Blow My Horn, But Just In Case You Missed It…
I certainly don’t expect to still have that luster-y polish that we once never had, seeing as we’ve decided to not rehearse (I won’t remember my own words, anyway…) though we haven’t played together in over a year, but in addition to a anguishly long run-on sentence, here’s some kind words that were once writed about Trainwreck. You’ll notice the lack of any publication you’ve ever heard of. That’s cause we never got, nor desired, critical respect. Just good times.
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“The debut release of Dallas, TX based Trainwreck, Wrecked, sounds more like the third or fourth release from a band that had been around for several years. What a welcome relief it is to hear a relatively new band that is capable of putting out a record that simply a pleasure to listen to. Trainwreck is a polished group of talented artists…
The amazing Mr. Whittenburg has the ability to magically pull the listener into his songs- baring his soul and experiences and making you feel that you’ve lived these experiences with him… J.D.’s voice has a cool early Bruce Springsteen kind of sound…
- Dave and Lavona Wine, Rockzilla.net 03/20/2002
As I’m writing this, there’s a shower of hail outside, lucky that I’m inside listening to “Wrecked. It’s Trainwreck’s first CD and a cracker. The music is hard to pin-point but you could say it’s a mixture of country, folk and rock. One cover (Townes Van Zandt’s Loretta), 14 originals all written by J.D.Whittenburg, who seems to be a real storyteller. My favorite songs are Mexico, No Place To Go and Who Needs California. The latter stayed in my head for several weeks. The playing is splendid with a special note for Rob The fiddler Stave, who also plays mandolin.
- Roots Revival Radio, Radio ATL, Bree Belgium
Trainwreck has developed a sound that is uniquely their own… Their sound, although very difficult to categorize, is what I like to call Texas Renegade Country Music. It has taken not only Texas by storm, but is turning heads in Nashville as well. It is music that is written from the writer’s experiences and you feel their souls in every lyric. These are songs we can all relate to, and some we just wish we could have experienced with them. It is music that even hard-core rockers can get into and stomp their feet to the beat. It is definitely not a Nashville sound and would make any Texan proud.
- Dave and Lavona Wine, Rockzilla.net 02/05/2001
Talk about a record that grows on you. Trainwreck’s fiddle-oriented bluegrass/country/ rock CD flows like a river… with catchy ballads and songs with super hooks. Trainwreck’s talent is top-of-the-line Traiwreck’s Wrecked is 15 songs of recorded magic.
- Angus MacMannus, Harderbeat.com 02/03
a disc that will probably grab Wilco, Whiskeytown, and Robert Earl Keen fans who like their music all rocked up and hard driving with fiddles and other kinds of country-folk strings.
- Marquetta Herring, Lonestarwebstation.com 12/13/01
