My Dad owned a store. Similar to a convenience store, but located in
the rural community where we lived, so it still functioned like a
traditional country store,complete with a set of regulars that stopped
by almost every day to chat. And without cable tv ( it’s still not
available there), 24/7 news , and the internet still over 20 years
away, country stores and old ole boys had a wireless bullshit delivery
system nonetheless. And good old boys never talk long without talking
about guns.

I didn’t think much about it at the time, but every now and then my
Dad would come home convinced something was about to happen with
regard to guns and ammo that required “stocking up.” There were going
to be limits on the number of boxes you could by. The price was going
to reach unaffordable levels. “They” were going to make it so that you
couldn’t even buy guns any more or be able to use the ones you had.
And this information was never reported in the news because “they”
don’t want you to know it. That’s how that heavy assed box came to
be, and would eventually come to me.

One night before I inherited all those bullets, I got shot at. They
wouldn’t have done me any good since I was trespassing. I’m pretty
sure firing shots at the owner of the property you’re trespassing on
makes it worse. Anyway I was with a couple of friends and we were
rolling this guys yard. His house was on a hill at the end of a long
driveway with woods in between. We heard the door open and the lights
came on and we ran through the woods toward the road. He fired 2 maybe
3 shots and I could hear the bullets going through the trees alongside
us. I don’t know if he was actually trying to hit us,and I’m not even
sure if he could see us, but he didn’t just fire in the air either. It
had to be obvious we were running away even if it wasn’t obvious we
were just kids pulling a prank.

On another evening I was home with my parents and some of my friends
thought it would be funny to steal the hubcaps off my car. We heard a
noise and my Dad could see someone moving around outside. He got his
gun, threw open the door and yelled “I’ll blow your head off you son
of a bitch”. One of my friends stood up from behind the car with his
hands up saying “don’t shoot Mr Cooley it’s me”. My Dad was red and
shaking all over from fear and embarrassment. He’d almost shot a kid
pulling a prank.

The inability to defend ones home or even the thought of that level of
helplessness brings to mind images that are frightening for anyone,
and my father and the man who shot at me belonged to a class and
generation of men that were especially motivated that very fear.
Robbing a man of the ability to defend his home was the last
degrading thing the world could do to him. A world that many of the
men of my dad’s generation and class saw as having it in for them in
the first place. And that was enough to make anything less than an
armed response, a weak response.

I never told my Dad I got shot at pulling a prank, and the man who did
it outlived him.

I got rid of that box of ammo. If I need to do some shooting, I can buy more.
And there was never a time when I couldn’t.

– Cooley

Congratulations to Jenn and Matt who got married this past Saturday night at The Fabulous 40 Watt. Jenn and Matt were lucky enough to have Slobberbone and DBT play their reception. Here’s a bit of what you missed if you weren’t lucky enough to be on the guestlist. Thanks to Sloan for the audio(you can download both sets from Saturday night over at Southern Shelter) and especially to Jenn and Matt for being such a kick ass couple that they wanted to share some of their special night with all of us.

In honor of this week’s shows here’s one fresh of the presses from the opening night of this year’s homecoming run at the Fabulous 40 Watt. Turn it up as the audio sounds killer. And look out for this new version of DBT on tour on the East Coast this week. See y’all at the Rock Show!

Sat Mar 2 Macon, GA The Big Bird Bash
Tue Mar 5 Saxapahaw, NC  Haw River Ballroom
Wed Mar 6 Charlottesville, VA  Jefferson Theater
Thu Mar 7 New Haven, CT  Toad’s Place
Fri Mar 8 Providence, RI  Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
Sat Mar 9 Portland, ME  State Theatre
Sun Mar 10 Burlington, VT  Higher Ground
Wed Mar 13 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Thu Mar 14 Northampton, MA Calvin Theatre
Fri Mar 15 Chester, NY  The Capitol Theatre w/ Old 97s
Sat Mar 16 Montclair, NJ  Wellmont Theatre w/ Old 97s
Sun Mar 17 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live w/ Old 97s

Sat Dec 08 Athens, GA          40 Watt  Patterson & Downtown Rumblers w/ Don Chambers
Thu Dec 13 Nashville, TN     The High Watt Patterson & Downtown Rumblers w/ Hope For Agoldensummer
Fri Dec 14 Nashville, TN       The High Watt Patterson & Downtown Rumblers w/ Hope For Agoldensummer
Sat Jan 12 Birmingham AL UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center Patterson Hood Solo
Fri Feb 08 Atlanta, GA          Eddies Attic Patterson Hood Solo
Sat Feb 09 Atlanta, GA          Eddies Attic Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan
Tue Feb 12 Carborro NC       The Arts Center Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan
Wed Feb 13 Charlotte NC     McGlohon Theater Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan
Thu Feb 14 Asheville NC      Grey Eagle Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan
Fri Feb 15 Asheville NC        Grey Eagle Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan
Sat Feb 16 Knoxville TN      Bijou Theater Patterson with Jay Gonzalez & Brad Morgan

On the other hand here is some great 3DD video(and audio) from Cooley’s recent show at The Slipper Room in New York City. If you can tune out the enthusiastic crowd who think they can do anything they want you’ll get a little taste of what his new live record will be like.