Slobberbone
American alt-country band
title: "Slobberbone" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-alternative-country-groups", "new-west-records-artists", "musical-groups-established-in-1992", "musical-groups-from-denton,-texas"] description: "American alt-country band" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slobberbone" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American alt-country band ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Slobberbone |
| The Drams | |
| image | Slobberbone White Water Tavern 2012.jpg |
| image_size | 250px |
| alt | Slobberbone at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, AR in 2012 |
| caption | Slobberbone at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, AR in 2012 |
| background | group_or_band |
| origin | Denton, Texas, United States |
| genre | Alt-country |
| Rock | |
| years_active | Slobberbone |
| 1992–2005; | |
| 2006–2014 | |
| The Drams | |
| 2005–2006 | |
| Brent Best | |
| 2015–present | |
| label | Doolittle Records |
| New West Records | |
| Last Chance Records | |
| Transient Camp Recordings | |
| associated_acts | The Drams |
| Brent Best | |
| Centro-Matic | |
| South San Gabriel | |
| Two Cow Garage | |
| Gravel Truck |
| | website | | | current_members | Slobberbone Brent Best Cody Garcia Tony Harper Brian Lane The Drams Brent Best Tony Harper Keith Killoren Chad Stockslager | | past_members | Jess Barr (Slobberbone guitarist) Mike Hill (Slobberbone guitarist) Lee Parsons (Slobberbone bass player) Scott Danbom (Slobberbone keys/violin) | ::
| name = Slobberbone The Drams | image = Slobberbone White Water Tavern 2012.jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = Slobberbone at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, AR in 2012 | caption = Slobberbone at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, AR in 2012 | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Denton, Texas, United States | genre = Alt-country Rock | years_active = Slobberbone 1992–2005; 2006–2014 The Drams 2005–2006 Brent Best 2015–present | label = Doolittle Records New West Records Last Chance Records Transient Camp Recordings | associated_acts = The Drams Brent Best Centro-Matic South San Gabriel Two Cow Garage Gravel Truck
| website = | current_members = Slobberbone Brent Best Cody Garcia Tony Harper Brian Lane The Drams Brent Best Tony Harper Keith Killoren Chad Stockslager | past_members = Jess Barr (Slobberbone guitarist) Mike Hill (Slobberbone guitarist) Lee Parsons (Slobberbone bass player) Scott Danbom (Slobberbone keys/violin)
Slobberbone is an American alt-country band from Denton, Texas, led by singer-songwriter Brent Best, Cody Garcia, Tony Harper, and Brian Lane. Best continues to tour as a solo act, performing both songs by Slobberbone and The Drams, and songs from his solo record, but also reunites with both bands for shows with full band line-ups. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Jess_Barr_Brent_Best_Slobberbone_Dans_Silverleaf_2005.jpg" caption="Jess Barr and Brent Best at Dan's Silverleaf in 2005"] ::
History
Slobberbone formed in early 1992 in Denton, Texas, where the band played for beer and had their first gig at the Park 'n' Go, a beer store in Denton. The best-known line-up consisted of singer-songwriter Brent Best on guitar and lead vocals, Jess Barr on lead guitar, Brian Lane on bass guitar, and drummer Tony Harper. The band members met after attending University of North Texas, where they lived in a house together and played local shows in Denton. Bassist Brian Lane joined the band in 1996 and guitarist Jess Barr in 1997. They eventually signed with the Austin-based record label Doolittle Records (which eventually merged with New West Records). Their name is a reference to a dog's chew bone.
From 1995 onwards, Slobberbone as a band solidified its lineup and began playing shows outside of Texas, becoming known for its extensive touring schedule across the United States.
Jeff Cole from Doolittle Records produced the first two Slobberbone records. Jim Dickinson, who among other work is known for The Replacements, produced Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today, working with the band to record at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
Don Smith, of Tommy Stinson's Bash & Pop and Cracker, produced Slippage in Los Angeles, California.
In early 2005, the band announced that it was calling it quits because Lane was moving to Florida. Slobberbone played a series of shows for their farewell tour.
In 2009, the band (with the 2005 lineup) reunited for a series of shows. At the end of 2009, the re-formed band, with Lane returned to Texas from Florida, announced that they planned on recording a new album in 2010 before going on another tour. In May 2011, the band's drummer posted a blog entry stating that the planned mini-tour and merchandise sales would help fund the band's long-anticipated album.
Outside of the United States, the band is popular in the Netherlands, where Slobberbone has toured intensively in the main clubs and on festivals since 1998.
The Drams
In 2005, most of the band's members re-formed as The Drams when Best was scheduled to play a full band show as a solo act.
Brent Best
Best was born on September 1, 1970, in Austin, Texas, although his family moved to a nearby small town in Texas shortly after. When he was young he played in a band with his friend, singer-songwriter Kevin Kerby, from his teenage years onwards. Best was able to co-write with Kerby, and produced the first self-released Slobberbone record with him.
In 2015, Best released a solo record called Your Dog, Champ on Last Chance Records. The record, which began in April 2010, took five years to make and was crowdfunded. The record was well received. Grady Don Sandlin played drums and Ralph White (Bad Livers), Petra Kelly, Scott Danbom (Centro-Matic, Sarah Jaffe) and Claude Bernard (The Gourds) also contributed to the record.
Best contributed the song "Robert Cole" to the Bloodshot Records compilation Just One More, A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown.
Recognition
Stephen King mentioned the band's song "Gimme Back My Dog" in his novel Black House. He also listed the song as one of the top three greatest rock and roll songs ever in his column in Entertainment Weekly. Although never publicly confirmed, the album Slippage could very well be Slobberbone's nod to King. The word "slippage" is important in Black House. King also mentions Slobberbone as a favorite of protagonist Richard Sifkitz in the novella Stationary Bike.
Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood sang on the Slobberbone song "Lazy Guy" on Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today. Slobberbone often toured with the Drive-By Truckers early in both bands' careers.
Discography
Slobberbone
- 1994: Crow Pot Pie (self-released)
- 1996: Crow Pot Pie (Doolittle); contains different songs than original
- 1997: Limited Edition EP (Doolittle)
- 1997: Barrel Chested (Doolittle / New West Records)
- 1998: Your Excuse Live EP (Doolittle / New West Records)
- 2000: Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today (New West Records)
- 2002: Slippage (New West Records)
- 2016: Bees and Seas: The Best of Slobberbone (New West Records)
Compilations
- 1997: "Dark as a Dungeon" by Merle Travis on Straight Outta Boone County Cowboy Songs, Home Songs, Western Songs, Mountain Songs (Bloodshot Records)
- 1999: "Scuffed" on Band-Kits: A Compilation of Denton, Texas Music (Quality Park)
- 1999: "Piece of Crap" by Neil Young on This Note's for You Too! A Tribute to Neil Young (Interstate Records)
- 2005: "Some New Town" by Bruce Springsteen on Thunder Road Tracks Inspired by the Boss (Uncut)
- 2010: "Placemat Blues" on Suburban Home Records Mixtape 5: Someone's Gonna Die (Suburban Home)
The Drams
- 2006: Jubilee Dive (New West Records)
Brent Best
- 2015: Your Dog, Champ (Transient Camp Recordings for Last Chance Records)
References
References
- (July 28, 2000). "Barrel Chested Again: Denton's Slobberbone". [[The Austin Chronicle]].
- (March 29, 2003). "Slobberbone: Interview with Brent Best". Ear Candy Magazine.
- (October 13, 2015). "In Profile: Brent Best". Lone Star Music Magazine.
- (31 August 1997). "Slobberbone - Common Sense". [[No Depression (magazine).
- (September 8, 1998). "Doolittle Records". The Weekly Wire via [[The Austin Chronicle]].
- (August 31, 2006). "The Drams - Back from the Bone break". [[No Depression (magazine).
- (April 13, 2000). "The Replacements' Replacement". [[Dallas Observer]].
- (August 5, 2015). "Brent Best Comes Out the Other Side After Having His Life Turned Upside Down". [[Dallas Observer]].
- (April 6, 2012). "Brent Best Talks About Going Solo, The Legacy of Slobberbone and Having Rachel Maddow As a Fan". [[Dallas Observer]].
- (May 12, 2010). "Five Years: Back to the 'bone". [[The Austin Chronicle]].
- (November 30, 2009). "Over the Wires: Brent Best".
- (August 11, 2006). "The Drams: Record review". [[The Austin Chronicle]].
- (August 3, 2015). "Brent Best: Your Dog, Champ". [[American Songwriter]].
- (2015). "To all donors to my solo album effort, far too long in the making". [[Last Chance Records]].
- (August 4, 2015}}
- {{cite news). "Lone Star Sounds: New music from Brent Best". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]. - (February 5, 2007). "Bloodshot to Release Larry Brown Tribute". [[Paste (magazine).
- (2012). "Black House". Pocket Books.
- (February 1, 2007). "Stephen King on why he loves Ahnuld and hates Celine".
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