Everything’s Alright Until I Run Into Trouble

Dexateens L-R: Matt Patton, Nikolaus Mimikakis, Craig "Sweet Dog" Pickering, John Smith & Elliott McPherson

“Own Thing” is the “Sweet Black Angel” of Exiled From Main St, a perfect match in basic structure and charming lo-fi-ness. Where the Dexateens differ significantly is their lyrics aren’t an embarrassing relic of blackface minstrelsy. Even worse was that a generation of gaslighting white dudes insisted, “IT'S NOT RACIST! IT'S AN IRONIC TRIBUTE TO ANGELA DAVIS!” (generation caplock)

One of the things I'm trying to impart with Don't Call It Nothing is that the best bands of the 1990s (and 2000s) often IMPROVED what came before. The Dexateens are from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where matters of race aren't a fun little toy that you wind up and it quasi-ironically sings, "Mammy." Actual black people died because actual white people were -- and some still are -- paranoid sadistic fascists. The members of The Dexateens grew up keenly aware of this and existed in opposition to it, which is why instead of making excuses for adults who should know better, you should be rewarding real-ass, red dirt, southern punk 'n' rollers like the Dexateens. In fact, drummer Craig Pickering was one of my students at UA. Sweet Dog!

I love the arrangement of “Own Thing” because other than producer Dave Barbe overdubbing some kick drum, this is a simple, four-track John Smith demo. There’s a lead vocal, harmony vocal, an acoustic guitar (possibly doubled, but I think that’s just reverb), and slide guitar playing that main riff. That’s it. Very skeletal, very awesome. Can you whoop it?

Yes.