The Judybats never seemed to crack through to the mainstream in the way that many of us expected. I’ve read many different possibilities as to why, and they could all be correct. Much of it centered around the lead singer, Jeff Heiskell. He’s described some struggles with mental health issues and was wise enough to decide the life of a rock star wasn’t for him. Not, that this was the end of his musical adventures as he eventually started releasing solo albums after the last Judybats album,’00.
The first time I saw the Judybats in concert when they were an opening act for… wow, I really don’t remember! I remember them, though. For an opening act to be the one that sticks with you all this time says something.
I picked up all their albums that I could, including one that was under the band name The Doubter’s Club, who I also saw live in a small club in Baltimore. I’m still missing a bootleg album, Hold Your Horses, but sometimes it’s nice to have something to search for.
Their music is alt rock with a country vibe to give it a more unique sound. The diminishing of this sound on their fourth album, Full Empty, may have contributed to nothing on that album standing out on its own for a single. Their last album on a major label, Full Empty is still a fantastic album, but its no Down In The Shacks Where The Satellite Dishes Grow, their second album.
The last track on this album, “When Things Get Slow Around Here,” does what I love a last track to do: leave you with a sense of longing.
A slide guitar, a fiddle, and some sparse but appropriate brush work on the drums are highlights of this track. It reminds me of friends I loved that I haven’t seen in decades, making jokes and telling stories, sitting around a table at my house. That wasn’t a common occurrence. Growing up, my house was never the one that people came over to hang out. Those times that they did, just like the Judybats, seem to stick with me a little more.
Music That Matters (To Me) 
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