Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers): Flagpole Cover Story

[Jahfin]

Purgatory Line

As A New Album Drops And Another Year of Touring Kicks Off, Patterson Hood Opens Up About The Difficulties Of Balancing The Drive-By Truckers, His Family, Money, Art… And How He Still Manages To Dig For Old Records

All musicians have a tough time balancing life and art, making rent and making music, and only a handful have been able to say they're able to make a living from playing their hearts out night after night. Drive-By Truckers guitarist and songwriter Patterson Hood is one of the few, and the path to that point hasn't been without heavy tumult. Last year, the band parted ways with guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell, who's gone on to pursue a solo career.

Read the rest of the interview here.

[Swede]

Purgatory Line

As A New Album Drops And Another Year of Touring Kicks Off, Patterson Hood Opens Up About The Difficulties Of Balancing The Drive-By Truckers, His Family, Money, Art… And How He Still Manages To Dig For Old Records

All musicians have a tough time balancing life and art, making rent and making music, and only a handful have been able to say they're able to make a living from playing their hearts out night after night. Drive-By Truckers guitarist and songwriter Patterson Hood is one of the few, and the path to that point hasn't been without heavy tumult. Last year, the band parted ways with guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell, who's gone on to pursue a solo career.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Thanks for the link. Interesting interview!

[Jahfin]

No problem. I always wondered what was going on behind the scenes with their relationship with New West Records, now we know. Too bad they've been holding the Truckers back. Now maybe we'll finally get to hear Patterson's long awaited second solo album.

[Swede]

No problem. I always wondered what was going on behind the scenes with their relationship with New West Records, now we know. Too bad they've been holding the Truckers back. Now maybe we'll finally get to hear Patterson's long awaited second solo album.

I had no idea they had problems with their label.. But I guess that's the nature of a record label, lotsa promises and talk, and then screw the artists over..

Hope they do better without New West.

[Jahfin]

It also helps explain why it took so long for Jason's solo record to come out. Hopefully once they have more creative control we'll see Truckers albums (and solo records) in a much more timely manner.

[Jahfin]

4 star review of the new record from Rolling Stone though they mistakenly refer to it as the recent iTunes EP:

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/...eations_dark_ep

Prospects were poor for what turns out to be an overflowing song bag of an album by Lynyrd Skynyrd's arty nephews. Their last winner was 2004's The Dirty South, preceded by two others in close succession but followed by the disoriented A Blessing and a Curse and then the loss of tenor-songwriter Jason Isbell. Welcome though her gender bend is, bassist and Isbell ex Shonna Tucker doesn't compensate by writing and singing. But Mike Cooley is on his game — the pro-bad-girl "Lisa's Birthday" and pro-weird-guy "Bob" shoot exceptionally straight. And knowing he has to carry the team, Patterson Hood executes — scene-setters about domestic life as celestial respite, endless struggle and occasion to drink; dark-siders about crystal meth (named) and suicide (implied); memoir of an opening act on the road; and two agonizing Iraq songs, one of which sinks pained voice into guitar attack, strength against strength. You could argue that the Truckers should have revved up this Skynyrd side more often. But instead they let the songwriting speak for itself, and it sings loud and clear.

ROBERT CHRISTGAU

[Jahfin]

Message from Patterson: My Rant (Clarification and Update)

Dear Editor:

I'd like to thank you, Flagpole, and Chris for the superb coverage

given to our band this week as we release our new album, play a

homecoming show and do our Nuci Benefit.

I'm afraid Chris caught me on a particularly bad day during a very

stressful and heated time of bad relations between us and our label.

While my rant reflected how I felt that day and some of my anger and

frustration was from issues simmering for several years I would like to

clarify a couple of points that were lost in my heated tirade.

1. George Fontaine is a locally known and respected figure, an alumni

and someone who has helped many worthy causes in this town. His

affiliation with our label is well known, but he has always been far

outside of the issues I was addressing. George has been a friend of

mine and Drive-By Truckers since long before we ever signed a record

deal and hopefully will continue to be for all the years to come. I

have never known a better or sweeter human being and hold him and his

family in the highest utmost regard. I regret any embarrassment or

ill-feeling my tirade might have caused.

2. When discussing the Black Crowes tour a couple of years ago, I

alluded to the miserable time we had, but failed to clarify that it was

mostly due to timing and a particularly bad period in our band's

dynamic. The Black Crowes' Organization (Band, Crew, Management and

Personnel) ALL were extremely kind to us on every level. They were

supreme gentlemen and I sincerely hope that my rant didn't imply

otherwise in any way.

This is a messy business and I never got into all of this to be a

businessman. In the month since my interview, we have all attempted to

move forward in good faith and for the mutual good of both label and

band and for the benefit of our new album, which I am fiercely proud

of. While my anger that day still simmers over some issues, we are all

moving forward and eager to put those bad times behind us. I'm feeling

somewhat better and tonight I get to Rock.

Thank You for your time and support.

Sincerely,

Patterson Hood

Drive-By Truckers

[Swede]

Sound great.. Jahfin, do you know if the vinyl has the same release date as the other formats?

[Jahfin]

Sound great.. Jahfin, do you know if the vinyl has the same release date as the other formats?

I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure a release date for the vinyl hasn't been announced yet.

[Jahfin]

http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/sto...t-3148503.shtml

Drive-By Truckers kick off tour with Nuci's Space benefit

SETH MCKELVEY

Even though the Drive-By Truckers have made it big, they haven't forgotten where they came from. The band is returning to the 40 Watt Club, where frontman Patterson Hood was once an employee.

"He's kind of never forgotten us," said Velena Vego of the 40 Watt. "This is definitely an underplay for the Truckers. I'm sure they could just come back and play the Classic Center now."

Tonight, the Drive-By Truckers will play the first of three Classic City shows before starting its 2008 tour in support of its new album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark."

To be released Jan. 22, the album has a lot of substance, playing nearly 75 minutes with 19 tracks.

"We didn't intend for it to be so long, it just kind of all stuck together. It seemed like one piece of work," said Hood, who splits the majority of song writing duties with guitarist Mike Cooley. "This record was fun, and every song was kind of a different and unique thing, yet it all sticks together pretty well."

Hood explained the Truckers try to raise money and awareness for Nuci's Space on a yearly basis.

"It's the least we can do I think," said Hood of the philanthropy. "Of all the things that make Athens special and stand out, Nuci's Space is definitely one of the biggest ones."

Josh Jordan, the co-owner and manager of the 40 Watt, said he has always had a great deal of respect for the band and the time and money they put into Nuci's Space.

"Not only are they great musicians, but they're good people," said Jordan.

Many of the songs will be played live for the first time tonight, and will be a chance to showcase the ever-growing nature of the band. Jordan said he feels the band is continuing to mature, even though it has been such a mainstay in Athens.

"The younger crowd loves them for their rebel-rousing, and now there's another a whole new aspect and another level to [the band]," he said of the band's sound on the new album.

Bass player Shonna Tucker also contributed to the band's growth by making her debut as a contributing songwriter, penning three of the songs for the album and providing lead vocals for all three.

"She showed up with these songs ready, and we were all very pleasantly surprised," said Hood of Tucker's new role in the creative process. "Especially because they're really good songs."

One of the founding members and long-time guest on the band's live and studio line ups, John Neff is coming on board as an official member for the album and upcoming tour, playing pedal steel and guitar.

"Brighter Than Creation's Dark" was recorded under the direction of longtime Athens-based producer David Barbe at the locally operated Chase Park Transduction Studios.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

When: 8 tonight through Saturday

Where: 40 Watt Club

Cost: $20/advance through School Kids Records

New CD: "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" available

Jan. 22 from New West Records

More Information: http://www.40watt.com,

http://www.nuci.org

[Jahfin]

Patterson Hood: Then & Now

[Jahfin]

Put together by Athens resident and photographer extraordinaire Daniel Peiken:

http://www.athensrockshow.com/cgi-bin/photoalbum

[Jahfin]

Interview: Drive-By Truckers

Interview by Joshua Klein

Back in summer 2006, the last thing the Drive-By Truckers wanted was a tour with the Black Crowes. It was nothing personal-- the band was run down and fighting. The marriage between guitarist Jason Isbell and Shonna Tucker was falling apart, Isbell was fighting with both Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, and Cooley was drinking too much in response. But if it wasn't for that summer tour and the money the band pulled in playing to mostly empty sheds, they wouldn't have been able to afford to take a break. And without a break, says Hood today, they would have likely broken up.

You can read the rest of the interview here:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feat...ive-by-truckers

[Jahfin]

THOUGHTS ON RELEASE DAY:

Y'ALL:

Today is the day we've waited for now for a few months.

Today's officially the day when the album is no longer my record (our

record) but now it's your record.

Don't have to treat her gently, as if she can't hold up to the abuse,

she ain't worth the bother.

We built her to last, skipping the undercoating and some of the

shininess but focusing on really stout suspension and a hefty engine.

Afraid she ain't too fuel efficient, she's a lumbering V-8, 4 barrel,

but she's built to last.

Getting criticized for being a demanding listen makes my day.

Too many things now a days are made for surface flash and disposable

enjoyment. Fast food cookie cutter mentality.

I don't eat fast food and don't spend too much time listening to the

hits of the day.**

That's probably why we don't sell more records, but that's ok by me too.

Most of my favorite records had to grow on me and many of them were too

long.

"Exile on Main Street" has lots of filler, yet I would hate to part

with a single note of it.

I like it better than the much more concise and friendly "Let It Bleed"

(which by the way I also adore).

"The River" is my favorite Springsteen album and "Physical Graffiti" is

my favorite Zeppelin. ***

When "Murmer" came out I didn't get it, but I couldn't quit listening

to it anyway.

I hated "Fables of the Reconstruction" but yesterday i listened to it

and loved every second of it.

Both of those are rightly considered classics. (Still love me some REM).

Not to put my band or our music in any of those categories. That's not

my job and would be futile even if it were.

As I said, we wrote it, made it, and now it's yours. The masters belong

to a record company but the music is yours now.

Our job is now to go out and do what we do.

Love my job and eager to get to it.

It's the true nature of what we do that the best Rock is sometimes the

most challenging.

My favorite artists and bands challenge my thinking, my preconceptions

and sometimes my patience.

If I didn't love contrary I wouldn't have spent nearly 23 years

slugging it out with Cooley.

I also wouldn't be a Neil Young, Todd Rundgren or Bob Dylan fan.

No one sits around debating the pros and cons of a two year old

__<insert modern day pop icon's name here>__ album, but folks are still

debating the validity of "Tonight's The Night" (which for the record

is my all-time favorite Neil Young album). ****

At any rate, thanks for the constant support and enjoy the album.

New West is releasing our catalog on vinyl on the 5th of Feb. No word

yet on release date for BTCD on vinyl.

Hopefully it will happen soon, as that is the way this album was made

to be listened to.

(4 sides, each sort of their own identity, sound of the needle moving

over the lacquer. Glory!).

One final note. I do love the concept of music as an open conversation.

Rock and Roll comes from a tradition of that sort of thing.

Also love the notion of an album as a document of a certain time.

The best things are left open ended and never set in stone.

Create your own play list of your favorite 10 songs and come back to

the others down the line.

Or simply turn it all the way up, roll down the windows (not if it's

too cold), and head for the open road.

Enjoy your travels and see you at The Rock Show.

Patterson Hood - Athens GA - Jan. 22, 2008

** = I kinda dig that crazy Amy Winehouse chick though. And I love me

some Radiohead who manage to be both demanding and somehow sell

millions anyway. Right on, nice work if you can get it.

*** = "White Album" is my favorite Beatle album. "Blonde on Blonde",

"London's Calling", and "Daydream Nation" are also big faves.

Todd Rundgren's "Something / Anything?" is my all time favorite album.

**** = When it came out I thought it was too slow and too long. (I was

only eleven but already a huge Neil Young fan so go figure).

His 73-75 Doomsday Trilogy period is by far my favorite period of his

work with "Zuma" and "Rust Never Sleeps" close behind.

[Swede]

It's great New West are releasing their whole catalog on vinyl! I will have to purchase a couple of them.. I think Decoration Day and The Dirty South is my favorites of the later DBT, so those I'll have to get on vinyl too. Don't know if I have the patience to wait until Brighter Than Creation's Dark is bein released on vinyl, I will have to purchase the CD first anyhow..

[Jahfin]

It's great New West are releasing their whole catalog on vinyl! I will have to purchase a couple of them.. I think Decoration Day and The Dirty South is my favorites of the later DBT, so those I'll have to get on vinyl too. Don't know if I have the patience to wait until Brighter Than Creation's Dark is bein released on vinyl, I will have to purchase the CD first anyhow..

Believe it or not, the hold up with Brither Than Creation's Dark seems to be with the mp3 download of the album that comes with it and not with the vinyl itself. Hopefully it'll be available sooner rather than later. The only vinyl I own so far is the first pressing of Southern Rock Opera. Apparently there's no difference in the newer pressing other than the packaging itself (there's no libretto). I'm hoping they will fix that on future pressings. As of now, there also seems to be no plans to press vinyl editions of Alabama Ass Whuppin' but they hope to make it available sometime in the near future along with new pressings of the CD itself (it currently fetches a pretty penny on eBay since it's been out of print for a number of years now).

[Jahfin]

Y'ALL:

I'm pleased to announce that THE WHIGS will be opening for us on most

of the March leg of THE HOME FRONT 2008 World Tour.

The Whigs are based here in Athens GA and are kicking ass these days.

Their new album "Mission Control" was just released from ATO Records

and last saturday they played to a packed house here at the 40 Watt.

(ATO gets points for releasing the album and a single on vinyl with mp3

download so crank it up).

The openers for Memphis and Nashville are one of my favorite up and

coming bands:

GLOSSARY from Murfreesboro TN has a great new album "The Better Angels

of our Nature" that they have self-released.

They make great albums and are a fantastic live band.

Also of note:

We have added a show in Huntsville AL at Crossroads for march 13th.

There will be no opener that night unless you count us).

Our Memphis show has been moved to The New Daisy Theatre on Beale St.

Once upon a time, I worked there so there is a lot of history.

Look for additional dates to be announced really soon.

See you at The Rock Show.

Patterson

[Jahfin]

Drive-By Truckers: The Burrs in Rock 'n' Roll’s Saddle

The Truckers earned universal acclaim for their well-crafted rock albums and raucous live shows, but 2008 marks a new era. PopMatters talks with Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood.

“Technology…it’s a constant burr in my saddle.”

—Mike Cooley

by Andy Tennille

Mike Cooley snickers like only a man nicknamed “Stroker Ace” can. It’s a few days before the Drive-By Truckers’ eighth studio album, Brighter than Creation’s Dark, is due to drop and the Alabama native and co-founding guitarist is pontificating on the difficulties of life in the Internet Age as I unsuccessfully try repeatedly to patch Truckers frontman and co-founder Patterson Hood into the call. Just as I’m about to wave the whole thing off, Hood’s gruff voice emerges from the static ether.

“Morning, shithead,” Hood says with a hoarse laugh to his friend and musical partner of the last 22 years. “Technology’s how you got all them kids.”

Read the entire interview here:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/arti...-n-rolls-saddle

[Jahfin]

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobas...tent?oid=402759

Drive-By Truckers: No parking zone

Athens group hits the passing lane for its best album yet

LIGHT AT THE TUNNEL'S END: Drive-By Truckers New West

By Scott Freeman

Whenever a band loses an essential member, things change, and not always in a good way. R.E.M., for example, hasn't put out a classic record since Bill Berry left 10 years ago. And he was the drummer. When singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers last year, it left open the possibility that the band would struggle to regain its footing. The band's first post-Isbell album not only shows the Truckers have depth to spare, but have risen to the occasion with a record that is richly drawn and executed.

Brighter Than Creation's Dark (New West) is a departure from the crunchy British-rock sound that has defined the Truckers. It's darker, more muted and melancholy. Patterson Hood, the band's chief singer and songwriter, says the band's muse was inspired by a tour last summer when the band played "Unplugged"-style. "It's an introverted record," Hood says. "A lot of our records more or less hit you over the head. On this one, we bring you into our dark and dirty room, and lock the door."

Isbell's departure has been attributed to the divorce he went through with bassist Shonna Tucker. Hood says the band is relieved the drama has played out. "We spend a lot of time together and when we're not getting along, it really sucks," he says. "There's a real good chemistry with the band now."

While the Truckers' new album may be something of a sonic departure, it is still rooted in the observational songwriting of Hood and guitarist Mike Cooley. These are songs that make you listen closely, that draw you into the storytelling and the imagery and the moods evoked by the music.

The band member who really steps it up is Tucker. Her Alabama twang perfectly complements Hood when she joins him on backup harmonies. And for the first time since she joined the band in 2003, Tucker contributes and sings three of her songs, including the haunting "The Purgatory Line." She has always written songs, but never presented them to the Truckers for consideration. "With this band, I was always pretty much the bass player," Tucker says. "It was a big transition, to write and sing. But it was time for me to step up and do it."

At the core of the album is Hood's "The Righteous Path," the story of a man who tries to stay true to himself even as he rises to a comfortable middle-class life with his three kids and satellite television and a boat in the back yard that hasn't seen water in years.

The record is chock-full of such vividly drawn characters – like the namesake of Cooley's "Bob" that all Southerners will surely recognize from their hometowns – and every song is almost like listening to a Flannery O'Connor short story set to a rock 'n' roll backbeat.

With the loss of Isbell, the band has added two new members. Guitarist John Neff puts a sweetly sad pedal steel on many of the songs. And more notably, legendary R&B keyboardist Spooner Oldham has joined up with the Truckers. Oldham played organ on Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman." He also played on Wilson Picket's "Mustang Sally" and most of Aretha Franklin's early hits.

Hood has known Oldham his entire life – his father, David Hood, was the bassist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and also played on those classics. When the Truckers recorded the Grammy-nominated The Scene of the Crime (Anti-), backing up soul singer Bettye LaVette last year, they asked Oldham to play on the session. "In the course of making that record, we decided Spooner was one of us," Hood says.

The album has a loose, prime-Stones feel and that's because it was recorded quickly and usually in first takes. The band recorded 17 songs in 10 days, then added two others in August after coming in from the road. "There's a real good chemistry with the band," Hood says. "It's the easiest record we've ever made."

And quite possibly the best.

[dragster]

Hey jahfin....meant to get here earlier, but my boss (bless her little.................*******). Gotta look into these guys better. Thanx for the heads up man!

[Jahfin]

Hey jahfin....meant to get here earlier, but my boss (bless her little.................*******). Gotta look into these guys better. Thanx for the heads up man!

I suggest searching "Drive-By Truckers" on YouTube for some live clips. You can also sample some of their new tunes via their MySpace site:

http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckers

[Jahfin]

Nice piece from Jambase here where not just Patterson is interviewed but other members of the Truckers as well, including the man responsible for all of their album art since Southern Rock Opera, Wes Freed.

Drive-By Truckers: Light It Up

Drive-By Truckers by Jason Thrasher

By: Dennis Cook

The Drive-By Truckers are an American treasure. You could chisel their likenesses into rock's Mount Rushmore, somewhere next to Bruce Springsteen and The Black Crowes, and never flinch while working that hammer. Where the marrow and muscle have been drained from so much that calls itself rock, DBT stands dirty and defiant, solid as a brick shithouse and fragrant as your first backseat grope. They're as human as they come, stumbling towards redemption with one foot planted in joy and the other in fear. Their music will make you lose your freakin' mind and inspire fat, healing tears if you let it inside.

Their new album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark (released January 22 by New West Records) has the same vibe as Neil Young's Harvest, The Black Crowes' The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion or The Band's self-titled second record: statements of intent steeped in musical principles offered without fanfare or unnecessary trappings.

Read the remainder of the article here:

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=12776

[Barryo]

Thanks for the links.

I'm a huge fan of the Truckers, a great band full of solid musicians. I'm especially fond of Patterson Hood's writing style, which ranges from laugh-out-loud humor to deep despair.

I've already bought my tickets for the March Memphis gig.

[Jahfin]

Thanks for the links.

I'm a huge fan of the Truckers, a great band full of solid musicians. I'm especially fond of Patterson Hood's writing style, which ranges from laugh-out-loud humor to deep despair.

I've already bought my tickets for the March Memphis gig.

There's only two or three fans here but I'm sure it won't stay that way for long. The closest they're coming to me so far is Asheville but I'm sure there will more dates announced soon.

[Barryo]

There's only two or three fans here but I'm sure it won't stay that way for long. The closest they're coming to me so far is Asheville but I'm sure there will more dates announced soon.

They do get around, that's for sure. You must be closer to the coastal side.

I just listened to the new album in it's entirety on Rhapsody.

It is a bit more subdued than previous releases. The band has (from reading the interviews) only recently emerged from a long period of strife. Record company difficulties, band member departures and divorce appear to be checkmarks on a long laundry list of problems for the Truckers.

Perhaps, by default, those events were the catalyst for the dark mood of this album. I definitely want to add this one to my vinyl collection.

I did not know that the Memphis show had been moved to Beale St, so thanks for posting that info as well.