Southern Rock Opera. The Drive By Truckers and then the Charlie Daniels Band. It was free. Sweltering heat. Opressive sun. Humidity up the wazoo. Beer was nice and freezing, but a little overpriced, but still, though: free. Three lead guitars, channelling Skynrd. Leathery guys with old, faded, bad tatoos and gigantic beards. Lady folk in bikini tops on fellers’ shoulders. Everyone smoking. Feathered hair. Porta potties. Baseball caps with plastic mesh in the back.
How good are the Drive By Truckers?
One the guys in the band is originally from where I live. Patterson Hood, I think is the guy’s name.
I heard a couple of their songs on Spinner a while back. I couldn’t remember anything about the songs the instant they were over.
A reporter for the local paper writes columns about them like they are the Second Coming. He felt it was significant that Rolling Stone gave their current album four stars. But these days Rolling Stone would give a CD of white noise at least two stars.
Rolling Stone probably felt they had to give a good review to 5 ugly guys, to even things out. Regain some cred. That shouldn’t take anything away from DBT, though.
Mr. Hood is the lead singer & main songwriter. True, most of their songs sound like non-descript guitar rock. At first. But they grow on you. Or they did on me, anyway. Their current double CD, Southern Rock Opera, is about growing up where you did in the 70’s, Lynrd Skynrd, George Wallace and arena rock. Its good.
Did you know Hood? His dad, forgot his name, was the bass player in the Muscle Shoals rhythm section. The one that backed Aretha, Staples Singers, etc., etc.
I love these guys. They play small clubs in Atlanta with some regularity, and I’ve caught 'em at the Star Bar a couple of times. They put on a fine live show in a young-hip-take-on-skynyrd vein. (You’ve gotta see 'em live to fully appreciate 'em.)
Atlanta readers of this thread are encouraged to catch them at Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday, August 10.
I tried to respond much earlier, the hamsters feasted on my post.
I don’t know Patterson or David Hood personally, but lots of people around here do or have a “degree of separation” from the MSRS. In my case, my father went to high school with Jimmy Johnson, the guitar player; and I met David Hood’s wife once when she used to work with one of my best friends.
I’ll have to give DBT another shot. You’re right, I shouldn’t let my skepticism of Rolling Stone, and my anti-local bias, taint my opinion of a band I haven’t heard much of yet.