Drive-By Truckers

Greg Locke: I love the new album, but feel it necessary to note that it is very long - but in a good way. Were there songs left on the shelf or did you guys run with everything you recorded? Can you tell me about the album-making process for a band with so many writers? Patterson Hood: It’s all there. We cut 19 songs and that’s it. I wrote about 50 and Cooley had a few extras. We would work on a song and if it wasn’t going magical we’d drop it and erase the take and move on to next song. There was one we really liked but we weren’t getting the magic take so we left it alone; we might record it in some future time. This album worked as one big piece, really. I really like how one song sets up and flows into the next, especially with three writers and singers. That’s my favorite thing about this band.

GL: Yeah, I agree, the multi-singer dynamic works very well for you guys. Maybe only you guys. [For those not in the know, Trucker co-founder Mike Cooley and somewhat newcomer Shonna Tucker share writing and singing duties with Patterson.] How have these songs - all of which have a very organic vibe to begin with - been treating you guys on the road? Are they changing? Growing? Busting at the seams?

PH: It’s just getting meaner and meaner as it goes on. It’s become a really intense but fun Rock show. So far it’s my favorite tour ever.

GL: Killer. Again, these new songs just sound like they were made to be played live. Where does this album fit in your catalog? It sounds to me like A BLESSING AND A CURSE never happened; BRIGHTER sounds like a sequel to DIRTY SOUTH to me, which was my favorite Trucker album until the new one came out …

PH: BLESSING is a bit of an anomaly for us. I know a lot of our fans weren’t too fond of it, but I think it holds up for what it is. But at the same time I think of records as a snapshot in time - and that wasn’t too good a time for us on a personal level. We were experimenting and trying to find a common ground at a time when there wasn’t a lot to find. This album is very much us in our element doing what we do best. We didn’t have an agenda or anything, we just had a bunch of songs and decided to just record and let the album dictate where it wanted to go. If it’s ever not fun move on. That makes a good motto for about everything in my life right now.

GL: Speaking of hard times for the Truckers [current Trucker Shonna Tucker married and divorced one-time Trucker Jason Isbell around this time], I got the feeling that BLESSING was meant to be a more widely accessible album - I have to think that was due to Isbell’s approach, which is clearly more Petty than Skynyrd. Not that there is anything wrong with that - he does have some great song. Speaking of, what’s become of Jason’s songs in the context of your live shows?

PH: He plays them in his show I guess. We have plenty of songs so there’s no need to cover anyone else’s.

GL: When is your next solo album, MURDERING OSCAR, coming out? I’ve been hearing about it for a very long time now, probably even a couple of years now …

PH: That’s all music biz bullshit. I wanted to put it out in 2005 when it was recorded. I tried again last year. Hopefully 2009 will be the magic year and it will finally come out. It holds up, I guess. It’s not like it was ever “in style,” so it won’t be going out of style any time soon.

GL: I hear that it’s amazing, you know, my spies told me. Really, though, I have heard that - I just can’t remember who from. Do you guys have any plans for when this tour is over?

PH: Over? What does that mean? We’ll be touring all year, then I guess we’ll sleep for a while. That might be the time to release MURDERING OSCAR. I’m sure we’ll make another album too. We may record some singles later this year.

GL: I’ve gone back and forth internally with this last question, trying to decide if it’s proper to ask or not. I apologize in advance if this is rude, but I know some people who just want the record set straight. Okay, once and for all, how much of the the Truckers’ writing and persona is meant to be ironic or exaggerated?

PH: What the fuck ever. I’d rather be moronic than ironic. I do love some dark comedy. Sometimes the best way to approach a darker subject is to inject a little humor. It’s never a joke at anyone’s expense, it’s just stories and songs. I don’t have a persona that I know of. Maybe I should change my name to Cletus or Jethro.

GL: Maybe. Everyone be sure to check out Cletus and the Boys’ new album, BRIGHTER THAN CREATION’S DARK, if you haven’t yet. It’s long, loud and full of memorable tunes, throwback guitars and rot-gut whiskey-fueled vocals. Five or six of the songs easily register as some of the best tunes of the year.