There isn’t a band out there quite like Drive-By Truckers. Almost enigmatic in their prolific eclecticism, the band defies Southern rock tradition to become something more, the kind of band that etches itself into your heart like young lovers might etch their initials into some old oak tree for subsequent generations to find. Overflowing with stories of humor and heartbreak, tragedy and triumph, Drive-By Truckers takes a humanist approach to Southern music that concerns itself deeply with social justice and that which unites us all. Plus, they kick fuckin’ ass.
Drive-By Truckers recently stopped in Colorado on their Charm and Decadence Tour for shows at the Ogden in Denver, the Dillon Ampitheater and The Mishawaka which took place over the weekend and celebrated the band’s 29th anniversary. Drive-By Truckers is a band that means a lot to a lot of people and the world is better because they and the music they make exist in it.
303 Magazine recently spoke with legendary Drive-By Truckers co-founder and frontman Patterson Hood — who was stuck in the band’s stalled tour bus on the side of the road in Needles, California when we spoke — about the band’s history, their ever-changing influences, being aware of their legacy and how it’s affected newer bands, the band’s future and much more.
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303 Magazine: Hey Patterson, how are you doing?
Patterson Hood: Y’know, this is one of those days on the road that’s… a lot days are real good and I love the band but this is one of those drive days where we’re stuck on the road in Needles, California and it’s hot and there’s nothing to eat that isn’t at least a mile away so it’s kind of that bad kind of day.
303: Damn, man. That sucks. Did you breakdown or something?
PH: Well, we had further to go than our driver could drive. We’re trying to make it from Santa Fe to LA and it’s a long fuckin’ way. We’re right at the Arizona/California line and there’s just nothing here. We were hours late getting here because the the bus driver couldn’t get an Uber last night at three in the morning to get him from the hotel to the venue in Santa Fe so he was stuck there. So we were, like, two hours late leaving and it’s just screwed up our whole schedule.
303: That sounds terrible, man. Sounds hot. Do you have an ETA of how much longer it’s going to be?
PH: It’s hot as shit around here, man. We’ll be here until about 5am and then will finish on to LA. But it happens. Tour’s been great so far. It’s been so good and there’s usually at least one of these days per tour, especially on the West Coast when the drives are so long. It’s okay. It’s not terrible or anything; it’s more just a kind of grumble day.
303: Well, thanks for taking the time while you’re dealing with that right now.
PH: Of course. I’ve got all the time in the world, man.
303: Alright, let’s hop into it then. I usually like to start these conversations by going all the way back to the beginning, to the early days. What are your memories of first becoming interested in music? When did it first pique your interest and when did you first start to play?
PH: I started writing songs when I was a kid, when I was around eight, third grade. I started buying records around that time, collecting records that I still have, like the vinyl records I bought when I was a kid. My dad’s a musician, a bass player. I think I started playing his bass a little bit when I was in probably eighth grade. I bought my first guitar the the summer before I started high school and started my first band when I was a freshman in high school and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s a long damn time.
Our band, the Drive-By Truckers, turns 29 next week. It’s crazy. I’ve been playing with Mike Cooley —
this is our fourth band together — for 40 years this August.
303: Y’all were roommates first, right?
PH: Yeah, we were.
303: Interesting. I do want to ask more about that and how Drive-By Truckers came about but first I want to stay in the past. When you were playing in these bands in high school, was that when you knew you wanted to pursue this for the rest of your life? When did you know?
PH: Yeah, I pretty much always wanted to do this. It took a long time to figure out how to do it and get it together but it’s what I always wanted to do.
303: That then leads me into college and when you first met Mike Cooley. Were y’all freshman year roommates like in the dorms or how did that situation come about?
PH: No, I was living with a friend and we were good enough friends that it occurred to us that we weren’t very good roommates for each other. I knew a guy who needed a roommate and I called him and Cooley was his other roommate so I met him accidentally that way.
The day I moved in, I saw he had a guitar and he saw I had a guitar and we’d sit around and drink beer and play guitar. That ended up becoming Adam’s House Cat, which was our band for six years. After that band, we had two other bands before finally starting the Drive-By Truckers, which changed everything for us.
303: I know what you mean. I’ve lived with friends that I still love to this day that I never should have lived with.
PH: Yeah, we were the odd couple. I was a bit of a slob and he was very clean and nit-picky so it wasn’t great for us to live together. We are still good friends, though.
303: Can you tell me more about the three bands leading up to Drive-By Truckers?
PH: Adam’s House Cat was our serious band. I’m sure The Replacements and R.E.M. were big influences at the time. That’s what we were really into then in the late 80’s. But we drew from all over. And it was a good band. It was a really good band, but we didn’t have any success. But we got to be pretty good. Then we did an acoustic duo for a while and then we tried another band that imploded pretty major pretty quick. Then we took a break from playing with each other for a bit and then the Truckers was kind of our final attempt to try one more time.
303: I read that Adam’s House Cat was voted one of the best unsigned bands in Alabama at the time.
PH: Yeah, we thought that was going to be our break but it never came. The recognition’s great but if the money’s just not there, you know, the time has come.
303: Tell me about how Drive-By Truckers first truly came together.
PH: I just started listening to a lot of old-timey country. Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, the good shit, you know? But I also listened to a lot of punk rock and a lot of rap. This would’ve been the 90’s, so it was a lot of gangsta rap.
I don’t know, somehow, I just had this vision of writing these songs that had the subject matter and kind of content more like the punk bands and hip hop bands of the day, but playing the music in that style of old timey country, and which is basically what our first album, Gangstabilly, did. Then after that, we moved on and did a lot of other types of stuff. But even then, even on that first record, it was like it put us in and we were playing more, getting more shows with that album than anything we’d ever done. And then, when Southern Rock Opera came out (in 2001) everything got to be a different size for us. We started playing bigger rooms and for more people and all that.
303: In those early days until now, you’ve always pulled from such a wide range of genres. Is that the result of your interests changing over the years or maybe just what you’re listening to at the time? Where does Drive-By Truckers’ eclecticism come from?
PH: We all have very kind of eclectic and different tastes from each other. I mean, we listen to all kinds of stuff. In our records, we get restless and are always wanting to try different things and all that. I mean, we’ve made a couple records that were sort of our attempts at doing power-pop. We have one record that I would label as what they call “country soul” — which is an almost forgotten genre and something that I’ve gotten from like Bobby Womack and some artists like that that were a big influence. Some of the records are a little more punk influenced. The Clash is a big influence. We draw from all over and don’t think about it too much, other than just really following the songs wherever they lead.
303: To follow up that question, you’re so prolific and tour so much. Between playing so many shows and writing so much music, how do you maintain that work ethic?
PH: I think Cooley and I have always had that kind of a work ethic. We’ve surrounded ourselves with other people who are like that as well and we go at it pretty hard.
303: Yeah, y’all do. Is there ever a burnout feeling that comes with it or is it pretty much always guns-a-blazin’?
PH: We’re always pretty guns-a-blazin’. After this tour, we’re taking more of a hiatus than we normally do because we don’t really want to keep touring until we make another record. So we’re hopefully going to make another record next year. I’ve got a solo record that came out this year (the incredible Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams) so I’m doing some touring behind that on the side, too.
303: That’s really good to hear, man. Now, to change direction a little, I’d like to talk a bit about lyrics and your songwriting process. I’ve always found your songwriting and your storytelling comes from a very humanist place. I feel like you tell these stories that are both personal and otherwise, and you touch on these ideas of social justice and equality and deal with topics that aren’t always found very prevalently in Southern music. What do you find yourself drawing on when you’re writing? Has that changed over the years?
PH: I mean, right now is a weird time to try to write about. It’s almost like the ultimate truth is stranger than fiction in this moment. Things are fucked up beyond belief right now so I’m not even quite sure where the next record will go, as far as all that goes. I usually don’t have too much trouble finding things I want to write about, but it’s all very perplexing right now, for sure.
303: Do you have a philosophy or message you try to put forth when you’re creating?
PH: I mean, nothing specific. Basically, something interests me, I tend to think on it for a long time before I write. Then when I write, I tend to usually write kind of quickly. I’ll think about something for sometimes a year, but then write the song in 15 minutes. It can be that kind of thing, but it varies. I don’t have any hard and fast rules, besides maybe, I’ll have to say, don’t be afraid to write a shitty song.
303: I think that’s good advice for any creative person, no matter the medium. I’d like to talk a bit about your own legacy and influence on younger bands. I’m not sure how much of that stuff you consider but for example, I was listening to this band called Wednesday and they have a song with lyrics that say “Driving around listening to Drive-By Truckers tunes.”
PH: Wednesday is one of my favorite bands right now.
303: No way, mine too! That Rat Saw God album is something else. But I’m curious as to what that means to you. Do you feel flattered or honored? Whatever you’d like to tell me.
PH: Oh yeah, super honored, especially because I already loved the band so much. I was already a big fan when that song (“Choose to Deserve” off Rat Saw God) came around. And then I really like MJ Lenderman’s solo stuff. I love to delve into a lot of new music and keep up with whatever I can. There’s so many killer bands right now, very young bands that I really love.
303: There really are. And that’s cool you said MJ Lenderman. I really hear Drive-By Truckers in a lot of his stuff. “Wristwatch” for example. That chorus sounds a lot like y’all.
PH: Man, I take that as such a compliment. I love that song and he’s a cool guy, too. I just played with him two weeks ago in Charlotte.
303: That’s so cool that you’re so appreciative of these young guys and talking to you about them feels like, I don’t know, like worlds colliding. So let’s talk about the Charm and Decadence tour which will be stopping by the Ogden before heading into the mountains. Tell me about it. What can fans new and old expect?
PH: Yeah, the shows have been really great. We love Deer Tick and Thelma and the Sleaze. It’s been fun shows with kick ass bands. With two bands that kick that much ass, it’s really making us bring our all and rock out even harder.
303: Well, Patterson, that was my last one for you. Thank you for taking the time. I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this chance to tell you that I’ve loved your music almost my entire adult life and it’s meant a lot to a lot of people that I love as well so this was a really, really cool conversation for me. Thanks a lot for talking.
PH: That means a lot. Thank you for taking the time as well.
303: Good luck with the bus and safe travels!
PH: Thanks [chuckles]. Take care.
Stream Patterson Hood’s latest solo album Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams here!