The Drive-By Truckers Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 8th 2010 8:31AM by Kenneth Partridge
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The Drive-By Truckers are about as close as it gets to a sure thing. On March 16, the band will release its eighth studio album, 'The Big To-Do,' yet another choice collection of Stones-y riffs, Springsteen-grade storytelling and Skynyrd swagger. The Truckers have been, well, trucking since 1996, when singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Patterson Hood moved from Alabama to Athens, Ga., and began setting Southern mythology to music. Spinner spoke with Hood as he readied for an album release, SXSW and a spring tour.

Describe your sound in your own words.

It's a rock 'n' roll band. I keep going back to that. People say, "What type?" I say, "All types." That's what I like about rock 'n' roll: It doesn't zero you in on any one thing. It depends on the song. We really follow the song. If the song calls for it to be played with pedal steel and a fiddle, we've got a pedal steel and we know some fiddle players. If it calls for arena rock, we know how to do that, or R&B kind of things. Obviously, there's a storytelling aspect to what we do. I've always loved that. In the '90s, when we started this band, there wasn't anybody doing that, especially not in the context of a rock show. So that's definitely part of it.

How did your band form?

I moved into an apartment and [guitarist Mike] Cooley was the other roommate. I moved in with a guy I knew in '85, and [Cooley] and I have played together ever since. I started this band after I moved to Athens, Ga. I had the name, and I had the idea for what became our first two records.

What are your musical influences?

Elton John, Todd Rundgren, T. Rex and Hank Williams.

How did you come up with your band name?

God, it was a drunken joke that went too far. It seemed like a good idea in '96.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Air conditioner. They're always hot.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I'm not guilty about any of them. I guess that's the point I'm supposed to talk about our deep abiding love of Hall and Oates, but I really would take exception to being labeled a guilty pleasure. We're all very comfortable in our deep love for Hall and Oates. Cooley is the biggest Hall and Oates fan I've ever met.

Beatles or Stones?

Both. Life without both would be awful.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

The fact that I've played with Cooley for 25 years ... That's a long f---ing time. And the fact that we didn't even like each other for the first 10.