Drive-By Truckers guitarist Jay Gonzalez steals the show from Patterson and Cooley in Vancouver

  photos by Jeff Sutherland By Steve Newton The Drive-By Truckers, probably my fave band at the moment--unless I'm in a heavy Gov't Mule mood--played the Imperial in Vancouver last night, and man were they smokin'. Touring behind their latest album, American Band, they played some of the finest tracks from that disc, including the … Continue reading Drive-By Truckers guitarist Jay Gonzalez steals the show from Patterson and Cooley in Vancouver

American Stars ‘n Bars: Lynyrd Skynyrd and the lure of the Confederate flag

By Steve Newton The Rebel flag. The Southern Cross. Stars and Bars. Whatever you call it, the battle flag of America's former Confederate states has been getting a lot of attention lately—most of it in the wake of last June's mass shooting of black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine parishioners were killed by 21-year-old … Continue reading American Stars ‘n Bars: Lynyrd Skynyrd and the lure of the Confederate flag

Drive-By Truckers tell of trophy tail wives taking boner-pill rides in Vancouver

photos by the newt By Steve Newton The Drive-By Truckers didn't play all of my fave DBT tunes at the Vogue last night. For example, there was no "A Ghost to Most", singer-guitarist Mike Cooley's jangley indictment of George Bush's macho posturing from the sprawling 2008 Brighter than Creation's Dark album. And neither did I get to hear my … Continue reading Drive-By Truckers tell of trophy tail wives taking boner-pill rides in Vancouver

Drive-By Truckers captured at its raw and raucous best on Live from Austin TX

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 12, 2009 By Steve Newton Drive-By Truckers fans had cause for concern when long-time guitarist-vocalist Jason Isbell—one of the group’s main songwriters, along with cofounding singer-guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley—decided to leave the southern rock–influenced alt-country band in 2007. But the group simply responded by recruiting guitarist and pedal-steel … Continue reading Drive-By Truckers captured at its raw and raucous best on Live from Austin TX

Writing songs saved his life, says Patterson Hood

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 26, 2012 By Steve Newton When he was 27 years old, Patterson Hood went through the most turbulent period of his life. His band broke up, he got divorced, and he had a falling out with his family, who he had been extremely close to. As he explains in the … Continue reading Writing songs saved his life, says Patterson Hood