Nothing screams “Southern rock” quite like the blistering sounds of Drive-By Truckers. With twangy and slightly distorted guitar, and nasally, heavily accented lines, the band has charmed listeners with their soft-rock stylings over the past 27 years. The band is set to perform at Pappy and Harriet’s on Friday, June 6. Lead vocalist and guitarist Patterson Hood has been a constant throughout the band’s existence, helping shape Drive-By Truckers into the consistent force of rockin’ and rollin’ it is today.
What was the first concert you attended?
I saw the band Chicago in 1974 (I was 9) in Florence, Ala., at Flowers Hall. It was the Terry Kath era. (Jimi Hendrix called him the greatest guitarist in the world.) It was pretty badass.
What was the first album you owned?
Not sure what actually came first, but among my very first albums were Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon; Jim Stafford, self-titled; and Bachman-Turner Overdrive II.
What bands are you listening to right now?
MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, Friendship, Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, S.G. Goodman, Will Johnson, and Craig Finn. I’m going to see Jason Isbell tonight.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Crappy modern country (like Morgan Wallen). Hate it. Seems like lowest common denominator crap.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I recently finally got to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I’d love to see Kendrick Lamar with SZA, HAIM, and Cameron Winter. I never saw Led Zeppelin, but always wanted to. That’s my time-machine band.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, per se. I love Hall and Oates unconditionally and without guilt.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The 9:30 in D.C., The Fillmore in San Francisco, First Avenue in Minneapolis, the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., and the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Ga.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“God could have thought up a better way / To teach me just how small I am / To teach me the other side of luck / Oooh small town is where my mind gets stuck,” S.G. Goodman from the song “Snapping Turtle.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Roches, The Clash, R.E.M., and The Replacements.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I’d ask Tom Waits about the best dive bar in Singapore.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
The Staple Singers, “I’ll Take You There.”
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything?
What song should everyone listen to right now?
S.G. Goodman, “Snapping Turtle.”
Drive By Truckers’ “soft-rock stylings?” Are you sure you listened to the right band?