Drive-ByTruckers – Perilous Night
The Truckers have just released a new single, Perilous Night. It’s a straight ahead guitar driven rocker that serves as a great post election follow-up to their politically charged pre-election 2016 album American Band.
The Drive-ByTruckers have been making awesome music for about twenty years now. I discovered them about five years ago. They're now my favorite band. While I of course have favorites albums (Decoration Day and Brighter Than Creation’s Dark). They’re all great. Their line-up has changed quite a bit over the years. Singer songwriter guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley have been the constants. Multiple Emmy award winner Jason Isbell was also a member for about five years and recorded some tremendous songs with DBT (see blogpost Tearjerkers pt 1, Outfit).
They’re from Alabama and have roots in southern rock. That’s seldom obvious though as their influences are abundant, including the soulful R&B sound of Muscle Shoal’s Sound Studio. Patterson’s dad David Hood was the bass player for the legendary outfit.
Their songs rock pretty hard. Except of course for all of the soft beautiful ones, and there’s lots of those. Thematically, the albums can be pretty dark, including songs about suicide, murder, incest, feuds and occasionally politics. They changed course though with their politically charged 2016 release American Band. It put their southern liberal views front and center in songs about Black Lives Matter, confederate flags, school shootings, the Patriot Act, corrupt border patrol officers and the NRA. While it’s not one of my favorite DBT albums, I do think it is yet another great DBT album.
Ok, so now to the point of the post. As mentioned, they recently released a single (available on vinyl 
) called The Perilous Night. It’s a straight ahead guitar driven rocker that is a natural post election follow-up to American Band. Their feelings on our current commander in chief are made clear.
Dumb, white and angry with their cup half filled
Running over people down in Charlottesville
White House fury, it’s the killing side, he defends
White House is glowing from the Red Square light
The gates at the border being slammed down tight
We’re moving into the perilous night, Amen, Amen
Honestly, DBT is an awesome band. Once when The Band released new material a reviewer argued that any release by The Band is cause for national celebration. And that made a lot of sense. It's sort of the same thing with The Truckers. So check out Perilous Night,
Then check out American Band.
Then dive deep into their catalog.
- Alan Likes Music