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Update from Patterson Hood - 8/4/10

August 4, 2010 (Athens GA, office).

Happy August.

My Mom’s Birthday is tomorrow. Good manners will prevent me from revealing her age, but we can safely say she’s very young to have a son as old as me (my Father also).

The next day (August 6^th) we will play Lollapalooza in Chicago. It’s one of my favorite cities and I’m grateful to be there for the third time in very recent months. The 6^th would also be my Grandfather (Hood)’s 100^th Birthday. Happy Birthday Smoky! I will no doubt order a shot of fine scotch and raise a toast to a man I really never knew well enough but have none the less been affected by in ways that become apparent as I too age.

This week marks the 25^th Anniversary of my meeting and subsequently forming a band with Mike Cooley. 25 Fucking Years! Wow! I’ve always marked August 1^st as the beginning of Adam’s House Cat, even though it was some time later before we actually played our first gig. We basically slugged our way through six years in that band, followed by two years of playing as a duo (Virgil Kane) and attempting another band (Horsepussy) before splitting for a couple of years, during which time I moved to Athens GA and began the process of forming what became DBT. The Truckers were formed with the intent of luring Cooley back into the fold and I have always kinda considered it ‘his’ band, as it has usually been closer to his initial vision of how a band should be than Adam’s House Cat ever was. We will celebrate our Anniversary month by completing our eleventh album (Go-Go Boots) but will hopefully commemorate it in a more definite way sometime in the not too distant future.

It’s been a long and crazy summer. We had a blast opening for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers last month and look forward to playing one more show with them in Cleveland on the 31^st. There aren’t many bands we could open for that have been together longer than us and they are a constant inspiration to us all.

Been doing a little bit of writing. Excited about getting a head start on DBT-12. So much of writing is just waiting and trying to be prepared. I have likened it to building a runway so a plane can land, or building a high enough antenna to pick up whatever radio signals are out there. That’s the technical part but the important part is the signal itself and sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. After all these years (37 and counting) it’s still a mystery and I suppose it always will be.

Summer reading has included re-reading Levon Helm’s incredible autobiography “This Wheel’s On Fire” for the third time. Still great and still heartbreaking all these years later. I got to hang out with him for his 70^th birthday and he autographed my copy to Ava Ruth and Emmett. They can someday fight over it when I’m gone. Read a badly written, but interesting account of the Frank Lloyd Wright and the ‘Taliesin Murders’ from August of 1914 and then next day watched an amazing film that took place in Germany that same month. If you haven’t seen “The White Ribbon”, I highly urge it, as it was one of the best films of the last several years and I was left pondering it for days afterward. (It won the Palm d’Or at Cannes last year).

Went to Ciné (Athens’ great little art cinema) and saw “Winters Bone” which won Best Picture at Sundance this year. What an amazing film and if there was any justice, Jennifer Lawrence would win Best Actress at next years’ Academy Awards. I also got to see “To Kill A Mockingbird” there as part of their summer ‘classic films series’. It was great to finally see it on the big screen, having seen it a dozen or so times on the small.

My other summer reading includes “Just Kids” by Patti Smith about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe; and I’m still trying to finish Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” which is daunting but fantastic. I’m also reading “101 Things I Learned in Architecture School” by Matthew Frederick. I plan to set it to music and dance to it as soon as I finish it.

My listening has included ‘roughs’ for the next Centro-matic album, which may end up being their best yet. I’ve been on a huge binge of listening to The Long Winters, who I saw years ago and have always liked but only recently gotten a-hold of, Bobby Bare Jr.’s new album “A Storm - A Tree - My Mother’s Head”, which he recorded in 2 days with members of My Morning Jacket; and “Brothers” by The Black Keys, which has been in heavy rotation since its release.

In other news: Amazon is running a special on “Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)”, my solo album from last year. MP3 Downloads of it are only $5 for the entire month of August and I’d like to think it’s more than worth it. It’s not quite the bargain of say, buying Newsweek Magazine (the entire thing) for $1, but damned close to it.

Also: “That Evening Sun”, the fine film written and directed by Scott Teems (who this year directed our “This Fucking Job” video) and starring our friend Ray McKinnon is coming out on Blu-ray and DVD on September 7^th and PRE-ORDERS can be purchased now. I contributed two songs to it and Hal Holbrook turned in an incredible performance. It also features the last screen appearance from his wife Dixie Carter, who passed away a few months ago.

Don’t miss the new DBT Tour Dates for Fall and stay tuned for more details and dates forthcoming.

Back to packing, as we have Lollapalooza and a quick trip to Spain this weekend. Life is good, albeit busier than hell. Have a safe and happy rest of summer.

See you at The Big To-Do.

Patterson Hood

Update from Patterson Hood

Y'ALL:
Hope everyone is having a great summer.

VINYL IS HERE FINALLY!!!
We had them fixed, re-pressed and shipped. They should be hitting the record stores now. Hopefully everyone who reported a problem has had theirs delivered by now. If not, please let us know so we can get it fixed. Thank you so much for everyone's patience

We leave tomorrow to resume the TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS MOJO TOUR.The first two shows were a blast for us and we are so excited to play the rest of them over the next couple of weeks. Everyone on the tour has been swell to us and the sound is amazing. (What a class act!).

THE BIG TO-DO is now available online from Amazon for $5 (July Only). If you don't have it already, I hope you get it.

We are also happy to announce a free download of our song GIRLS WHO SMOKE which was previously only available as a bonus track on the vinyl edition of The Big To-Do, we hope you enjoy!

Our show at Louisville's Forecastle Festival is Friday at 6:15pm and being broadcast live on WFPK.

We have just put episode 9 of our THE BIG TO-DO WEBISODES up online this week at www.drivebytruckers.com. It's for the song "The Flying Wallendas" and is a good one. The final two
are coming in the upcoming weeks.

Also our Daytrotter and American Routes Sessions are up now and a Must See!

It's been a brutally hot summer, but I got to spend the day today at NUCI'S SPACE participating in their incredible CAMP AMPED program. It's a summer Rock and Roll Camp for teenagers (ages 11-18) where they divide into groups, write songs, play songs, have seminars about all things from survival skills in life and on the road to basic instrument maintenance. I make it a point to spend a day there with them each session (it's grown to two this summer) and I hope they get a fraction as much out of it as I do. (It's been a highlight of each year for me). One of the bands there is covering "Sink Hole" for their program and it's AWESOME!

www.nuci.org

Back to work and I look forward to seeing you all at THE ROCK SHOW!
Safe Travels,
Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers

When Life's All But Broken

Check out this review on Daytrotter.

WORKING THIS JOB VIDEO CONTEST

Make a video about working your (past or present) jobs and win! See details.

NEW Working This Job (This Fucking Job) VIDEO

Welcome to the premiere of the Working This Job (This Fucking Job) video directed by Scott Teems (That Evening Sun) and starring Ray McKinnon (Deadwood, The Accountant, Blind Side, O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Big thanks to Ray and Scott, two incredibly talented artists. This premiere is brought to you by Vevo. Rock ...Out! (This video is in addition to the upcoming fan video contest). Note there are two versions of the video, each has a unique ending!

"A friend turned me on the DBT's over a decade ago. I went mad for what they were doing. Not long after someone turned them on to my film, THE ACCOUNTANT, of which they claim to still like. And so, we were mutually admiring without knowing each other. Eventually that changed and I have had their music in three of my succeeding films including THAT EVENING SUN which I produced. Patterson particularly, has become a good friend and when I was approached to be a part of the collaboration in the making of the video, I could not refuse. They have all been such champions of my films so more than anything, I (and Scott Teems) wanted to do something that they would dig... Drunk or sober. They seem to like it. The video shoot was a fair amount of shooting from the hip. We were making some crucial decisions on the fly. Damned exhilarating, it was. But nervy too. Lunch was brought in but I couldn't get "Burger World" out of my mind after seeing the video cop enjoy his burger so much after shooting me (or arresting me). So that's where I went. A last meal of sorts. A damn fine burger, too." - Ray McKinnon

Open Letter to the Guy who stole our backdrop in San Diego:

OK guy, let's assume you were drunk and just being a stupid idiot for a night.
Shit Happens. I've done stupid shit while drunk too (although never as badly as you did the other night).
Let's just say, we know who you are and I'd like to offer you the chance to redeem yourself and perhaps save yourself some hurt.
Drive-By Truckers is not some faceless corporate conglomerate. We are very much a family business.
One that is running its affairs on a hairline budget during these tough economic times.
We're making a living, but we have to watch every penny to do so. In short, you just stole about a thousand dollars from our children and that really pisses me off.
Especially since we were personally hospitable to you when you sneaked backstage last night.
That's Right. We know who you are and saw the film, in fact we have it in our possession.
See, House of Blues is a big corporation so everything everybody does there is on tape from many angles.
We know your face and what you were wearing and we have you on tape stealing our backdrop.
We know what you do for a living too.
We will go to the authorities and prosecute you fully.

Or, you can send us back our backdrop. Anonymously. No questions asked.

Mail it immediately to
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
PO BOX 667
ATHENS GA 30601

Oh and don't ever do it again, because we will be watching out for you,

Yours Sincerely and Pissed,
Patterson Hood
Drive-By Truckers

PS TO FANS AND FRIENDS: Thank you all for your generous offers to send money to replace our stolen backdrop. We truly appreciate the gesture. Please know we are not asking for money we just want the guy who stole the backdrop to return it. If you have sent money we will not be depositing the checks and we ask that you do not send cash either. You all are the greatest fans and we really appreciate your support.

DBT on Later with Jools Holland

Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine

Drive-By Truckers are honored to announce that we contributed our version of "Daddy’s Little Pumpkin" to Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, an album celebrating Prine's rich and influential catalog, which will be released by Oh Boy Records on June 22nd. Oh Boy will begin a pre-sale on April 27th at www.musicfansdirect.com.

Consisting of a dozen classic Prine compositions vividly re-imagined by a selection of maverick musical alchemists, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows includes contributions from My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, The Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lambchop, Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick featuring Liz Isenberg, Justin Townes Earle, Those Darlins, and, reprising their respective tracks from In Person & On Stage, Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins and Josh Ritter.

Today’s avant-roots renaissance owes a great debt to Prine’s wry, ever-questioning poetic genius, and Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows is the sound of this upstart generation paying tribute to one of their heroes and mentors. That’s not to say they do so with sterile reverence – quite the opposite, as the interpretations span everything from stark stringband strains to R&B backbeats, gurgling synths, and relentless rockabilly rhythms. Astonishingly, despite the various perspectives, studios, personnel, and voices, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows holds together as a compelling unified statement. More of a heartfelt thank-you note than a tribute (after all, as In Person & On Stage demonstrates, Prine is still alive and creating some of the best music of his career), Prine’s irreverent spirit permeates every note.

DBT Play Birthday Boy on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

DBT broadcast on SIRIUS radio

SIRIUS XM Outlaw Country (Sirius 63, XM 12)
Performance and interview with MOJO NIXON
Don't have SIRIUS? Here's a link for a free 30-day pass to listen to SIRIUS XM online

VINYL STATEMENT

Y'ALL:

As everyone knows we, Drive-By Truckers, are huge vinyl fanatics and are proud to release our records in that best of all formats. We always go all out for high quality, employing world renowned mastering engineers and using the best of the best manufacturing plants. Our records cost a little more than many because we go the extra mile on all aspects from the making to the mailing.

Therefore, we've been perplexed and very upset to hear that some fans have heard problems with some of the albums. I approved the master myself, so I initially thought maybe it was some very limited quirk in the system, but further investigation has turned up some issues that we've been working overtime to correct.

Because of all of this, we have pulled them from circulation, postponed the official vinyl release to stores, and will be pressing up corrected copies to replace any defective ones that were purchased. Everyone, from the label ATO, to the mastering engineer and the pressing plant have been most helpful and concerned and we are all committed to making this right.

Please be patient, as it is all taking a little bit of time. Hopefully, in the meantime those with defective copies can make do with the free CD that was included. A well pressed album, if cared for properly can last a lifetime and we are all committed to getting this one to you as soon as humanly possible.

If you are one of the unsatisfied vinyl owners, please contact us at vinyl@drivebytruckers.com BY FRIDAY APRIL 2 (please include your order number in the email) and we will cover the costs to get replacement discs out to you as soon as we can get them manufactured. Please know that we MUST know by FRIDAY APRIL 2 so that we can properly place the order for those who are hearing issues with their copy of the record.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience and are totally committed to getting all of you the highest quality record that money can buy.

Yours in Rock,
Patterson Hood / Drive-By Truckers

Miss the Atlanta Shows?

Lucky you! The webcast is available on archive to purchase and watch at www.iclips.net.

Ten Songs to Improve a Pissed Off Rainy Day

Check out Patterson's latest playlist on MySpace - "Ten Songs to Improve a Pissed Off Rainy Day". Listen Now!

DBT APPEARS ON THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

We are excited about our debut performances on "Late Show with David Letterman" on Friday, March 12th and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday, March 31st. Be sure to check it out!

THE SECRET TO A HAPPY ENDING

A documentary about the Drive-By Truckers
The Secret to a Happy Ending does for Athens-based band the Drive-By Truckers what I Am Trying To Break Your Heart did for Wilco and Some Kind of Monster did for Metallica. Like the terrific all-access, behind-the-scenes band documentaries that preceded it, The Secret to a Happy Ending shows the Drive-By Truckers at their most vulnerable, a three critical year chronicle of touring and recording a band overcoming trauma and surviving a near breakup—all while also searching for an ever-elusive happy ending.

SHOWINGS:
Northwest Film Forum Seattle WA
Aug 13-15
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/

Jack Daniels Pork and Whiskey Festival Telluride, CO
Telluride Conference Center
Aug 14th
6pm - screening of THE SECRET TO A HAPPY ENDING
Short performance by Patterson Hood following the film

Ancient City Film Festival
St. Augustine FL
Nov 13
http://www.ancientcityfest.com

"Live from the Artists Den" w/ Booker T., DBT & a special appearance by Bettye LaVette

Wednesday 2/17 :"Live from the Artists Den"
In the Patrick F. Taylor Library last April, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Booker T. Jones and the Drive-by Truckers played songs from their Grammy-winning collaboration and classic MG hits, with a special appearance by soul legend Bettye LaVette.