Drive By Truckers
Album: Decoration Day
Release Date: 2003
The Drive-By Truckers (DBT) sit at the Pantheon of great lyricists, capable of reflecting the emotions of small-town America in a way reminiscent of the great Bruce Springsteen. On this album, they deal with divorce, suicide, and consequences for choices, but keep the music aggressive and up-tempo. It’s not until you look past the guitar solos that you realize how raw and personal the album is. Patterson Hood uses “Heathens,” “Your Daddy Hates Me,” and “Something’s Got To Give,” to deliver his divorce trilogy in the most rockstar way possible. It’s not an apology, but it’s at least an acknowledgment.
At the time of this recording, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley had been playing together for over twenty years but were just getting their first taste of commercial success. They were also featuring rising star in Jason Isbell for the first tome to round out the three guitar attack. He would record two more albums with them before being forced out of the band. The songs Jason produced during his DBT years tend to be grittier than his solo work, and he provides the title track for this album– a menacing rendition of the Hatfield & McCoy plot. His other contribution, “Outfit,” recounts the advice his father gave him when he boarded the tour van for the first time.
Side three has the heaviest material on the album. Several years prior, Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood had a bandmate commit suicide. Unbeknownst to each other, they each showed up to the recording session with a song about the suicide and decided to keep both on the album. The songs show up back-to-back, with Cooley starting things off with “When the Pin Hits the Shell,” and then Patterson finishing with “Do It to Yourself.” The songs capture the feelings of anger, guilt, confusion, and sorrow that come with this kind of tragedy.
Despite the heavy material, it’s not a dark album. If you’ve been to a truckers concert you recognize these as the anthems that get people whooping and waving their beers in the air. It is pure no-holds barred guitar rock. The grizzled veterans and their young sidekick are putting on a rock show here.
Disclaimer: It’s a long stretch to include the Drive By Truckers in a collection that tells the story of Texas music. DBT has Alabama roots, but are one of the standard bearers for an impressive Athens music scene that also boasts R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. We are making the stretch because this album is arguably the best modern example of the country rock music Austin was famous for in the seventies. DBT is a hard touring band, and the live music capital of the world has one of their highest concentration of fans. They’ve spent a good amount of time here and played the Red Eyed Fly, Paramount Theatre, Stubb’s, the Scoot Inn, ACL Fest, and the Moody Theatre. They’ve even (grudgingly) played at SXSW twice. They might be proud of their Alabama roots, but we consider them honorary Austinites.
Jack & Coke
This album confronts serious issues without blinking and we are going to match that energy. Jason Isbell was developing a destructive relationship with alcohol during this period. It was a dark path that ultimately led to his split from the band and personal demons he had to battle. His drink of choice was Jack and Coke and we will join him in that libation.
This might not be a sophisticated drink but that is no reason to ignore the details. The essential ingredient is Coke, and the best on the market is the glass bottled version from Mexico that contains real cane sugar. The extra sweetness cuts the Jack and lets us mix it strong while maintaining balance. Adding a squeeze of lime at the end introduces a slight complexity to the flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Jack Daniels Whiskey
- 2 oz Mexican Coke
- Lime Wedge
Directions
- Pour whiskey and coke into a rocks glass and mix with spoon
- Add ice
- Squeeze lime
