Interview With Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers

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This day in history: (1953) Roman Holiday opens, featuring Hepburn’s first starring role.

“The Hundred Dresses” at Georgia Children’s Museum. Friday & Saturday, 7 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m. Tickets $5 - $8, includes Museum admission. 478.755.9539. GeorgiaChildrensMuseum.com. 370 Cherry St.

College Hill’s Big Screen Movie Nights at Tattnall Park. Showing The Neverending Story. Co-presented by Macon Film Festival. Outdoor movie screenings. 8 p.m. Free. 478.301.2008. CollegeHillMacon.com.

Macon Architecture: a Story of Structures opens at the Museum of Arts & Sciences. New exhibit featuring Macon’s architectural gems. Hands-on components teach science, technology & artistry. Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m. $4 - $8. Free for students & Bibb Co. residents the last Friday of each month, 5 – 8 p.m. 478.477.3232. MASMacon.com. 4182 Forsyth Rd.

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City Market on Poplar Street Green Weekly market offers seasonal fresh and organic produce, skillfully created arts and crafts, free-style arts, baked goods, plants and herbs, handmade soaps, jewelry and more. 9am - 1pm.

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit in Concert Friends of Mike Weaver Foundation, Inc. present Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Tron Jackson – Live In Concert. Doors Open at 8:15 p.m., Concert at 9:00 p.m. Admission: $20.

Fall for the Arts Festival at the Grand Opera House. Family friendly arts fair with live performances & info about arts seasons and classes of multiple arts & cultural orgs. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free. 478.743.6940. MaconArts.org. 651 Mulberry St.

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Dinner & a Classic Movie at Cox Capitol Theatre. “I Want to Live" (1958) 6:30 pm. Call or check website for menus & films. $5 or $17.50 with dinner. 478.257.6381 CoxCapitolTheatre.com.

Thur Sept 2
This day in history: (1969) America's first ATM makes its public debut in New York.

Robert McDuffie Festival for Strings at Mercer University. Sept. 2, Distinguished Artists Concert. 6 p.m. Free. Fickling Hall, McCorkle Music Bldg. 478.301.5751. 1400 Coleman Ave.

Fri Sept 3
This day in history: (1990) President George Bush meets with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The theme of the meeting was cooperation between the two superpowers in dealing with the Iraqi crisis.

“Honky Tonk Angels” at Macon Little Theatre. “Dreamgirls” meets the “Dixie Chicks”…Country music revue. Join us on a hilarious, rollicking and touching journey that celebrates the voices of women in country music. Experience Stand by Your Man, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Delta Dawn, 9 to 5, Harper Valley PTA, I Will Always Love You and many other great songs through the voices of the three country gals who meet on a bus on their way to NashvilleWednesday – Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday matinees, 2:30 p.m. $10 - $18. September 3 – 12. 478.471.PLAY. MaconLittleTheatre.org. 4220 Forsyth Rd.

The Electric Social at the SoChi Gallery. The best in electronic music featuring: Dark Shadow, Element, and Old Flame. 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. $5 - $7. 478.238.6630. TheSoChiGallery.com. 534 Second St.

First Friday Alzheimer’s Benefit & art exhibit at Joycine’s. Ceramics by Rheetah! Flanagan, paintings by Martha Adams Thompson. 5:30 – 9 p.m. Free. 478.743.3144. 333 Cotton Ave.

Sat Sept 4
This day in history: (2002) Kelly Clarkson, a 20-year-old cocktail waitress from Texas, wins Season One of American Idol.

Battle of the Baddest Bands
Insurrection Sound, in conjunction with Storey Communications presents the second annual Battle of the Baddest Bands at 7:00 PM, September 4th, at the Cox Capitol Theatre.
This event is the grand finale of a five-week competition where the preliminary rounds were held at Wild Wing Cafe. Four of Middle Georgia's best up and coming bands will battle it out for prizes from exclusive music retail sponsor Music Masters in Byron, GA, recording time at Insurrection Sound, a live DVD of the event from Storey Communications and other prizes. Show starts at 7p.m. and tickets are $10.

Urban Hike Series: Walk and Learn in the Corridor 7pm Trees of the Corridor: Learn how to identify common trees found in the corridor with plant ecologist Dr. Heather Bowman Cutway of Mercer University. Meet at the corner of Coleman Ave. and College St.

Mon Sept 6
This day in history: (2002) Kelly Clarkson, a 20-year-old cocktail waitress from Texas.

Vineville Neighborhood Association Wine & Music Festival
Featuring five local bands and wine tastings by Michael’s on Mulberry. 3-9p.m. at the Big House, 2321 Vineville Ave. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $10 for students, $5 for kids under 6.

Wed Sept 8
This day in history: (1986) Oprah goes national.

Dinner & a Classic Movie at Cox Capitol Theatre. “The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954) 6:30 pm. Call or check website for menus & films. $5 or $17.50 with dinner. 478.257.6381 382 Second St.

Thur Sept 9
This day in history: (1939) Audiences are treated to surprise preview of Gone with the Wind at Fox Theatre in California. Gone with the Wind debuted in Atlanta on December 15, 1939, and became an instant hit, breaking all box office records.

Lord T & Eloise in concert at the Cox Capitol Theatre This duo are know as Crunk artists and performers based out of Memphis, TN. The two self-proclaimed ‘intergalactic time travelers’ and ‘forebearers of the Rapocalypse” have spent the last three years touring the United States, sharing the stage with some of the industry’s most important modern performers, and bombarding the American media with their own sense of style, bravado and showmanship.
“No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t hate it…as good, if not better than most of the rap I hear these days…polished, unique, and catchy as hell...funny, relevant, and original.”
- THE SAN FRANSISCO BAY GUARDIAN
Show presented by Adam Smith Productions. Concert starts at 9pm. Tickets are $9 in advance, $11 at the door.

Steve Penley exhibit at Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Preview Party – Sept. 9. Ribbon cutting, meet Penley, hors d’oeuvres & drinks. $10 Members, $25 general admission. Macon native artist’s portraits of Macon-related artists. Opens to public Sept. 10. Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. $3 - $8. 478.751.3334. GeorgiaMusic.org. 200 M.L. King, Jr. Blvd.

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New Macon Co-Ed Book Club:
Looking for a hobby? Love to read? Want to make new friends? Possess intellectual conversation? The new macon co-ed book club is just what you are looking for. For more information please call 912-227-4212.

Macon Arts Gallery September 3 – 25 – “Postcards to Macon” at Macon Arts Alliance. Photographs by Maryann Bates, ceramics by Michael DeBerry. First Friday opening, Sept. 3, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. 478.743.6940. MaconArts.org. 486 First St.

“Harriet Tubman: A Moses to Her People” at the Tubman African American Museum. Weekdays, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, Noon – 4 p.m. $4 - $6. 478.743.8544. TubmanMuseum.com. 340 Walnut St.

Steve Penley exhibit at Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Macon native artist’s portraits of Macon-related artists. September 9 – July 11 Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. $3 - $8. 478.751.3334. 200 M.L. King, Jr. Blvd.

Joycine's Art, Attitude & Accessory Gallery Costume jewelry, art and so much more!
333 Cotton Ave. For schedule and information contact Barbara at 478-743-3144.

Through Aug. 13 – “By Land, Sea or Air” at Middle Georgia Art Association. Tuesday – Friday, Noon – 5 p.m. Saturday, Noon – 3 p.m. Free. 478.744.9557. MiddleGeorgiaArt.org. 2330 Ingleside Ave.

“Images of Monroe” and “Fascinating Food” at Monroe Arts Alliance Gallery September 8 – 24. Wednesday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free admission. 478.994.8668. MonroeArts.blogspot.com. 54 N. Jackson St., Forsyth.

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“Sky Over Macon”, Fridays at 8p.m. Mark Smith Planetarium 4182 Forsyth Rd. Weekly, live star talk explore the constellations and far away celestial objectsvisible from Middle Georgia. Admission by donation. 477-3232.

Live music for kids every First Saturday at
Georgia Music Hall of Fame Every first Saturday from noon until 2 p.m., Included with museum admission, $3.50 ages 4-17. Featuring Pilar Wilder and Hayiya Dance Theatre.

Through October 10 – The World of Giant Insects at the Museum of Arts & Sciences. “Buggy Saturdays.” Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m. $4 - $8. 478.477.3232. 4182 Forsyth Rd.

ongoing - movies

Macon Film Guild: Every second Sunday of the month. Show times are 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Douglass Theatre, 355 M.L.K., Jr. Blvd. For more information visit www.douglasstheatre.org.

Sunday Supper at the Cox Capitol Theatre Doors open at 5pm, movie begins at 6. $12.50 admission includes dinner. $6 child’s plate available.

Dinner and a Classic at the Cox Capitol Theatre: Doors open at 5:30 p.m, movie at 6:30p.m. $17.50 includes dinner. Reservations are GREATLY appreciated by calling (478)257-6391, ext. 6.

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The Musuem of Arts & Sciences
Monday - Saturday, 10 - 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 - 5 p.m. Last Friday of Each Month, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Admission - Adults $8, Students 12-17 $5, Children 2-11 $4, Museum Members Free

Georgia Music Hall of Fame 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1pm-5pm Sun. 1-888-GA-ROCKS. $8/$3.50.

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1pm-5pm Sun. Admission $8, children 4-16 $3.50.

The Hay House, 934 Georgia Ave. Open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Tours are on the hour with the last tour at 3 p.m. $8 adults, $4 students. Children under 6 free.

Tubman African American Museum
Monday-Saturday 9a.m.-5p.m. Admission $5
for adults $3 for Children 4-17. 340 Walnut Street.

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Interview With Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers

Written by Brad Evans

Tuesday, August 04 2009 11:19

Best known as leader of the Drive-By Truckers, songwriter Patterson Hood was born into a musical family, with his father (David Hood) serving as the longtime bassist for studio legends the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Patterson began writing songs at the tender age of eight, and by the time he was 14 he was playing guitar in a local rock band. It was with DBT’s ambitious double-disc set, 2001's Southern Rock Opera, that garnered the Truckers their first dose of nationwide critical acclaim. Southern Rock Opera's success as an independent release helped earn the a band a contract with Lost Highway Records, which soon reissued the album on a wider scale. They will be hitting Macon in support of their newest album, Brighter Than Creations Dark at the Cox Capitol Theatre on Thursday August 20. We caught up with Patterson at his Home in Athens.

1.Got to tell you, Love the new record. Love it. Congrats. Love’s Shonna’s songs too. Is writing something you guys have been prodding her to try out, or was it something she’s been wanting to get around to?

She’s always been writing. It’s not a new thing. She was writing long before she joined the band. I first met her, years ago, and she was playing bass and writing with different bands around Muscle Shoals. Her and Jason were playing as a duo and I think they were just friends back then. But she was writing even then. It’s hard to balance three writers in a band. By the time she joined we had three writers that were pretty prolific and pretty intense. We encouraged her to do a song on Blessing and a Curse, but for whatever reason she decided not to. She’s already written several on the new Record, which we are in the process of mixing now.

2.    What are some of the influences for the storytelling on this album? There seems to be a little bit of a personal/political theme.

Sure it does.   The Album was made during the waning years of the Bush administration. It came out during the election year. There are definitely some political undertones, and a few songs that are more blatant about it. Sometimes, the best way to talk about something political is to talk about something personal. There really is no dividing line. I’m more interested personal stories, but even those stories are affected by politics.

3.    The addition of John Neff a couple of years back, who I just loved in the Star Room Boys, was a great move too, I ‘d always known him as a pedal steel guitar player, I never knew he could shred like that. I know he’s been collaborating with ya’ll for a while, what does he add to the dynamic?

I go on for hours about Neff. Pedal steel is one of the hardest instruments to play. If someone is a good pedal steel player, they are going to be a bad ass on the guitar. It’s the different between flying a Cessna and being a fighter pilot.   And Neff is just a bad ass on both. He was actually a founding member of DBT. The reason he didn’t stay in is because he was loyal to the Star Room Boys, so we lost him. We respected that but we weren’t happy about it. And I was a huge Star Room Boys fan too.   He still played with me some, and he still played on our records. We were finishing Blessing and a Curse. And he played on Murdering Oscar, so I was really eager to get him back in the band. After Jason left, he just stepped up to the front position.   It’s worked out well.

4.    I’ve read a lot about your relationship with Cooley. But I’ve never really heard how you met Mike Cooley.

We were roommates; I needed a place to live real fast. I got thrown out of where I was living. And when I moved in with a friend, Mike was his roommate. I saw the day I moved in he played guitar and he saw I had a guitar, so eventually we started Adam’s Housecat. Then when that band broke up, we continued to play together until we formed the Truckers in 96.

5. You are a big part of Nucci’s space (a resource center for musicians, providing low cost counseling for suicide prevention, and low cost climate controlled practice spaces) there in Athens, Why does being an artist automatically mean you’re tortured.?

I wish I knew (Laughs) I think most people turn off the personal emotion thing, and do what they do for a living. But the nature of an artist is that you utilize that emotion in what you do. Maybe more artistic people are more given to it, or maybe they just have to spend more time with it. A lot of people start writing to deal with pain or depression. I don’t know what came first, the chicken or the egg. But what these guys try to do is amazing, and they are successful, but still it’s only a drop in the bucket to what is all out there. I mean Athens is just one city with 300 bands.

6. Do you ever wish you could sell more records at Wal-Mart and not have to tour so much? I know that’s gotten better over the years but what do you think about those big box retailers?

I think big box retailers are the death, or a big part of the death of the music industry. They spend so much money buying out the artists, and then all the radio is owned by a couple of companies. Bands like us have been less affected by it, because we were never part of that. It’s nice not to have to be in there competing with some Pretty boy band at Wal-mart. The following we have we’ve built slugging it out on the road. One person at the time. I’d of course love to sell more records. But the most important thing is that we can do whatever we want to do, and not have to answer to anybody.

7. What made you guys put out a vinyl edition of Brighter than Creations Dark?

I love vinyl. That’s just all I buy. I didn’t want to release a record that I wouldn’t buy. I don’t buy CD’s. I can’t remember the last CD I bought, and I don’t plan on buying any anytime soon. The question is what took so long for it to come out, and I don’t have the answer to that.

8. I k now this ain’t recent news, Abut I’ve got to say the Betty Levette album was just phenomenal. I read somewhere this morning, that you pitched her like 50 songs she turned down. What were some of those songs?

There was a Tom Waits song in there, we tried to get her to cut, a Neil Young Song on after the Gold Rush, “Don’t let it bring you Down”. She just didn’t like it. She said it was too poetic. (laughs) I did a little better with the Booker record. He took three of our suggestions on that. And he came out with us on some shows, and we still have some shows we’re going to be doing with him. Australia with Booker was a whole bunch of fun.

9. Anyone else you’re looking at producing anytime in the near future?

I‘ve got a list. I’d love to produce a Tom T Hall Record. There are a lot of people on my list. I can think of tons of people I’d love to work with. I just have to find the time.

‘’
10. I know you’re familiar with Macon’s place in the history of Music. We’re on the verge of losing the Georgia Music Hall of Fame because of state cuts. DO you think it should be located here, just because Macon was the center of what happened in Georgia> or would it be better suited in a bigger market?

I think it should be in Macon. Macon has been the epicenter. Granted there hasn’t been a big scene there in some time. Sure I’d love for it to be here in Athens, and I can see why some would say Atlanta would be better. I have a parallel in my World, at the Alabama Hall of Fame which is also having economic problems; they have to cut back. There is a lot of talk about it being in Birmingham where people could see it, but Muscle Shoals is where it all happened, and that does mean something, but the town has to take advantage of that nostalgia. I’ve been to the GMHF and I love it. They’ve done a great job. That’s definitely one part of our history that doesn’t have a lot of negative connotations. Music.

11. What’s on your reading/listening list these days?

I’m obsessed with Dylan’s new Record. I love Old Man Dylan. Iron and Wine. Black Mountain. M Ward I saw him at the 40 watt last week and loved it. I’m reading a book by Andrew Mueller, Start from Here. He’s written about us some. He’s spent a number of years, traveling through war zones, past and present, and he’s written a book about it. Some of those places just continue to be horrific and some got better. He studies why that is. He wrote it as kind of a dark comedy. And it’s hilarious in a way that will make you cringe.

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written by Brad Evans, January 28, 2010

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