Originally Published: 2006-10-15

The note of weariness in Patterson Hood's voice from his Athens, Georgia, hometown is perfectly understandable. His band, Drive By Truckers, have logged serious road miles over the summer, supporting The Black Crowes and headlining their own dates. They're about to head out again, and even during a brief break at home, Hood has taken time out to play benefit gigs to aid an ailing comrade and to talk to Tandem.
Call this schedule a blessing and a curse. Drive By Truckers need to tour extensively to retain and build on their fan base, as, shamefully, commercial rock radio doesn't play them. That's inexplicable, given the group's totally accessible, high-energy, guitar-driven sound. Still, their audience is growing, thanks to a well-earned reputation as one of the best live bands around.
DBT are out promoting their superb seventh album, A Blessing And A Curse. That's a large body of work for a band together exactly a decade, and further confirms their work ethic. A key factor here is their philosophy on recording, as Hood explains.
"I enjoy making records, and I prefer to make them pretty quickly. I'd never want to move into the studio for a year, the way the big artists do. I think it's best to get in there, get it sounding good and just roll the tape. Do it as live as possible. It seems to have more energy and feels more real."
Drive By Truckers roll the tape literally, as they're firm believers in the warmth of the analog approach. "Our first four albums were recorded on digital stuff because we couldn't afford tape. For [2001's] Southern Rock Opera, we bought one reel of tape we used over and over. That was the low budget punk-rock analog compromise. I'd rather put my money into tape than spending a bunch of extra time. Get it on some tape where it sounds really good and keep it spontaneous."
Since Patterson and Mike Cooley formed DBT in Athens, they've gone through a few personnel changes, and now include a third writer, Jason Isbell. Three writers and singers and a three-axe guitar attack gives the band real dynamic range and a potent musical punch.

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