Southerners get a bad rap.
Yes. I’m from Kentucky (birthplace of Abe Lincoln and Hunter S. Thompson. Holla!), so I’m biased. I’m also a little sad that rich legacy of the American south has been co-opted by present day confederate flag-wearing, American flag waving, racist, stereotype-perpetuating Trump voters.
Yes. I know. Slavery was very, very bad. Very bad.
But, credit where credit is due: Southerners brought you sweet tea, seersucker, bourbon, verandas, charming accents, Mardi Gras, the phrase “Bless your heart,” and Jimmy Carter. And hey, that’s not so bad, right?
The south is also responsible for the best music. Yeah. I said it—and I’m not talking about the bro-country the stereo-type perpetuating flag waivers mentioned above listen to. I mean the real stuff. Robert Johnson. Otis Redding. Ralph Stanley. Johnny Cash. On and on and on.
And I humbly submit to the list of great Southern musicians the Drive-By Truckers.
Seamlessly weaving all southern music together, the Truckers are the standard-bearers of alt-country southern rock—with character driven good-old boy anthems like “Ain’t Never Gonna Change” and the heart-breaking “Goddamn Lonely Love,” there’s bound to be something for everyone at a DBT show.
They’re from the south. But not of it. See lead singer Patterson Hood’s op-ed about the confederate flag for all you need to know about that.
So raise your plastic eco-friendly Red Butte glass to the self-actualized southerners in your life, like me. And the truckers. Go ahead and raise them for killer guitar riff, too. And get yourself to the Drive-By Truckers on Friday night.
Drive-By Truckers play Red Butte on Friday, August 4. Tickets are sold-out. Doors at 6:30. Show at 7:30.
