Drive By Truckers with Kyle Craft- Turner Hall Ballroom, 2/1/17

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

A 500 person plus crowd, consisting of an overwhelming ratio of men to women, packed the friendly confines of the Turner Hall Ballroom on a Wednesday winter's eve to see the southern rock 'n roll juggernaut known as Drive By Truckers.  Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and company have been together for over twenty years, and in that time have released a bounty of southern rock songs with a socially conscientious message, spinning well-woven narratives about challenges faced by Americans, particularly in the South.  Make no mistake about it, the five-piece ensemble from Athens, Georgia brings with it a full-wall-of-rock sound, but also does not shy away from dealing with the challenges of the times. With a large "Black Lives Matter" poster hanging from keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez's rig and the bold anthems from The Clash playing over the house PA as Drive By Truckers took the stage, it was evident that this band means business when it comes to heightening social awareness.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Drive By Truckers latest album, and arguably one of their all time finest, American Band was the focus of the evening.  The album, released around the same time as the 2016 Presidential Election tackles themes of social inequality, racism, and economic stagnation in the form of well-crafted, fist bumping rock 'n roll tunes.  Tracks like "Filthy and Fried," and "Surrender Under Protest" elicited large group sing-alongs with fists and hands with beverages raised in the air.  While the Truckers visited many songs from their expansive catalogue, the highlight of the evening was a new and poignant number called, "Ever South," which band leader Patterson Hood dedicated to a friend of his who is an immigration attorney.  In the tune, Hood wears his heart on his sleeve as he describes the immigrant upbringing of the character in his song's journey from Ireland and Ellis Island to Georgia.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Alongside stellar new tracks Drive By Truckers highlighted many of their classic tracks from years past including ruckus renditions of "Lookout Mountain," "Women Without Whiskey," and my personal favorite DBT track, "The Righteous Path," which featured a three guitar foray to crank the rock up to 11. 

Opening for Drive By Truckers was Kyle Craft and his band.  Craft hails originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, and his music reflects influences from everyone from Tom Petty to Bob Dylan to Neil Young.  Performing with a bass player, second guitarist, drummer and two keyboardists, Craft delivered his soaring vocals to perfection with a well-oiled band.  Craft's 2016 Dolls of the Highland record is worth checking out for stand out cuts like "Eye of a Hurricane," "Lady of the Arc," and "Gloom Girl." However, the most noteworthy track of the evening was Craft's politically angsty track "Before the Wall," which he performed solo at the end of the set as a protest song reflecting his discontent of the potential erection of a border wall between the USA and Mexico.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Both Drive By Truckers and Kyle Craft are artists who are on the forefront of modern protest music, keeping true to the spirit of their past influences.