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The whole process of doing this record was the first real break I'd had in 15 years. This month and a half with no gig was really the first time I could reflect and be introverted at all. -Derek Trucks |
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This newfound understanding of family and fatherhood has emerged in the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival, which he describes as "a living breathing entity. As the family changes so does the Revival. I like that about it." Spoken like a man with multiple outlets for his creativity as part of the Allman Brothers Band or touring with Clapton.
 Tedeschi & Trucks by Michael Saba |
"It's so great to have those different outlets. It's really great for your playing to take on different roles," says Trucks. "Sometimes being restrained will help you grow, too, like being a rhythm player in a band, leading that way, is a lot harder to do than the other stuff. To be subtle and lead you have to be kind of a magician [laughs]. [In the Allmans] this sometimes happens by taking control sonically, sometimes it's just the energy and presence you bring to it, sometimes it's backroom stuff. Since Dickey's been gone it's been very much a musical democracy; it's a different trip. When Warren [Haynes] or Gregg [Allman] are out front singing, they're physically leading the band that way, but if Oteil [Burbridge] wants to take over any tune he can do it. People might not notice it out front but he's running the ship. Sometimes I dig in and do it and just move it. You can feel that dynamic shifting throughout a show."
Returning to the new Trucks Band album and their choice of "Down In The Flood" to kick things off, Trucks comments, "Like so many things in life, it's about first impressions. A live show is the same way, where you want the first song to kind of state your case. That's what that Dylan song does on this record. It's amazing there's still gems in his catalog that are pretty unheard of." Mike Mattison's hellhound addled roar on this cut sets the bar for his performance throughout Already Free, where the singer hits some serious new studio peaks. "He's really settled into singing in this band and this sound. I was really happy and proud of Mike on this album. On 'Down In The Flood,' we started it with just a shaker track and I went back and played the whole thing on guitar and Mike sang it live in the control room. 95-percent of that vocal track was done live. He really stepped it up, both vocally and writing-wise, on this album."
The live feel of these sessions is often sensed first in the pleasantly raw vocals but quickly permeates the rest of the layers. It's a huge difference from the Pro-Tooled, Auto-Tuned slickness prevalent today. "That does seem to be a virus," chuckles Trucks. "You can hear when something's been messed with too much. I'm all for using the studio and a little studio trickery – it has its place – but I like to know a singer can actually sing like they do on a record. I want them to at least come close live."
Trucks has a great ear for singers in general, which may have something to do with the distinctly human, vocal qualities of his slide guitar style. Inside his warbled notes lays cries and sighs, breath and heartbeat, sweat and tears.
 Mike Mattison & Derek Trucks |
"I've dug in at times and avoided all guitar players and just listened to vocalists or horn players. I think the most direct connection to people is usually the human voice, and with a slide you can emulate that and maybe get to the next best thing," observes Trucks, who's also begun playing the sarod, which possesses also a long glissando voice. "The sarod and the electric slide are very similar that way. It's very emotive. For me, the introduction [to Indian musicians like VM Bhatt] came from Jeff Sipe, a great drummer. Whenever I was in Atlanta I'd stop by his house and he'd turn me onto some amazing, amazing music. He played me this footage of Ali Akbar Khan and Zakir Hussain together and that was it! I was forever changed."
This lightning-striking-earth dynamic acknowledges the way music can enter into our lives with a suddenness that shakes us to the core. Some of us, Trucks very much included, never get over the happy surprise of music from any era or any genre that resonates something true or joyous or profound or just plain strange hitting our ears, coming into our lives on vibrational air - a physical sensation that stirs the mind and soul and, if we let it, alters us forever more.
"It happens all the time, like a great Astor Piazzolla record. It just changes the possibilities and boundaries for you. There's a great one called Tango: Zero Hour that's just a beautiful record," says Trucks. "It's all just different threads. You know if something's inspired or if something's just running through the motions. It doesn't matter what the genre is, if somebody's speaking to you then that's that. If you're gonna learn to how to play it then you're going to have to dig in and learn the form and where it's coming from. You can't just paw at it all the time. But, the boundaries really don't matter as far as listening goes."
"If they're a real artist, everybody moves around and branches out," says Trucks. "Willie Nelson is good example. He'll do a reggae album then an album of standards then a folk record then an album of Hank Sr. tunes. He's one of those guys where it doesn't matter to him; if he wants to do something he'll do it."
One's sound bite often settles in fast in a culture obsessed with placing things in neat, easily sellable stacks. This is especially true for someone like Trucks who began stepping on stages while still a child to wow onlookers with his preternatural slide guitar prowess. This monomaniacal focus on his slide work is a disservice to one of the most flexible, innovative and just plain tasty guitarists today.
 The Derek Trucks Band |
"It just comes with the territory. I've been doing it long enough to know it's a long road and not worth getting worked up over things. It doesn't bother me at all," says Trucks. "When I first started out all that was mentioned was my age, the whole 'child prodigy' thing, and the connection to the Allman Brothers, then it was being a slide player or a blues player. If anything, you just keep plugging away and write your own story about the music you play. In the long run, hopefully it's a more complete picture. If you continually grind away and hone in on what you do then you can bend the story the way you want it to go. Everybody wants to relate it to something they know, but when you're writing about or talking about music it's impossible to really translate what you're trying to get across. You really have to experience it."
Which brings us to the title of the Derek Trucks Band latest effort, Already Free, one of those fabulous koan-like two word pairings, where multiple interpretations are possible despite the brevity. So, what does the title mean to Trucks and his band?
"That title came from the song we wrote of the same name but it encompasses a lot of things – the whole process of building our own studio and having complete control over the music, doing it ourselves, birthing an idea as a band and realizing you're always grinding away trying to make something happen. We're already unbelievably fortunate to get to play the music we want to play, and we're lucky enough to have a core audience that keeps gas in the bus and covers everyone's rent and keeps our families fed," offers Trucks. "And on a more personal level [with the title], sometimes what you're looking for, what you think you're missing, is right in front of your face. You just have to stop and take a deep breath and you're home."
The Derek Trucks Band - "Joyful Noise"
The Derek Trucks Band is on tour now; dates available here.
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