The Soul Stew Revival is the Derek Trucks Band along with:
Susan Tedeschi
(Guitar & Vocals)
Duane Trucks
(Second Drumkit)
Mace Hibbard
(Saxophone)
Kevin Hyde
(Trombone)
Paul Garrett
(Trumpet)
Influences
Duane Allman, Elmore James, BB King, Curtis Mayfield, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Django, Albert King, Jimmy Herring, Jack Pearson, Ray Charles, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Howlin’ Wolf, Nina Simone, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Skip James, Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock, etc.
Already Free - New Release From The Derek Trucks Band
Recorded in the newly-built studio in the backyard of Derek’s Florida home, rhw January 13, 2009 of Already Free captures a band reveling in the comfort and intimacy of its surroundings. Whether due to the setting, the help of family members (both nuclear and honorary) like Susan Tedeschi, Doyle Bramhall II (Eric Clapton) and Oteil Burbridge (The Allman Brothers Band), or perhaps just that otherworldly musical connection between the six men of The Derek Trucks Band, Already Free is a clear and powerful document of a band in its creative prime.
As Derek puts it, “this definitely feels different than any record we’ve ever done,” a sentiment brought into focus from the very first ominous bars of the Bob Dylan gem “Down In The Flood,” a rendition that sounds both entirely unlike the original, and entirely unlike anything dTb has recorded before. “I think the music feels more realized, and I believe this will be on the list of two or three of the great records we ever do as a band.”
Now, we are proud to announce that Already Free is now available everywhere.
For a little extra music, and a few extra bucks in your wallet, head to your local Best Buy to purchase Already Free with three exclusive bonus tracks – “Ballad of the Chicken Robber,” “Swamp Raga,” and “Long Time Man” – each recorded in the Already Free sessions and never released to those of us on this side of Derek’s home studio walls. For a limited time, Best Buy is also offering a $9.99 sale on Already Free.
If you purchase Already Free from iTunes, you will receive one bonus track, “Goin’ Home,” that you can only hear if you pick up your copy of Already Free from iTunes.
And with a huge 2009 dTb Tour spanning multiple continents, several countries, and dozens of states, cities, towns and provinces, safe to say we're looking forward to seeing all of you down the road! Check out the full Tour schedule above, and stop by the DerekTrucks.com Tour page for tickets, show reviews, and much more.
"Down in the Flood" - New dTb Studio Track Available now!
As a little taste for those of you eagerly awaiting the new dTb studio album entitled Already Free (due in stores January 13, 2009), the new dTb single "Down in the Flood" is now available through the dTb Official Store, iTunes, and all major digital music providers.
Already Free was self-produced by Derek at his new home studio in Jacksonville. In addition to the core members of the dTb, the album offers collaborations with a close circle of family and friends including Doyle Bramhall II, Oteil Burbridge, Susan Tedeschi, Duane Trucks and more. The album came to life organically in Derek's backyard as friends stopped by to write and rehearse in the new studio. Derek explained in a recent interview: "When we went in the studio originally it was just to write and kind of get comfortable in the space. It wasn't to do a record, so there was no pressure. There were some times when everybody would go out to dinner and I would stay behind. If I got an idea, I would run into the control room, hit 'play,' then run out into the recording room and set up a mic. You'd hear this thing banging around and then this guitar part comes in. A lot of the album was completely done by the seat of our pants, and a lot of the sounds we got, it was just so in the moment."
Original material makes up a major part of this record, largely due to a luxury Derek isn't used to: time off. His hectic schedule finally opened a window for Derek to write at home with band mates and friends. "Everyday I would get up, and me or Susan would drive our two kids to school," Derek says. "I'd come back, have some coffee and then head to the studio and start messing around with a guitar and hope a song idea appeared. Somehow without fail, there was at least a song written every day, or some great cover idea that came to us and we recorded it. So there was a good three or four-week period where every day we were writing and recording a song. That was different for me." In addition to the wealth of original material on Already Free there are some choice cover songs interpreted and revived as only the dTb can do, including the single being released in November. "Down in the Flood," from Bob Dylan and the Band's Basement Tapes, is a tune that may have more portent now than when Dylan wrote it in 1967. "That was one that was kind of an afterthought," admits Derek. "We just went in and tracked it. I think it really turned out to be one of the most powerful songs on the album. Lyrically, it's pretty timely. Crash on the levee, down in the flood, are significant post-Katrina. They are good metaphors, as there are in most Dylan tunes."
So be sure to check out "Down in the Flood" for some fresh dTb!
dTb in the studio!
We know fans have been eagerly awaiting the next dTb studio release and you’ll be glad to know the process is in full swing. Derek and the guys finally carved out time this Spring from their busy tour schedule to focus on writing and recording in the studio. Derek completed construction on his new home studio in January after a year of hard work by his brother David and tech extraordinaire Bobby Tis. With the help of engineers Bobby & Marty Wall and the entire dTb band/family the recording process has been going great and this release will truly be a “homegrown” creation! As most of you know the time between completion of an album and release date can be painstakingly long due to the nature of the music biz so we’re probably looking at an early ‘09 release, but we’ll keep you posted on the progress and hopefully be able to offer some sneak peeks as we get closer to the release date! Stay tuned...
dTb Store
McCoy Tyner Album release!
Hi dTb fans! McCoy Tyner new album will be released on Sept. 23rd, 2008 featuring a stellar lineup including Derek Trucks, Bella Fleck, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, John Scofield. Check out this youtube video trailer to preview the recording!
The first two dTb albums "The Derek Trucks Band" (1997) & "Out of the Madness" (1998) are now available for download online for the first time on websites such as iTunes, eMusic, Yahoo, Napster, and more including websites in Europe. Go to the News page of derektrucksband.com for links on where to download the albums.
Our friends at Hittin the Note have a new Derek T-Shirt with art by Jeff Wood as well as their own Hittin the Note shirt featuring an image of Derek within the design. Go to www.hittinthenote.com to check them out.
Derek Trucks Band Discography:
"Songlines signals the dTb's arrival at a spiritual plateau after a decade long journey of musical discovery and cements Trucks' reputation as one of the greatest guitarists of his generation." - Music Today
"Young guitar guru makes jam record of the year already! Here he comes into his own, uncorking his eruptive, lava-lamp slide guitar on a set that interprets Delta blues and Pakistani Qawwali with equal authority." -Will Hermes, Blender
"[Songlines] is a deep-rooted, globe-spanning tasting menu of styles....Trucks solos with the authority of a big-lunged saxophone colossus." -Richard Gehr,Guitar World
"Expect to be transfigured by the holiest guitar in the west." - Village Voice, NYC
The Derek Trucks Band has been a work in progress for over 10 years, blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian, and other world music into the sound that now defines the dTb. The band’s mission has been to assemble a group of musicians that share a passion for improvisation and musical exploration, and to develop a united musical vision by performing with this core group of players for an extended period of time. The focus of the band is on the art form itself, despite the current trend of image-driven music on the scene today. The dTb aims to create progressive roots music in an effort to move the art form forward and re establish substance over hype. Following is a brief history of the band, and the diverse background of the musicians that make up the dTb.
Derek Truck's musical career began at the age of nine, when he picked up a five dollar acoustic guitar at a yard sale. "It was nothing special," he claims, “It was just the only thing that looked interesting." But that seemingly inconsequential purchase changed his life. After learning what he could from his father and a family friend, Derek began playing with other musicians around town. "It happened pretty quick," Derek remembers. Within the span of a single year, he had purchased an instrument, learned how to play, and began touring - with his father acting as road manager/chaperone. What had begun as a weekend activity quickly became a life’s pursuit, and would eventually result in Derek being the youngest player to make Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list.
Derek got his first paying gig at age 11 and formed his first band at age 12. Todd Smallie, who played with many jazz and blues musicians in the Atlanta area, entered the picture in 1994, when Derek was 15 years old. "We have so many stories and so much in common,” says Derek, “It's been an amazing experience with him.”
In 1995, Yonrico Scott rounded out the band's permanent rhythm section. More than 20 years older than Derek, Yonrico brings an incredible lifetime of experience to the table. Like Derek, Yonrico began to play music at an extremely early age, picking up the drums when he was only 7 years old, playing gospel music in church. While growing up in Detroit, Yonrico studied under Motown drummer George Hamilton before moving south to attend the University of Kentucky, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in percussion performance.
Born in the Bronx, raised in Washington, DC, Kofi Burbridge first picked up the flute at age 6. He soon began ear training and studying theory at the same time. Kofi's musical education was rooted in classical and jazz -- for the flute. While attending college at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Kofi landed his first touring gig. Eventually making his home in Atlanta, Kofi took advantage of numerous opportunities to play with his brother Oteil (bassist extraordinaire) and a host of like-minded, enthusiastic musicians. He joined the Derek Trucks Band in 1999.
In 2002, The Derek Trucks Band heard about vocalist Mike Mattison after recommendations by both dTb producers Craig Street and John Snyder in the same week. Mike had been performing and recording as part of a duo called Scrapomatic in the New York area. Mike performed with The Derek Trucks Band for several gigs and Derek soon realized he had found the final piece of the puzzle. Mike’s soulful voice and understated stage presence fit the band’s musical vision and Mike worked into a full time position with the band shortly thereafter. Mike, originally from Minneapolis, lived and played in Brooklyn for a number of years before finally being drawn to the Southeast and settling in Atlanta with the rest of his dTb bandmates.
Count M’Butu has been the mysterious sixth member of The Derek Trucks Band for the last six or more years. He is the only band member that doesn’t perform on every tour, but his presence with the band has become more frequent over time and the band always elevates their playing when he graces the stage. Born in Georgia in 1945, Count M'Butu studied music at Georgia State University and learned the art of drum making while in Africa, where he developed his love for and prowess on a variety of percussion instruments. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Frank Zappa, and Chuck Leavell and has shared stages with Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, the Allman Brothers Band, and Phish.
Derek, Thank you for adding me to your list of friends. I really appreciate it. My current project is a fiction novel with CD soundtrack due out in a few weeks. Wishing you continued success and a wonderful musical creative weekend. Hope all your projects are on track. Love your slide guitar.
My book page is now up but still under construction. Please pardon the dust. The link is http://www.myspace.com/joymillerbook Would love to have you as a friend there too.
I inivite you to listen to my version of "Greensleeves" included in my new CD and "touched" a bit by a spanish guitar. Bye! Amparo García-Otero. Singer and songwriter. Spain.
New CD "Brave New World" is on sale now at CDBaby and iTunes. It will be coming soon to Rhapsody and Napster. Check out new songs on my page. Guitar players everywhere will like "Feels like a Gun".
Hi there, The Derek Trucks Band!I wanted to let you know that we're running a 15% off promotion this week on ALL services! :) This INCLUDES MySpace design, Twitter design, album design, and promotional services! Message us now!-DanaOut(Loud) MySpace Design & More
As Thanksgiving Day rolls around, It brings up some facts, quite profound. We may think that we're poor, Feel like bums, insecure, But in truth, our riches astound.
We have friends and family we love; We have guidance from heaven above. We have so much more Than they sell in a store, We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.
So add up your blessings, I say; Make Thanksgiving last more than a day. Enjoy what you've got; Realize it's a lot, And you'll make all your cares go away.
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