New album "the big to-do" scheduled for release on march 16th.

Pre release info would suggest that this is a rock album and has been compared to side 2 of southern rock opera.

Yee haa

Thanks for the info RO.
Can't wait for this!

From the band's website -

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS SIGN TO ATO RECORDS, RELEASE NEW ALBUM
"Drive-By Truckers are the best rock band in America." CNN.com

New York, NY - ATO Records is pleased to announce the signing of Drive-By Truckers and their label debut, The Big To-Do. The album, which will be the band's tenth in their thirteen-year career, is scheduled to be released March 16, 2010. The Big To-Do features thirteen new tracks from the Drive-By Truckers and was produced by their long time producer, David Barbe (Sugar, Bettye LaVette). "It's very much a rock album," says Patterson Hood of the Trucker's upcoming release. "Very melodic and more rocking than anything we've done since disc 2 of Southern Rock Opera."

The inspiration for The Big To-Do came to the band during their time on the road. "We've often set our songs and albums in different periods of time, but this one finds us directly in our present. Riding all through the highways of America (and Europe) trying to make sense of a very different world than the one we grew up in," says Hood. "I don't write a lot of songs on the road, but I did more than usual on this album and many more were inspired by or set there, either in a literal sense or something I witnessed or heard about while I was out there."

Hood and Mike Cooley continue to be the chief songwriters of the group, continuing a musical partnership that has lasted over twenty-three years. Bassist, Shonna Tucker, flexes her songwriting muscles once again by contributing two original songs to the album. Brad Morgan (drums), John Neff (guitar/pedal steel) and Jay Gonzalez (keyboards) round out the current Drive-By Truckers lineup.


In related news, Booker T recently won a grammy for his new instrumental album "Poatato Hole". His backing band - Drive By Truckers with Neil Young on lead guitar. Ordered it coupla days ago, looking forward to hearing it.

This is a big, big album for the Truckers. Too much filler and not enough killer on the 19-song Brighter Than Creation's Dark. And while Shonna Trucker certainly made a worthy contribution, her songwriting is in no way of the standard submitted by her erstwhile beau, Jason Isbell. I'm hoping that Mssrs Hood and Cooley have upped the ante this time around, with less country and more Rock an absolute essential.

You can now listen the the entire new album "The Big To-Do" from the band's website (scroll down, bottom left)...

http://www.drivebytruckers.com/

Cheers Duck!
Currently listening & enjoying it.
You Got Another is stunning
The Flying Wallendas is another classic Truckers song imo

Looking forward to checking this out. They're surely due a good 'un.

A standout from the initial spin. Shona Tucker's best vocal to date underpins a hypnotic Beatlesesque mantra-anthem. Cool track.

"Daddy Learned To Fly" - Their best opener since "Where The Devil Dont Stay". A nailed on example of how to make a big statement while being a little Petty, i.e. Tom.

"After The Scene Dies" - Classic Neil Young-inspired Trucker Rock Melancholia. Righteous!

"One Day It's Gonna Be I Told Ya So" - Another Shona Tucker lead vocal, reminiscent of the gentler side of Buckingham/Nicks pre their Rumours-era coke-inspired bacchanalia. DBT are seriously channeling Fleetwood Mac circa-1975 on this one.

I think there's a touch of Exile On Mainstreet era Stones about some of the tracks as well(Cooley)in feel as much as anything

Listening away to this. It's in the fine tradition of Truckers growers. A good return to form after the relative downturn suffered by BTCD, IMVHO.

The Drive By Truckers will release a series of webisodes that tell the behind the scenes story of each song from the record. You will see footage of the band working on The Big To-Do in the studio in Athens, Georgia, clips of the band performing the new songs at soundcheck and in concert, and in depth interviews with the band members telling the stories behind the songs. The first of these webisodes will feature Mike Cooley's 'Birthday Boy', the final song recorded for the album.

Episode 1

From www.nme.com

For 12 years now, Athens, Georgia’s Drive-By Truckers have been conjuring up a vivid world in which the swamps are choked with the victims of psychopaths, the local whores are shrinks and booze turns livers into leather. But never have Patterson Hood’s five-piece sounded quite so cranky and furiously righteous as they do on this terrific, ear-splitting sprawl of shit-kicking country boogie. Powered by a three-axe onslaught of shirt-billowing riffs – the sort J Mascis would give his greying locks for – this is the gnarly, heads-down sound of survival and when they growl “there was damage done but I made it home, woke up on the floor” (on ‘The Fourth Night Of My Drinking’) it sounds like they know their subject matter well.

Chris Parkin

Great in-depth review from The Independent

9/10 for the new album in Classic Rock.

It was album of the month in Uncut

Truckers have just announced Euro dates today starting this November. No Irish shows at the mo, but it's early days. Fingers crossed!

Have yet to see this brilliant band live. If there are no Irish shows and some of you are doing a trip across to the UK i'd definitely be interested. Please keep me in mind if/when making plans.

The Glasgow date is the day i get off the rig so i will be going to that one Duck.
Great live band.
The Dublin show me & RO were at was a cracking night

Cracking video for Working This Job

Fellow Truckers devotees will be saddened to learn that Chester Adams, protagonist from the song "18 Wheels of Love" sadly passed away last week. If you're unfamiliar with the background to the song's story, Patterson gives a lengthy explanation in the last DBT DVD. A truly heart-warming and heroic tale, all 100% fact. Well worth checking out. Chester RIP.