Photo Credit: Brantley Guitierrez
Drive-By Truckers have announced the release of their 14th studio album, Welcome 2 Club XIII, due via ATO Records on Friday, June 3. Pre-orders are available now. Welcome 2 Club XIII is heralded by today’s premiere of its swinging title track, “Welcome 2 Club XIII,” available for streaming and download; the track – which pays homage to the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk where founding members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley got their start – is joined by an official music video streaming now via YouTube.
“There were no cool bars in town and Club XIII was the best we had,” says Hood, referring to the two vocalist/guitarists’ former band, Adam’s House Cat, “but it wasn’t all that good, and our band wasn’t particularly liked there. From time to time the owner would throw us a Wednesday night or let us open for a hair-metal band we were a terrible fit for, and everyone would hang out outside until we were done playing. It wasn’t very funny at the time, but it’s funny to us now.”
Arriving as Drive-By Truckers enters its 26th year, Welcome 2 Club XIII marks a sharp departure from the trenchant commentary of The Unraveling and The New OK (both released in 2020). Produced by longtime Drive-By Truckers collaborator David Barbe and mainly recorded at his studio in Athens, GA, Welcome 2 Club XIII took shape over the course of three frenetic days in summer 2021 – a doubly extraordinary feat considering that the band had no prior intentions of making a new album. Featuring background vocals from the likes of Margo Price, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and Mississippi-bred singer/songwriter Schaefer Llana, Welcome 2 Club XIII was recorded live with most songs cut in one or two takes, fully harnessing Drive-By Truckers’ freewheeling energy. Songs like epic, darkly thrilling “The Driver” and the spirited, horn-blasted “Every Single Storied Flameout” see the band – whose lineup also includes keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and drummer Brad Morgan – looking back on their formative years with both deadpan pragmatism and profound tenderness, instilling each song with the kind of lived-in detail that invites bittersweet reminiscence of your own misspent youth.
“Cooley and I have been playing together for 37 years now,” Hood says. “That first band might have failed miserably on a commercial level, but I’m really proud of what we did back then. It had a lot to do with who we ended up becoming.”
Drive-By Truckers – who just wrapped their annual four-day “Heathen Homecoming” event at Athens, GA’s famed 40 Watt – are currently celebrating Welcome 2 Club XIII with a marathon live schedule, including top-billed festival dates, and North American, European, and UK headline tours. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.drivebytruckers.com/shows.
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS LIVE 2022
APRIL
12 – Ponte Vedra, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall *
14 – Augusta, GA – Imperial Theatre *
15 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville *
16 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville *
18 – Lexington, KY – The Burl (Outdoors) *
20 – Ashland, KY – Paramount Arts Center *
21 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center *
22 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater *
23 – Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre *
24 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall *
26 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground *
28 – Boston, MA Royale *
29 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony *
30 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia *
MAY
1 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *
12 – Memphis, TN – Soundstage at Graceland
13 – Natchez, MS – Mudbug Music Festival
14 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheatre
24 – Helsinki, Finland – Tavastia Club †
26 – Stockholm, Sweden – Berns †
27 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller †
28 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio †
29 – Aarhus, Denmark – Train †
31 – Hamburg, Germany – Markthalle †
JUNE
1 – Berlin, Germany – Kesselhaus †
2 – Koln, Germany – Kantine †
3 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma †
5 – Raalte, Netherlands – Ribs and Blues †
6 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso †
7 – Brighton, UK – Chalk †
8 – London, UK – O2 Forum †
9 – Leeds, UK – Leeds University Stylus †
11 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street †
12 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 TV Studio †
14 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 (Jupiler Zaal) †
15 – Paris, France – La Maroquinerie †
17 – Mendizabala, Vitoria-Gasteiz – Azkena Rock Festival
19 – Eridge Park, UK – Black Deer Festival
JULY
14 – Breckenridge, CO – Riverwalk Center
15 – Denver, CO – Levitt Pavilion
16 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
19 – Omaha, NE – Falconwood Park
20 – Minneapolis, MN – Utepils Brewing
22 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
23 – Dayton, OH – Dayton Masonic Center
24 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Beer Garden
27 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Clyde Theatre
29 – St. Louis, MO – Open Highway Music Festival
30 – Maryville, TN – The Shed
31 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
AUGUST
2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
4 – Deerfield, MA – Tree House Brewing Company
5 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
8 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre
10 – Isle of Palms, SC – The Windjammer
11 – Isle of Palms, SC – The Windjammer
12 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
13 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns
SEPTEMBER
16 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond
* w/Special Guest Lydia Loveless
† w/Special Guest Jerry Joseph
