Athens, Ga.'s Drive-By Truckers are reviving the Southern rock tradition with a gritty, rootsy sound owing heavily to Neil Young's work with Crazy Horse: ironic, since Young's Dixie-bashing tune "Southern Man" was inflammatory enough to inspire a famous verse in Lynyrd Skynyd's "Sweet Home Alabama."
Speaking of Skynyrd, Drive-By Truckers released a double-album in 2001 called "Southern Rock Opera" that loosely chronicles the history of that popular 70s band.
The songs on "Southern Rock Opera" describe the journey of a young musician who grapples with his Southern upbringing, moves north and discovers punk rock and eventually comes full circle and connects with his southern rock heritage.
Their most recent release of new material, 2004's "The Dirty South," pays homage to life in Alabama, where four of the five members grew up. The lyrics lament the replacement of family-owned businesses, small-town pride and heritage with the ever-growing presence of national corporations and conglomerates, diluting the culture and charm of their home.
Featuring three guitarists, three songwriters and three frontmen, Drive-By Truckers should be fascinating to see live. Check out their show at Bloomington's Bluebird on Tuesday.
If Drive-By Truckers took Southern rock and gave it an indie-rock makeover, the Dixie Dregs turned the subgenre into a prog-jazz vehicle for virtuosity.
The band, which has played together on and off since the late '70s, is led by the freakishly adept lead guitarist Steve Morse, who has also played with Kansas and his own band. Morse was expelled from his high school for refusing to cut his hair, which pretty much gives the group all the Southern rock cred a band could ask for.
The Dixie Dregs approach rock similarly to bands like Dream Theater, including lots and lots of notes, but with a distinctly southern twang. While other Southern bands like the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd developed their sound by years of jamming in dive bars and brawling with sailors, the Dregs formed while students at the University of Miami's School of Music and recruited original violinist Allen Sloan from the Miami Philharmonic.
The Dixie Dregs routinely play instrumental songs in their sets, which for many bands would signify smoke break/drink break/bathroom break time for audience members. Morse's lead guitar playing, however, works so well as a melodic instrument that I sometimes wish they'd ditch the vocals for good.
The Dixie Dregs play at Park West in Chicago on Wednesday.
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