Something Else! sneak peek: Drive-By Truckers, “Pauline Hawkins” (2014)

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So today, premier Southern rockers The Drive-By Truckers announced a new tour in support for their upcoming album English Oceans, due out March 4. See the bottom of this post for places and dates.

Oh, and one other thing: see the top for a stream for an advance listen of a track off of their first release of new material since 2011’s Go-Go Boots, “Pauline Hawkins.”

English Oceans, which debuts their new bassist Matt Patton (The Dexateens), promises to have more of co-frontman Mike Cooley’s songs and lead vox on it. “Pauline Hawkins,” though, is a Patterson Hood tune.

Hood, a literary and film enthusiast who often brings that interest into his songwriting, made a song around a character from Willy Vlautin’s most recent novel The Free. It has that immediate, Rolling Stones crunch typical of DBT’s rockin’ side but the soulful, organ/piano based bridge is one of those things that sets apart the DBT’s from most other Southern rock bands.

Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, the song is more road-ready then radio-ready. However, the tour provides a good opportunity to confirm how well it adapts well to the stage.

I strongly suspect that it comes off well there, too.

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Tickets for the tour are available from the band’s web site: http://drivebytruckers.com

PHOTO CREDIT: David McClister

Fri Jan 31 Asheville NC Orange Peel – with T Hardy Morris
Sat Feb 01 Asheville NC Orange Peel – with Promise Land Sound
Thu Feb 13 Athens GA 40 Watt – with New Madrid
Fri Feb 14 Athens GA 40 Watt – with T. Hardy Morris & Camp Amped Band
Sat Feb 15 Athens GA 40 Watt – with St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Fri Mar 14 Raleigh NC The Ritz – with Blitzen Trapper
Sat Mar 15 Richmond VA The National – with Blitzen Trapper
Sun Mar 16 Wilmington DE World Cafe Live @ The Queen – with Blitzen Trapper
Tue Mar 18 New Haven CT Toads Place – with Blitzen Trapper
Thu Mar 20 New York NY Terminal 5 – with Blitzen Trapper
Fri Mar 21 Boston MA House Of Blues – with Blitzen Trapper
Sat Mar 22 Washington DC 9:30 Club – with Blitzen Trapper
Sun Mar 23 Washington DC 9:30 Club – with Blitzen Trapper
Tue Mar 25 Indianapolis IN The Vogue – with Blitzen Trapper
Wed Mar 26 Milwaukee WI Turner Hall – with Blitzen Trapper
Thu Mar 27 Minneapolis MN First Avenue – with Blitzen Trapper
Fri Mar 28 Madison WI Barrymore Theater – with Blitzen Trapper
Sat Mar 29 St. Louis MO The Pageant – with Blitzen Trapper
Sat Apr 12 Berkeley CA The Greek Theatre – with Willie Nelson & Shovels & Rope
Sat Apr 19 Denver CO Fillmore Auditorium
Tue Apr 22 Vancouver BC Vogue Theater – with Shovels & Rope
Wed Apr 23 Seattle WA Showbox @ Sodo – with Shovels & Rope
Thu Apr 24 Portland OR Roseland – with Shovels & Rope
Fri Apr 25 Sacramento CA Ace Of Spades – with Shovels & Rope
Sat Apr 26 Los Angeles CA The Fonda Theater
Sun Apr 27 Phoenix AZ Crescent Ballroom
Wed Apr 30 San Antonio TX Aztec Theatre
Thu May 01 Austin TX Stubbs
Fri May 02 New Orleans LA Civic Theatre
Sat May 03 New Orleans LA Civic Theatre
Sat May 10 Dublin IRL Vicar St.
Sun May 11 Glasgow UK ABC
Mon May 12 Manchester UK Ritz
Tue May 13 London UK Shepherds Bush Empire
Thu May 15 Amsterdam NL Paradiso
Fri May 16 Antwerp BE Trix

S. Victor Aaron