On the title track to “Welcome 2 Club XIII”, Drive-By Truckers pay homage to the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk studios where founding members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley got their start: a concrete-floored dive lit like a disco, with the nightly promise of penny beer and truly dubious cover bands. “There were no cool bars in town and Club XIII was the best we had but it wasn’t all that good, and our band wasn’t particularly liked there,” says Hood, referring to the vocalist/guitarists’ former band Adam’s House Cat. “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.” The 14th studio album from Drive-By Truckers whose line-up also includes keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and drummer Brad Morgan — “Welcome 2 Club XIII” looks 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. 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 the band’s freewheeling energy. Notes Cooley: “For us it’s always about just getting together and having fun, but this time there was the added feeling of being set free after a long time of wondering if we’d ever get to do this again.”
“Welcome 2 Club XIII” is the first single from Drive-By Truckers’ upcoming album ‘Welcome 2 Club XIII’.
The Fat Angel Sings 