At this point in time, any well-intentioned blues music fan knows that Susan Tedeschi is kind of a lucky charm for her husband, former Allman Brother guitarist Derek Trucks. But Tedeschi, 47, might be the entire city of Jacksonville's lucky charm now, too.
On Sunday, she sang the national anthem as the Jacksonville Jaguars took on the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Wild Card game. It was the first NFL playoff game in Jacksonville in about a decade, and the Jags emerged victorious, 10-3, after the defensive battle (or showcase of offensive anemia, take your pick).
Either way, balancing Jags playoffs games with a touring schedule is a strange issue Trucks, 38, and his band have to deal with in 2018.
"It's a new problem," Trucks told CL in a phone call in the days leading up to the game, "but it's a good problem."
This year is one where Trucks would like to leave the problems of the last one in the rearview. In 2017, Trucks — who entered the hallowed circle of blues guitarists before he was even 10 years old — lost his uncle Butch Trucks, his former bandmate Gregg Allman and his mentor Colonel Bruce Hampton. The deaths were not peaceful, but they did give Trucks a chance to reflect on things.
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"They all happened in different ways between Butch and Gregg and the Colonel, and, it makes you think about how your relationships are with people," Trucks said, adding that he's thought about things and deeds he doesn't want left unsaid or undone. In fact, one of the new Tedeschi-Trucks Band songs his bandmate Mike Mattison — who is also dealing with recent deaths in his family — brought to the table has been kind of a rallying cry for Trucks.
"One of the lyrics in the tune he wrote was, 'You strengthen what remains.' And that's kind of been my M.O. since I read that. You know, you take what's left and you try to make it as great as it can be. So going into this year that's kind of what we're thinking about. You know, you're making a record, and you're thinking about these guys. You learn so much from people like the Colonel, and Butch, and Gregg and Kofi even. The fact that he's still here is a damn miracle, but you don't want to take those things for granted," Trucks said.
"In some ways it's added weight, but it's good weight. It's get your ass to work no time for self-pity and bitchin' and moanin' and shit. It's, 'Let's do it.'"
Trucks & Co. will do it this weekend when Sunshine Music Festiaval rolls into St. Petersburg's Vinoy Park. Get details on the show via local.cltampa.com, and read our full Q&A with trucks below.
Are you on your ice skates up there in Jacksonville, Derek?
Yeah, you know, I kind of like this if it's only a few days. I don't mind it.
Are you holed up inside? I know that you guys just released "Alabama" and are working on a new record. Is that something you're doing right now before the winter run, or are you just kicking it?
You know, I'm in and out of the studio. By buddy Doyle Bramhall is flying today, and we're gonna go do a little bit more writing and maybe work on his record a little bit, too. So we'll be working.
OK. So you guys are still writing the Tedeschi-Trucks Band record, it's not like it's getting recorded or anything like that.
You know, a little bit of both. We recorded a few tracks that I think will probably end up being on the record. Sometimes you get into tracking and you, maybe, re-record things. We have some stuff that feels really good. We're writing as we go.
This is that home studio where, when it starts to get hot in there, you just turn on the tape and let the song come.
Pretty much — try to capture it when you can.
Yeah. Speaking of capturing it when you can, I wanna talk to you about Dylan since you're coming back here. Could we talk about the Clearwater and St. Petersburg shows you did with Bob Dylan? There was promoter drama that made your dad mad, but Dylan intervened, you end up playing “Highway 61.” You were too young to be nervous, but do you ever think much about that show? I mean, he remembers it vividly.
Yeah, I mean. That was a pretty amazing few days. I was young, but Bob Dylan, even when you're that age, is a larger than life figure. He was really sweet to me personally, and I ran into him maybe 10 years later, and he still remembered it, which was a surprise to me. I think I was 11 or 12 at the time, and when I met him again I was maybe 20, so I figured you don't make the connection. But he was great. Both times I got to hang with him. But those were pretty amazing shows.
Yeah, that story in the interview you did with Susan. Since you are coming back here, I wanted to ask you a technical question from a fan. I don’t think you bring the Super Reverb when you’re out with Tedeschi-Trucks, but some readers were curious about the rumor that you use Pyle driver speakers in your super reverb cabinet? Are they in the beefed-up super-reverb amp that Alessandro built?
No, they're different in the Alessandro, but I still have a few old Supers in the studio and, uh, one of them still has Pyle drivers in them. We were going through our studio storage room the other day, and we found some old sets of Pyles, and some of them that need to be re-coned, and some of them are still working. I thought it was funny. There was a little while when we were searching for 'em, and a few people would track 'em down on the road and bring 'em out. They were hard to find. They were such shitty speakers that no one wanted 'em. Haha. I guess they just stopped making them.
Yeah, I think that just goes back to touch and the guitar. I love the Pyle stories. I wanted to ask you another amp question. I think you came off the Super because the band that you're in is pretty big, and the Super probably didn't go with the sound. You have two other amps right? Know what you’ll play at the outdoor shows for Sunshine?
Um, I'll be using the Alessandro. I always have two onstage, but I only run one at a time. You know, just every day sounds a little different, so it's nice to have a few options. You're always tweakin' 'em and changing out preamp tubes and the power is a little different every day, so it's always something you're chasing down. It was that way with the Super, too. Seems like every night you're getting close and every once in a while you get to that spot where it feels just right, but it doesn't last long. It's a lot of work on Bobby Tis who is running monitors and guitar tech-ing. He's always trying to keep tabs on it and make it right. He works harder at it than I do.
Yeah, but you're always kind of looking around. As much as in the zone that you are, you can always see you looking at the guitar, trying to keep up with the band, find a pocket — you're working pretty hard up there.
That's true. I'm working a little bit, too.
I know you're kind of living in these sounds, but do you ever get caught up listening to Susan sing and find yourself slipping on a song?
I mean, definitely. With her, and with Kofi and really everyone in the band there are times. Some of it, I don't know if it's muscle memory, but when you get into that flow state is when you, when something really good is happening your rhythm becomes kind of second-nature. You're listening really hard and intently, and you kind of forget what you are doing, but usually if you go back and listen it sounds like it was the right thing at the time. It's rare that you go over the edge of the cliff, look down and realize that there's nothing under you, but it has happened.
You mentioned Kofi, and he had the heart attack in this last year, and you’ve kind of already talked about Gregg, Colonel Bruce and Butch as much as you can in the media, and Kofi had the cardiac arrest — have those loses and events made you think about yourself and the kind of legacy you want to leave behind, be it musically or on the relationships you have with friends and family?
You know, a bit. They all happened in different ways between Butch and Gregg and the Colonel, and, uh, yeah, it makes you think about how your relationships are with people, and things you want to make sure — you would never, if something happened unexpectedly, you would never want to leave unsaid or done. It does change your outlook on life a little bit, but I think more than anything it just was nice to put 2017 in the rearview and move. It kind of, it just gives you this sense that, you know, we're here — one of the tunes that Mike Mattison brought to the band, he was dealing with someone in his family who just passed. One of the lyrics in the tune he wrote was, "You strengthen what remains." And that's kind of been my M.O. since I read that. You know, you take what's left and you try to make it as great as it can be.
So going into this year that's kind of what we're thinking about. You know, you're making a record, and you're thinking about these guys. You learn so much from people like the Colonel, and Butch, and Gregg and Kofi even. The fact that he's still here is a damn miracle, but you don't want to take those things for granted. In some ways it's added weight, but it's good weight. It's get your ass to work and no time for self-pity and bitchin' and moanin' and shit. It's, "Let's do it."
It's almost of if it's the weight, you know.
Yeah, it is. And in a lot of sense everybody carries it, you know. Anyone that is connected to any of those people. Everybody is carrying a weight. We're not unique that way. There is a sense that there aren't that many people left doing it, so you should probably do it right.
You're right about that. I know the Colonel used to give you all these different albums when you were "ready." Is there anybody coming up that you try to mention like that? You seem super-humble, so I don't think you'd ever be like, "Oh, I wanna be like the Colonel," but is there anybody like that in your life that you hand over a little Sun Ra or whoever into the repertoire?
No one that I can think of specifically, but whenever you're hanging with somebody or hanging with a fellow musician or whatever, um, you're always trying to turn people on to things and share things. If there's something you think someone would be into or that it might inspire them you either write down a list of records, or whatever. I feel like that's one of the things that people in our circle do pretty regularly. You try to pass those things on, but, yeah, I don't have, at least not yet, at the age I'm at, I don't have that Colonel mentorship with anyone yet.
Yeah you were in a unique situation. That story about you and, uh, who was it they were shipping in from Chicago to do a kiddie battle with you.
Bonamassa. Haha.
Yeah. Bonamassa. Another fan question. I know you’re always mining for gold, but from the outside, it seems like you’re painting with whichever brush you want and with all the colors of the imagination. Is that you you see the guitar? What kind of challenges does the instrument bring you? Obviously there's that chase for tone, etc., but to us you seem 100-percent unchained and unrestricted.
You know, it's funny, it's both. There's sometimes when things just feel right, and you totally feel like you're in it, and you're trying to paint a picture and it feels like a nice, like a car or boat that you can slowly or quickly steer and it just goes. Other times you're just doing that, and you feel like you bumped up against a wall or ceiling where you know that you have to do a little woodshedding or harmonically go to work a little bit so don't hit those walls. It kind of depends on the day, it depends on the song, it depends on the mode that you're playing in. Some of them you feel so comfortable in that you can kind of float and do that thing, but there are times when you hit that place and you realize that you've got to go back to the hotel room, get a guitar out and work on something. Haha. You know, it's, that's the beauty of music. You're never fully there, and then sometimes you make headway in one area and maybe neglect something else, so you have to go back and get it up to speed. Again, you surround yourself who are really confident at what they do — or push you — it shows you your limitations in different light, so I always really appreciate that.
Right on, and I know we're running low on time, but I wanted to throw three little fun questions at you. The band loves cuban cigars — do you re-up when you’re near Tampa, or do those things just appear out of nowhere when you are Derek Trucks?
Haha. We're always on the search, you know. Me and Tim Lefebvre. Tim is a little more active socially than I am, haha, but he reaches out to people, and he's always looking for the best coffee shop in town and cigar shop, so he'll hip me to where we need to go. I'm a bit of a recluse when it comes to that stuff. But, yeah, there are certain areas in the country where we go and we realize that, "Now is the time to find a good cigar." So we have much time when we're down there I bet we'll be on the hunt.
Are you pretty stoked to see the Jag in the playoffs?
Yeah, man. It's been about ten years since there's been a playoff game here, so that's exciting. We're actually off for the wild card game, which is lucky. We've never had to factor in Jags playoffs and Tedeschi-Trucks Band, haha. It's a new problem, but it's a good problem.
And I saw that you brought Trey out for the Beacon gig, but I thought you didn't like Phish, man?
Haha. I think that was more of a reaction to Gregg. I've known those guys a long time. When we used to play up in Burlington those guys would come out to, I forget the name of the club, some club upstairs there, and Page would come out often. And I've run into Trey a handful of times over the years and he's always been really sweet and is a talented guy. I've never been to a Phish show other than the one I sat in, so I can't really speak to it fully.
Well cool, well, you sound pretty cold, so I'll let you get back inside. I know you think you like the, uh, cold, but it sounds like you're pretty chilly.
Yeah, I always pace when I'm on the phone, so I am just circling the house and the studio, but I appreciate your time, man.
For sure, and we'll see you when you come down. Thanks for talking to me.
Yeah, man. Looking forward to seeing it.
See ya, Derek.
See ya, man.
This article appears in Jan 11-18, 2018.