Photo by Gary Jared
Patterson Hood, frontman for the Drive-By Truckers, released his first solo album in 12 years, Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams, last month. The singer-songwriter will perform at Terminal West on March 26, and his latest album is an exploration of his early adulthood and youth, told in reverse chronological order.
The first track, “Exploding Trees,” is a song about an actual natural disaster in Patterson’s hometown of Florence, Alabama. Heavy rain soaked the pine trees, and a sudden sharp drop in temperature caused several of them to explode. The events predated Patterson’s big move to Athens, where he began his life in music.
Photo by Gary Jared
The album carries an array of sounds, including Patterson’s debut on the keyboard amidst a collection of synthesizers, woodwinds, drums, and string instruments. Patterson also brought in some new collaborators, including Chris Funk of the Decemberists, Kevin Morby, Waxatcachee’s Katie Crutchfield, Lydia Loveless, Steve Berlin, and the surging rock band Wednesday.
“I would say this is a concept record about someone’s youth and coming of age, all of which it is, but none of that was really planned,” Patterson says. “It’s very coincidental that it turned out the way it did. I kind of marvel at that.”
The final song, “Pinnochio,” serves as the apex of everything Patterson has been working on for decades in his solo music, as it captures a duality of tone and his youth in a way that hasn’t been heard before. The song carries the lightness and optimism of early childhood, contrasted with lyrics like, “Life’s a hard lesson that keeps piling on,” and “life’s a hard lesson but it’s always teaching, arms ain’t long enough but I’m always reaching, reaching for a line that can save my soul, spending all my favors just to pay my toll.”
The song echoes a lullaby that Patterson seems to be singing to himself. “‘Pinocchio’ is probably the most personal song I’ve ever written, as far as really getting at the core of who I am but also who I was as a little kid, and the aspects of that that I’ve carried into adulthood and old age,” he says. “I am not sure how conscious I was of it at the time. It didn’t fit anything that the Truckers were doing, so it kept getting put in a separate folder. When I started putting together this record, I knew it had to be a part of it.”
Patterson’s last time in Atlanta was at City Winery in 2022, and the singer-songwriter says he’s excited about returning to a city where he has an immense history: “I love playing in Atlanta. Atlanta was the first place that we really pulled a crowd. When we first started the Drive-By Truckers, we would play the Star Bar. The first time we ever sold a room out was the Truckers at the Star Bar. I have heard Terminal West is a great venue, and I’m excited to play there. It’s gonna be fun.”
