Last night, instead of watching the Pen beat our beloved Wings, I headed up to the Royal Oak Music Theater to catch the Derek Trucks Band. Opening for DTB was Ruthie Foster, a bluesy, rockin singer with a solid backing band. I came in during her first song and was immediately impressed, although I should have known that Trucks wouldn’t have just anybody opening for the band bearing his name. Foster’s drummer and bass player were also women, a refreshing change from so many Y chromosome-heavy bands, and they brought it to the ROMT.
The turnout wasn’t particularly heavy, although it being a Tuesday night AND potentially the last game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, it stands to reason. While the crowd contained the mix of dorky white guys with their t-shirts tucked into their jeans, bikers, hippie kids, and ‘regular folks’ it was skewed toward a more Allman Brothers kind of audience. Outside the ROMT were parked several Harleys, and as one of the two lead guitarists in the Allman Brothers Band, Trucks has garnered a following from that crowd as well as blues and soul fans. My buddy Z-man was on hand taping the nights show, and a torrent of the show can be downloaded by clicking here.
In addition to Trucks, who celebrated his 30th birthday the previous day, the band also consisted of Kofi Burbridge (brother of Allman bassist Oteil) on keys, flute and vocals, Todd Smallie on bass guitar, Yonrico Scott behind the drum kit, and Mike Mattison on lead vocals. Mattison’s soulful singing injected a powerful element that helped the band connect with the audience in between purely instrumental tunes. Playing songs from their latest release, ‘Already Free,’ and from their prior albums, Trucks & co. were engaged in some serious jamming as Trucks’ signature slide guitar made me feel like I was back in the dirty south. The last time the band played in Detroit was last Labor Day weekend at the annual Detroit Jazz Festival. Having the opportunity to see him in a theater, was a real treat by comparison with a longer set, decent stage lights, and a far superior sound system and acoustic environment. If you’re a fan of the blues, southern rock, or slide guitar, I’d strongly recommend not missing them the next time they come to the D.
WERD!!
-drew
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