Description

On the title track to Welcome 2 Club XIII, Drive-By Truckers pay homage to the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk 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 hadbut it wasnt all that good, and our band wasnt particularly liked there, says Hood, referring to the vocalist/guitarists former band Adams 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 wasnt very funny at the time, but its funny to us now. The 14th studio album from Drive-By Truckerswhose lineup also includes keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and drummer Brad MorganWelcome 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.