Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers
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ARTIST PROFILE | Patterson Hood (of Drive-By Truckers)
Drive-By Truckers co-founder Pa5erson Hood’s fourth solo album and first in over 12 years, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams sees the veteran singer, guitarist, and songwriter exploring his youth and young manhood in a collecEon unlike anything in his ever-evolving catalogue. A baroque American song cycle spanning the Eme between early childhood and leaving his rural hometown in search of his musical dreams, the album gathers songs that have amassed over the remarkably prolific songwriter’s career, many of which provided him with distracEon and creaEve sustenance during lockdown, others which have resided among his notebooks for years. Songs like “The Van Pelt ParEes” (featuring members of “my favorite new band,” Wednesday) and “At Safe Distance” are fueled by finely drawn character studies and Hood’s well-honed giP for clear- eyed self-examinaEon, looking at crucial memories and life experiences to process the moments that saw him coalesce into his adult self.
“This record has all these kinds of unintended themes,” Hood says. “It’s all subconscious, because I didn’t really set out with an agenda, wriEng-wise. It really just kind of occurred to me when I was actually puSng it all together, just how much it seems to have a theme to it.”
The dozen years since his last extracurricular ouEng, 2012’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, had seen Hood accumulate a cache of material which did not quite fit into the Drive-By Truckers canon, songs which he set aside for “if and when” he got around to another solo project. Kept off the road during the 2020 lockdown, he found himself recording demos in his Portland, OR aSc, without a clear plan but thinking “maybe this might be worth pursuing at some point.”
Hood had moved to Portland with his family in 2013 and swiPly found a place among the Rose City’s thriving music scene, including a friendship forged with producer/musician Chris Funk (The Decemberists). Having long discussed collaboraEng, in 2023 the two arEsts’ typically stacked calendars finally allowed them the opportunity to team up and they set to work recording what Hood intended to be “a bigger departure” from Drive-By Truckers and his previous solo efforts than ever before.
“The band has been in such a good place that I hadn’t really thought in terms of doing anything outside of the Truckers anyEme soon,” Hood says. “I decided if I ever was going to do another solo record, I wanted it to be pre5y different than the band, as different as it can be.”
Working largely at a number of Portland studios, Hood accomplished his goal, in part by wriEng much of the album on piano in a vigorous a5empt to expand his parameters in new, heretofore uncharted, direcEons. While he planned to bring in a professional pianist for the recording sessions, Funk, eager to push his friend from his comfort zone, encouraged Hood to play the parts himself.
“I wanted to get good enough on piano to where I could use it as a songwriEng tool and that’s basically what I did,” he says. “My plan was to bring in somebody for the record that actually knew how to play the damn thing. But then Chris Funk informed me, ‘By the way, I hope you’re pracEcing piano, because you’re going to be playing it on your record.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not.’ ‘I like your piano playing,’ he said, ‘I’m the producer and I want you to play the piano on it. So maybe pracEce some so that it’ll be good.’ I was terrified, all the way up to the night before we started recording. I couldn’t sleep, I was so nervous about going in and playing piano in the studio. But then, when I actually did it, it was alright. Like I said, I’m no piano player, I’m not doing anything super fancy, but I actually did it pre5y efficiently. It didn’t take a whole lot of Eme, it all came together and was pre5y solid.
“In retrospect, Chris pracEced a li5le of what he was preaching, because I could hardly get him to play any guitar on the record, he mostly played keyboards. I had figured he’d play a bunch of guitar, he’s such an amazing player and he plays very differently than any of the guitar players I play with, but he was pre5y dead set on not really playing much at all.”
Hood further took the occasion to explore sounds outside the boundaries and obligaEons of his day job, deviaEng from Drive-By Truckers’ tradiEonally guitar-driven pale5e to craP richly textured arrangements marked by the inclusion of strings, woodwinds, and vintage analog synthesizers.
“There’s really not a lot of guitar work on this album,” he says. “I’m only playing electric on a few things. That was fun too, because, I’m in a really kickass guitar band so it’s great to do something outside of that. Everything ulEmately suited the project. It’s not like these decisions were made just for the sake of it. There was a point to it, for sure.”
Auxiliary backing was provided by a stellar cast of friends and musicians including fellow Alabama naEve KaEe Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Brad and Phil Cook (Megafaun), Kevin Morby, Wednesday, Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, The Blasters), Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers), David Barbe (Sugar, Mercyland), Nate Query (The Decemberists), Steve Drizos (Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons), Daniel Hunt (Neko Case, M Ward), and Stuart Bogie (The Hold Steady, Goose).
“I was really moved by some of the people that were willing to apply their talents to it,” says Hood. “There are people that play on this that I’ve been a huge fan of for a long Eme, and for them to be a part of a record I made is a big honor to me. I made a wish list of people that I would love to be on this record, and I was kind of blown away that with the vast majority of them, it worked out.”
But as Hood says, “Everything was built around the songs.” To some extent, he notes, the album moves backwards in Eme, with “The Exploding Trees” being the most contemporary event in the Emeline of the record, inspired in part by Hood’s own short story chronicling a natural disaster that occurred in his North Alabama hometown just as he turned 30 and relocated to Athens, GA where Drive-By Truckers were co-founded in 1996. Hood then traverses his childhood and coming
of age, reminiscing about his godmother (“Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile”) and first love (“A Werewolf and a Girl,” featuring duet vocals from Lydia Loveless), before the album culminates with a remarkable pair of closing songs that includes the string-driven “Airplane Screams,” penned over four decades ago but never successfully recorded unEl now.
“Airplane Screams” was wri5en when I was 20 years old,” Hood says. “We actually worked up a version of it at the very end of Adam’s House Cat – which was mine and (Drive-By Truckers co- founder Mike) Cooley’s first band – but we never even played another show aPer we worked it up. At one point the Truckers tried it, but I don’t think we ever played it out either. We recorded a not-parEcularly-good version of it for an early draP of what became Southern Rock Opera, but it got abandoned. So, it was kind of nice to finally give that song a home, because I always liked it, but I felt like it needed a different approach this Eme.”
Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is crowned with what Hood considers among his proudest achievements, “Pinocchio.” The deeply contemplaEve country ballad perhaps sums up Hood’s overall mission with the album. “It’s a whale of a tale, with so many miles to go,” he sings. “But I get a liFle closer each day to my long-term goal.”
“I’ve been wondering what drew me to that story,” he says. “Obviously, I was first exposed to it through the 1940 Disney cartoon version. Disney re-released the cartoon that summer, when I was seven, right aPer first grade. I got my grandmother and my uncle to take me, over and over. So, I ended up seeing it a bunch of Emes in the couple of weeks it was in town, to the extent that I kind of memorized it. I would act it out in the backyard at my grandmother’s, which, you know, further made me the weird kid in the neighborhood.
“As I’ve go5en older, I’ve thought about certain things. The Blue Fairy looks a lot like my grandmother, who was kind of my protector growing up. She very much raised me and my sister. My great uncle was sort of a Geppe5o character. I spent every weekend of my childhood with him unEl I was driving age. He lived out on a farm and worked as a truck driver during the week, then he would come home for the weekends, and I would stay out there with him, I mean, literally, every single weekend from the Eme I was an infant unEl I was probably 15. He never married, never had kids of his own, so I was kind of his real live boy. None of that really dawned on me unEl long aPer I’d even wri5en the song.
“I’m parEcularly proud of that song,” he adds. “I think it’s probably one of the best pieces of wriEng I’ve ever done. It’s kind of nice for it to be the last word on the record, coming right aPer the oldest song on the record.”
With its powerful textural clarity and Hood’s literary strengths at the fore, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams emerges as a staggering invesEgaEon into how Eme can shed light on the recesses of memory, revealing this excepEonally giPed songwriter’s resolute inclinaEon to look back through the golden haze to grapple with the darkness and secret truths that perhaps weren’t understood or reckoned with at the Eme. As he has throughout his career – from Drive-By Truckers’ ceaseless invesEgaEon into American values and culture to his solo body of work’s
autobiographical meditaEons – Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams sees Pa5erson Hood once again stripping away the facade of things to get to the core, liPing up life’s rock to see what lies underneath.
“You remember things one way,” he says, “but when you really dip into it, when you really look back, the world was a different place. Things were accepted that wouldn’t be accepted now and things you didn’t understand then make sense now.
“I don’t know if there was anything I set out to do on this record as much as it just kind of worked out that way. You know, there are a lot a lot of happy accidents in this record.”
Supporting Acts
SHOW BY SIMILAR ARTISTS
About HI-FI | Indianapolis, IN
HI-FI is located inside the historic Murphy Arts Center in the heart of Fountain Square. HI-FI shows virtually every night of the week and is known for finding new artists on the rise. The venue is acoustically one of the best sounding venues in the Midwest. The entrance is located at the front of the building on Virginia Ave and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
Getting Around the Venue
Frequently Asked Questions About HI-FI | Indianapolis, IN
What are the age restrictions at this venue?
Most of our gigs are open to those 18 years and older, though there are a few exceptions. We’re also rolling out more all-ages shows to accommodate younger fans, but double-check our website for specific age requirements before getting your tickets. We’ve made it super easy to spot the age restrictions on each event listing.
If you are going to indulge in a seating upgrade in our VIP area, all guests must be 21 years of age or older.
HI-FI requires a valid ID for admission. For guests who will be consuming alcoholic beverages, a valid state or government issues ID is required. Everyone will be carded during check-in. Expired and temporary ID’s are not accepted.
Can I upgrade my to VIP seating?
HI-FI proudly offers our VIP Deck, situated at the rear of the venue. This elevated section features table seating and provides convenient access to the bar. Please be advised that all guests in this area must be 21 years of age or older. For seating upgrade inquiries, please contact the box office at boxoffice@hifiindy.com
What items are permitted or prohibited at this venue?
At our venues, we strive to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests. While specific rules may vary slightly depending on the event location, the following list generally applies across all venues.
Any illegal items found will be confiscated immediately. Guests discovered with prohibited items inside the venue may face ejection, and those attempting to enter with such items may be denied entry.
We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment during our events.
Permitted Items Include:
- All bags and possessions are subject to search and may be subject to metal detection. No backpacks are permitted at any of our venues.
- Clear tote or bag made from plastic, vinyl or PVC that does not exceed 14” x 14” in size.
- Personal purse, fanny pack or handbag so long as it does not exceed 14” x 14” in size
- A warm heart and smiles
Prohibited items include:
- Weapons of any kind: Firearms (with or without permit), knives (any size), multi-tools
- Pepper Spray or Mace
- Flares or Fireworks
- Oversized bags (Bag larger than 12” x 12”, including all backpacks, briefcases, luggage, or duffle bags)
- Illegal Substances
- Outside Beverages
- Laser Pointers
- Removable lens cameras or flash photography, tripods, monopods, selfie-sticks (unless pre-approved by Event Manager)
- Audio or Video recording devices (unless pre-approved by Event Manager)
- Signs larger than 11” x 17” or any sign attached to a stick or pole
- Skateboards, hoverboards, rollerblades, scooters, or bicycles
- Hula hoops, spray paint, silly string
- Noise Making devices (i.e. Air Horns, drums, whistles)
- Coolers or Ice Chests
- Animals/Pets (Except Service Animals)
HI-FI reserves the right to prohibit any item, including items not listed above, from entering the premises if deemed hazardous or disruptive to the event.
Can I bring a bag into the show?
Yes! You’re welcome to bring personal purse, fanny pack or handbag so long as it does not exceed 14” x 14” in size. No backpacks are permitted at any time.
What’s the parking situation like?
Depending on the day and time, finding a spot can be tricky. On busy show days we advise arriving early to ensure you get a good spot.
Parking is free on all of the surrounding streets in Fountain Square and most parking lots.
The LAZ pay lot directly across from the Murphy Arts Building (on Prospect St) offers paid parking by the hour and is the closest public parking to the venue.
We advise against traveling down St. Patrick St on show days, as it can become congested one-way with traffic coming from both directions.
Bike parking is available at any of the bike racks on Virginia Ave in front of HI-FI.
What is the camera/photo policy for this venue?
Our photo policy varies for each event and is at the discretion of the artist performing that night. This policy can change from night to night.
As a general guideline, we typically do not permit professional photography unless it has been pre-approved by either HI-FI or the Artist Management.
For approved photographers, you’re welcome to snap photos during the first three songs of the performance. However, please refrain from using flash.
Media personnel and professional photographers interested in covering our events can reach out to us at marketing@hifiindy.com to request media credentials.
Is there food and drink at this venue?
Absolutely! We’ve got you covered for some tasty bites to fuel your night.
Our very own Easy Rider Diner is your go-to spot on most show nights, serving up mouthwatering dishes right next door to HI-FI. With a convenient connection door open for most shows, you can easily hop back and forth without missing a beat. We highly recommend making a reservation in advance, as show nights tend to get busy. Please note that Easy Rider is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but fear not – you can still grab some chips, candy, or snacks at HI-FI’s bar.
View seating maps for this venue
Check your show listing for information on the show’s seating configuration. The majority of HI-FI shows are general admission, standing-room-only. Depending on the show, there are a handful of tables available to those who arrive early. There is a limited amount of seating upgrades available on the VIP deck. Contact the box office to secure a seating upgrade for your show at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Shows that are reserved or partially reserved seating configurations will have information or purchase options directly on the event listing.
Can I leave and re-enter the venue?
Re-entry is allowed for HI-FI shows once you’ve been stamped or wristbanded by a member of our staff.
Do you offer ADA, handicap or special needs options?
There are 2 handicapped parking spots in the lot located across Prospect St. closest to El Arado Mexican Grill. The box office handles any special needs or ADA seating requests at boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Where is the box office located?
Getting tickets to our shows is super easy! You have a few options, depending on how you like to roll:
Online: Grab your tickets in advance from our official websites, hifiindy.com and mokbpresents.com, or through our trusted ticketing partners tixr.com and seetickets.us.
In Person: Swing by one of our convenient box office locations around the Murphy Arts Center building and grab tickets with no service fees:
Main Box Office at Virginia Ave Mercantile: Located at 1043 Virginia Ave Suite 2 (between Easy Rider and La Margarita). Open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
HI-FI Box Office: Found at 1043 Virginia Ave Suite 4 (at the main entrance to HI-FI). Open only on show nights, starting 1 hour before published show times until 10 pm.
I lost something at the show. Who do I contact?
Have you misplaced something during one of our events? Don’t worry, we’re here to help reunite you with your belongings! While we can’t take responsibility for lost or stolen items, we’re committed to assisting you in any way we can.
Found items are securely stored at our Virginia Ave Mercantile & Box Office until they’re claimed. Please note that items lost during late-night events might take until the next morning to reach our lost and found. We know you might be eager to retrieve your belongings (like that phone you’re pinging outside our door at 6 am), but our team typically wraps up late-night events and may not be available until later in the morning.
For lost items, please follow the outlined process rather than popping into Easy Rider in the early hours. They’re open early, but our restaurant team is busy during weekends and can’t assist with lost items during busy service hours.
To inquire about lost items, shoot us an email at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Mercantile hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Let’s work together to get your goods back to you as quickly as possible!
What is your refund policy?
What’s Your Refund Policy for Postponed Shows?
If a show gets postponed, don’t sweat it! We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re cool with the new date, no further action is needed on your part.We’ll be working diligently to find a new date for the show, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. But if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got your back. You’ll have a generous 30-day window following the announcement of the new date to request a refund.
For those who paid with cash at our box office, just drop us a line at boxoffice@hifiindy.com for further instructions on processing your refund.
Please bear with us as we explore rescheduling options with the tour. Your patience is much appreciated as we work to present the best possible show experience for you.
What’s the Refund Policy for Canceled Shows?
In the unfortunate event of a canceled show, don’t fret! If you purchased your tickets online, your refund will be processed automatically. Just sit tight and allow 3-5 business days for the refund to appear in your bank account.
No need to lift a finger! However, there are a few scenarios where you might need to reach out to our box office:
- If you paid cash at our box office.
- If you’ve received a new or different card since your original purchase.
- If you haven’t seen the refund in your account after 5 business days.
What Happens if a Show Gets Rescheduled?
No worries! If a show you’ve already grabbed tickets for gets rescheduled, your tickets will still be valid for the new date. We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re good to go for the new date, no further action is needed on your part.
However, if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got you covered. You’ll have a generous 30 days from the announcement of the new date to request a refund. Just reach out directly to our box office to kickstart the process.
Beware of counterfeit tickets. How do I tell if my ticket is valid?
It’s crucial for all buyers to exercise caution when purchasing tickets from unauthorized sites and ticket resellers. Tixr and SeeTickets are the only two ticket vendors supported at our venues. Unfortunately, this is a widespread issue affecting venues nationwide, and true fans often find themselves at a loss. Regrettably, there’s little we can do in such situations. Since the original transaction didn’t occur through our authorized ticketing partners, we lack the necessary information to assist. It’s disheartening to witness fans being taken advantage of, especially on platforms like Craigslist, Facebook, StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek, and others. We are only obligated to honor valid tickets purchased through our approved channels.
Can I purchase tickets in person without fees?
Yes. HI-FI box office is located at the main entrance off of Virginia Avenue. The box office is open 1 hour prior to the published door time. Additionally, our new and primary box office is located two doors down from HI-FI in Suite 2. This box office is open Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm for fee-free ticket purchases. HI-FI accepts cash as well as all major credit cards for ticket purchases.
Do you have free WI-FI?
Yes. HI-FI offers free WI-FI during all shows. Simply select the HI-FI Free WI-FI network and you are all set!
Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers
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ARTIST PROFILE | Patterson Hood (of Drive-By Truckers)
Drive-By Truckers co-founder Pa5erson Hood’s fourth solo album and first in over 12 years, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams sees the veteran singer, guitarist, and songwriter exploring his youth and young manhood in a collecEon unlike anything in his ever-evolving catalogue. A baroque American song cycle spanning the Eme between early childhood and leaving his rural hometown in search of his musical dreams, the album gathers songs that have amassed over the remarkably prolific songwriter’s career, many of which provided him with distracEon and creaEve sustenance during lockdown, others which have resided among his notebooks for years. Songs like “The Van Pelt ParEes” (featuring members of “my favorite new band,” Wednesday) and “At Safe Distance” are fueled by finely drawn character studies and Hood’s well-honed giP for clear- eyed self-examinaEon, looking at crucial memories and life experiences to process the moments that saw him coalesce into his adult self.
“This record has all these kinds of unintended themes,” Hood says. “It’s all subconscious, because I didn’t really set out with an agenda, wriEng-wise. It really just kind of occurred to me when I was actually puSng it all together, just how much it seems to have a theme to it.”
The dozen years since his last extracurricular ouEng, 2012’s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, had seen Hood accumulate a cache of material which did not quite fit into the Drive-By Truckers canon, songs which he set aside for “if and when” he got around to another solo project. Kept off the road during the 2020 lockdown, he found himself recording demos in his Portland, OR aSc, without a clear plan but thinking “maybe this might be worth pursuing at some point.”
Hood had moved to Portland with his family in 2013 and swiPly found a place among the Rose City’s thriving music scene, including a friendship forged with producer/musician Chris Funk (The Decemberists). Having long discussed collaboraEng, in 2023 the two arEsts’ typically stacked calendars finally allowed them the opportunity to team up and they set to work recording what Hood intended to be “a bigger departure” from Drive-By Truckers and his previous solo efforts than ever before.
“The band has been in such a good place that I hadn’t really thought in terms of doing anything outside of the Truckers anyEme soon,” Hood says. “I decided if I ever was going to do another solo record, I wanted it to be pre5y different than the band, as different as it can be.”
Working largely at a number of Portland studios, Hood accomplished his goal, in part by wriEng much of the album on piano in a vigorous a5empt to expand his parameters in new, heretofore uncharted, direcEons. While he planned to bring in a professional pianist for the recording sessions, Funk, eager to push his friend from his comfort zone, encouraged Hood to play the parts himself.
“I wanted to get good enough on piano to where I could use it as a songwriEng tool and that’s basically what I did,” he says. “My plan was to bring in somebody for the record that actually knew how to play the damn thing. But then Chris Funk informed me, ‘By the way, I hope you’re pracEcing piano, because you’re going to be playing it on your record.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not.’ ‘I like your piano playing,’ he said, ‘I’m the producer and I want you to play the piano on it. So maybe pracEce some so that it’ll be good.’ I was terrified, all the way up to the night before we started recording. I couldn’t sleep, I was so nervous about going in and playing piano in the studio. But then, when I actually did it, it was alright. Like I said, I’m no piano player, I’m not doing anything super fancy, but I actually did it pre5y efficiently. It didn’t take a whole lot of Eme, it all came together and was pre5y solid.
“In retrospect, Chris pracEced a li5le of what he was preaching, because I could hardly get him to play any guitar on the record, he mostly played keyboards. I had figured he’d play a bunch of guitar, he’s such an amazing player and he plays very differently than any of the guitar players I play with, but he was pre5y dead set on not really playing much at all.”
Hood further took the occasion to explore sounds outside the boundaries and obligaEons of his day job, deviaEng from Drive-By Truckers’ tradiEonally guitar-driven pale5e to craP richly textured arrangements marked by the inclusion of strings, woodwinds, and vintage analog synthesizers.
“There’s really not a lot of guitar work on this album,” he says. “I’m only playing electric on a few things. That was fun too, because, I’m in a really kickass guitar band so it’s great to do something outside of that. Everything ulEmately suited the project. It’s not like these decisions were made just for the sake of it. There was a point to it, for sure.”
Auxiliary backing was provided by a stellar cast of friends and musicians including fellow Alabama naEve KaEe Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Brad and Phil Cook (Megafaun), Kevin Morby, Wednesday, Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, The Blasters), Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers), David Barbe (Sugar, Mercyland), Nate Query (The Decemberists), Steve Drizos (Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons), Daniel Hunt (Neko Case, M Ward), and Stuart Bogie (The Hold Steady, Goose).
“I was really moved by some of the people that were willing to apply their talents to it,” says Hood. “There are people that play on this that I’ve been a huge fan of for a long Eme, and for them to be a part of a record I made is a big honor to me. I made a wish list of people that I would love to be on this record, and I was kind of blown away that with the vast majority of them, it worked out.”
But as Hood says, “Everything was built around the songs.” To some extent, he notes, the album moves backwards in Eme, with “The Exploding Trees” being the most contemporary event in the Emeline of the record, inspired in part by Hood’s own short story chronicling a natural disaster that occurred in his North Alabama hometown just as he turned 30 and relocated to Athens, GA where Drive-By Truckers were co-founded in 1996. Hood then traverses his childhood and coming
of age, reminiscing about his godmother (“Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile”) and first love (“A Werewolf and a Girl,” featuring duet vocals from Lydia Loveless), before the album culminates with a remarkable pair of closing songs that includes the string-driven “Airplane Screams,” penned over four decades ago but never successfully recorded unEl now.
“Airplane Screams” was wri5en when I was 20 years old,” Hood says. “We actually worked up a version of it at the very end of Adam’s House Cat – which was mine and (Drive-By Truckers co- founder Mike) Cooley’s first band – but we never even played another show aPer we worked it up. At one point the Truckers tried it, but I don’t think we ever played it out either. We recorded a not-parEcularly-good version of it for an early draP of what became Southern Rock Opera, but it got abandoned. So, it was kind of nice to finally give that song a home, because I always liked it, but I felt like it needed a different approach this Eme.”
Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is crowned with what Hood considers among his proudest achievements, “Pinocchio.” The deeply contemplaEve country ballad perhaps sums up Hood’s overall mission with the album. “It’s a whale of a tale, with so many miles to go,” he sings. “But I get a liFle closer each day to my long-term goal.”
“I’ve been wondering what drew me to that story,” he says. “Obviously, I was first exposed to it through the 1940 Disney cartoon version. Disney re-released the cartoon that summer, when I was seven, right aPer first grade. I got my grandmother and my uncle to take me, over and over. So, I ended up seeing it a bunch of Emes in the couple of weeks it was in town, to the extent that I kind of memorized it. I would act it out in the backyard at my grandmother’s, which, you know, further made me the weird kid in the neighborhood.
“As I’ve go5en older, I’ve thought about certain things. The Blue Fairy looks a lot like my grandmother, who was kind of my protector growing up. She very much raised me and my sister. My great uncle was sort of a Geppe5o character. I spent every weekend of my childhood with him unEl I was driving age. He lived out on a farm and worked as a truck driver during the week, then he would come home for the weekends, and I would stay out there with him, I mean, literally, every single weekend from the Eme I was an infant unEl I was probably 15. He never married, never had kids of his own, so I was kind of his real live boy. None of that really dawned on me unEl long aPer I’d even wri5en the song.
“I’m parEcularly proud of that song,” he adds. “I think it’s probably one of the best pieces of wriEng I’ve ever done. It’s kind of nice for it to be the last word on the record, coming right aPer the oldest song on the record.”
With its powerful textural clarity and Hood’s literary strengths at the fore, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams emerges as a staggering invesEgaEon into how Eme can shed light on the recesses of memory, revealing this excepEonally giPed songwriter’s resolute inclinaEon to look back through the golden haze to grapple with the darkness and secret truths that perhaps weren’t understood or reckoned with at the Eme. As he has throughout his career – from Drive-By Truckers’ ceaseless invesEgaEon into American values and culture to his solo body of work’s
autobiographical meditaEons – Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams sees Pa5erson Hood once again stripping away the facade of things to get to the core, liPing up life’s rock to see what lies underneath.
“You remember things one way,” he says, “but when you really dip into it, when you really look back, the world was a different place. Things were accepted that wouldn’t be accepted now and things you didn’t understand then make sense now.
“I don’t know if there was anything I set out to do on this record as much as it just kind of worked out that way. You know, there are a lot a lot of happy accidents in this record.”
Supporting Acts
About the Venue
Upgrades: A limited amount of VIP seating upgrades (21+) are available for select shows. Contact the box office to purchase or check availability: boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Ticket Support: Box Office opens 1 hour before published door time. For ticket related questions please email boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Parking: Street Parking, Bike Parking
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