JUL 19 | Tedeschi Trucks Band

Go back to December 31, 2008 when guitarist Derek Trucks and his wife, singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, were preparing to ring in the New Year. Married since 1999, these two soulmates, equally steeped in the musical roots of blues, jazz, and gospel, had finally decided the time was right to set aside their successful solo careers and commit to a new band melding their vision and talent. It wasn’t the first time they had collaborated; they had shared a stage countless times and traded album guest appearances, all while starting a family together. But on that night, hitting the stage together with members of the Derek Trucks Band and a guest horn section, they heard the future.

Two years later, the couple debuted Tedeschi Trucks Band. The nation’s economy was heading into recession. The popular music landscape was filled with technological theatrics and auto-tuned singers. And here were Tedeschi and Trucks along with their (then) 8-member band, loading up two tour buses and hitting the road with a sound that defied conventional genre boundaries or traditional labels, a gypsy caravan on the rock and roll highway. To call it ambitious was an understatement.

In pursuit of their ideal sound and driven by world-class musicianship, Tedeschi and Trucks put together a musical collaborative like no other, flying in the face of any practical or economic considerations. There have been evolutionary changes to the band along the way, but the current lineup includes the freight-train force of drummers Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady; long-time Derek Trucks Band member Mike Mattison with his dynamic vocals and songwriting skills; Brandon Boone (bass guitar); Gabe Dixon (keyboards); the three-piece horn section of Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet), and Elizabeth Lea (trombone); and Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour on vocal duties with Mattison. In February 2019, original band member and brilliant multi-instrumentalist Kofi Burbridge passed away, leaving an indelible mark on TTB’s spirit and sound.

On the road for upwards of 200 days a year, the TTB family has grown strong, bonding over backyard BBQs and long bus rides, all the while developing a growing repertoire of original material, paying homage to an extensive canon of influences ranging from Sly & the Family Stone, Miles Davis, and George Jones to Joe Cocker, Nina Simone, and even Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan. Embracing improvisation over convention, and with set lists that change nightly, the collective is adept at exploring almost any musical territory. The genuine respect within its ranks is evident on stage. Trucks’ masterful guitar skills and Tedeschi’s soaring vocals and bluesy guitar shine but don’t overpower the breadth of talent, happily yielding the spotlight as needed in service of what the song deserves.

Trucks and Tedeschi’s uncompromising vision has paid off. Now 12 members strong and with a decade of steady touring in the US and abroad, Tedeschi Trucks Band carries a distinguished reputation earned from both audiences and critics as one of the premier live bands in the world. Sold-out, multi-night runs at venerable venues like the Beacon Theatre, Ryman Auditorium, and Red Rocks Amphitheater are a testament to the can’t-miss concert experience fans have come to anticipate. The band’s own Wheels of Soul Tour has become a sought-after summer experience across the country, bringing TTB’s unique stew of upbeat rock and soul together on stage with a slew of guests, sit ins, and supporting bands that have included the late Sharon Jones, Los Lobos, The Wood Brothers, Hot Tuna, and most recently, Blackberry Smoke, The Marcus King Band, and Drive-By Truckers.

Tedeschi Trucks Band’s latest studio project is their fifth and most ambitious to date: I Am The Moon, an epic undertaking in four albums with four corresponding films and 24 original songs released in successive months. Inspired by a mythic Persian tale of star-crossed lovers and emotionally driven by the isolation and disconnection of the pandemic era, the thematic I Am The Moon totals more than two hours of music, unfolding a robust tapestry of genre-defying explorations that propel the treasured American ensemble into new and thrilling creative territory. The first part, I Am The Moon I. Crescent, was released in June 2022.

I Am The Moon joins an impressive and growing discography that includes Signs (2019), Let Me Get By (2016), Made Up Mind (2013), and the Grammy-winning debut Revelator (2011), in addition to their live releases: Layla Revisited (Live At LOCKN’) featuring Trey Anastasio (2021), the Grammy-nominated film/audio Live From The Fox Oakland (2017), and 2012’s Everybody’s Talkin’. It’s clear that Trucks and Tedeschi have no intention of slowing down. As Trucks remarked to Mark Maron on his podcast WTF with Mark Maron, “I haven’t found this band’s ceiling yet.” For Tedeschi Trucks Band, there may not be one.

Biography provided by artist management.

The journey of Los Lobos began in 1973, when David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, and pretty much anything with strings), Louie Perez (drums, vocals, guitar), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar), and Conrad Lozano (bass, vocals, guitarrón) earned their stripes playing revved-up versions of Mexican folk music in restaurants and at parties, later joined on saxophone by Steve Berlin.

Since their humble beginning, Los Lobos has sold millions of records, won prestigious awards, and earned fans around the world. But perhaps the band’s most lasting impact will be how well their music embodies the idea of America as a cultural melting pot. Their music showcases styles like son jarocho, norteño, Tejano, folk, country, doo-wop, soul, R&B, rock ’n’ roll, and punk, which all come together to create a new sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Biography provided by artist management.

Born and raised in Tennessee, Gabe Dixon is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since first emerging in 1999, he has penned honest and heartfelt tunes that continue to garner fans and crowds across the globe.

“Live Again,” a Dixon original, was recently chosen by Garth Brooks to bookend “The Trilogy” along with “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude” at his Live from Notre Dame Concert in front of nearly 100,000 fans and a national TV audience.

Dixon’s songs have also been featured in major films such as The Proposal and TV shows such as Nashville, Grey’s Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, and Parks and Recreation. Along with his own appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show with James Corden, Dixon has performed with notable acts like Paul McCartney, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Supertramp, Loggins & Messina, and O.A.R. In 2019, he began touring with Tedeschi Trucks Band, and in 2021, he released his latest album Lay It on Me.

Biography provided by artist management.