As I think most of us know, Wade Tatangelo, the author of this article, is one of the very best music writers in America and one who truly “gets’’ the ABB. However, I was disappointed that in this interview with Butch he didn’t bring up the recent remarks between Gregg and Dickey about playing together again. Butch’s response to that would have been fascinating. Oh well, perhaps Wade wasn’t aware of those comments.
The most important point of this interview, not surprisingly, is when Butch is asked at the end of it about the ABB reforming – very interesting…
Headline: Butch Trucks brings Allman Brothers legacy to Ace's
BYLINE: Wade Tatangelo
Sarasota Herald Tribune (Florida)
Butch Trucks, an Allman Brothers founding member who earned the nickname "freight train" for his powerful drumming, is performing Friday at Ace's Live with his new Freight Train Band. The Bradenton show will find Trucks joined by Sarasota County-based bassist and singer Berry Duane Oakley, the namesake son of the Allman Brothers founding bassist who died at age 24 in a motorcycle crash. The Freight Train Band will also include former Bradenton Beach resident and national blues star Damon Fowler (guitar, vocals) as well as local standouts Thorson Moore (guitar) and Matt Frost (keyboards).
A version of the Freight Train Band featuring Trucks with Oakley, Fowler and others will be at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton on Saturday. It's the last of Trucks' two Florida dates with the new band. We caught up with Trucks and Oakley by phone recently while the two musicians were traveling to a show in New York.
Q: For decades you shared management duties in the Allman Brothers. How's it feel to be the official leader of your own band these days?
Trucks: It's got its pluses and minuses and I'm finding out there are a lot more minuses every day (laughs). We're really working hard and I want to get to a point where we can turn this into a band of partners. I'm going back to the style of band leadership of Duane Allman (who also died at age 24 in a motorcycle crash, a year before Oakley Sr.). The Allman Brothers Band was the best when Duane was alive. He put the band together and had the vision but he let everyone have their own voice. When serious decisions had to be made he would step up but for the most part it was a band of equals and that's the way I like it. Contrary to my former bandmate, I like a lot of chefs in the kitchen (laughs).
Q: You're talking about Gregg Allman's recent quote?
Trucks: (Laughs) Yeah, Gregg says it all the time.
Q: Do you remember the first time you heard Berry Jr. play?
Trucks: No. He's just always been around. I couldn't possibly remember the first time! I have all kinds of great memories of him playing with (the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre). He's gone from just a scared kid to a phenomenal bass player who can actually sing. This band is really fun for me, it's really where it is.
Q: Is it ever strange being on stage with Berry now after all that time you spent playing with his dad in the early days of the Allman Brothers?
Trucks: Not really. He's just such a great guy, like his dad was but not the same. He has his own personality, his own voice. There's some of his father there but he is himself and I like him for who he is and we're really having fun doing what we're doing.
Q: What's it like for you, Berry, playing in the same rhythm section that your dad famously co-founded?
Oakley: For me, it's great. It's that whole full circle thing getting to play with dad's friends, playing songs with the guy who actually first played the song. It's an honor and I see why my dad loved playing with him. He's definitely a "freight train."
Q: Butch, the Allman Brothers Band has been retired now for almost a year but (members) Warren Haynes and Jaimoe recently were at a festival recently jamming with Gregg. Any chance of a full Allman Brothers reunion show anytime soon?
Trucks: I don't know if there will be any. It's up to Gregg.
-Wade Tatangelo has interviewed current and former Allman Brothers Band members Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, "Dangerous" Dan Toler and David "Frankie" Toler. Many of these interviews can be found filed in the Allman Brothers Band archives at TicketSarasota.com.
Wade was aware of the recent Dickey comments as he is the one Dickey gave his statement to that jambands and others published.
Thanks for the info about Wade's connection to all of this. That makes it even more curious that he didn't bring up the topic with Butch...
It could have been a situation where the person being interviewed had some topics listed as off limits to the interviewer.
However, it is not like Butch not to at least randomly drop Dickey's name into an interview.
War Eagle ... I have a hard time believing that Wade, a thoroughly professional journalist, would ever agree to have "off-limit'' topics. That's not the way the profession works. If he brought it up and Butch didn't want to talk about it, all he had to do was say "No comment'' and that would be that. And this isn't a shot at Wade, either, because, as I previously stated, he's one of the best in the business. But you know, inquiring minds and all of that...
"why bring it up when it'll never happen anyways"
possibly that angle too
That's not the way the profession works.
Sadly, it happens a lot. I doubt it in this instance, but it's possible. Some journalists will refuse the interview if something is off limits, but plenty of interviews are done with the caveat that certain topics are off limits.
Some people even have their people pre-write the questions.
[Edited on 9/18/2015 by WarEagleRK]
"For decades you shared management duties in the Allman Brothers."
HAHAHAHA!!! Oh man, that is just, I need to gather myself....
BWAHHAHHAHHHHAAA!!!!
Thanks for that, some good comedy right there.
Somebody needs to tell Bert Holman that Butch has been "sharing duties" with him for "decades."
But only if I get to watch his reaction.....
SHARING??? Butch is either good for a laugh after an interview...or some remark that stirs stuff up
