Derek Trucks Talks About “Already Free” and Touring With Slowhand
Sometimes the best music gets captured on record when the people involved are playing more than they’re working, feeling good more than feeling driven. When Derek Trucks invited friends and family into his new home studio in Florida, the result was “Already Free,” a disc with the loose, natural sound that matches its title.
“You know, I think the whole feel of the record is really relaxed and inclusive,” said Trucks, who performs with his band Sunday at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California. “You know, it is such a family record: everyone was around the whole time, the kids were in and out of the studio and it was all close friends. It was my wife (Susan Tedeschi) and her band, Doyle Bramhall, Warren (Haynes), Oteil (Burbridge). So it felt like a real communal thing, and you get that real sense on the record, that everyone wants to be there.”
“Already Free” often recalls the loose blues-rock feel of Eric Clapton’s solo debut, when the English blues guitar master discovered Oklahoma singer-songwriter J.J. Cale and started setting his watch by Tulsa time. It was recorded following a tour in which Trucks played guitar alongside Clapton and Bramhall, and the setlist was made up largely of songs from Clapton’s Derek & the Dominos disc, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.”
Trucks, who was named after Derek & the Dominos, was gratified to get the call to play with Clapton, who asked him to play on his collaboration with J.J. Cale, “The Road to Escondido,” which eventually led to the tour.
“I got a call from Eric to play on that J.J. Cale/Clapton record, and that was just out of the blue for me — I didn’t know him or have any connection with him,” Trucks said. “So it was pretty wild to get the phone call. About two or three songs into that session, he asked me if I would consider joining his band for the year. That’s not something you can really pass up.”
Besides working with Tedeschi on her solo albums, touring and recording with the Derek Trucks Band and a near constant slate of collaborations, Trucks also has his other day job — as a guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band. The nephew of Allmans drummer Butch Trucks, Derek Trucks now fills the shoes of the band’s most famous guitarist, the late Duane Allman.
The Allman Brothers Band traditionally does a multi-show stand at New York’s Beacon Theatre each year, but was forced to bow out in 2008 due to keyboardist-singer Gregg Allman’s bout with hepatitis C. Now recovered, Allman will lead the band during its “Beacon Run” next month in celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary.
“We did about a week of rehearsal, and there’s a ton of different guests that are coming out for a tribute to Duane Allman,” Trucks said. “We’re trying to get all his friends and people who recorded with him and were influenced by him. There’s going to be some pretty heavy hitters.”
IN CONCERT
The Derek Trucks Band
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California.
Tickets: www.okctickets.com
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