Usually, when singer, songwriter and guitarist Patterson Hood comes to Charleston, he does so with a badass rock band. That would be the Drive-By Truckers from Athens, Ga., a powerhouse quintet that cranks up the guitars and lets the neo-Southern rock riffs fly.
This time out at the Pour House on June 5, it’s just Hood, his guitar, a piano and his ragged-but-right vocals. He has downshifted after a tour with the Truckers to promote his new solo album, Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams. Instead of distortion and snarling guitars, the album relies on incisive storytelling and more muted arrangements, allowing Hood to explore some of his most intimate writing.
With guest vocal appearances from Lydia Loveless and Waxahatchee, the album is quiet and contemplative even when Hood plugs in his six-string.
It’s Hood’s fourth solo album in a career that stretches back to the ’80s. In a recent interview with the Charleston City Paper, he said that he can’t wait to play the new songs here.
“We’ve had a strong base in Charleston for a long time,” he said. “And I’ve been playing the Pour House for 20-something years, since sometime in the early 2000s. It may have even been at a different location when I first played there.”
“I could be wrong about that,” he added. “It gets foggy after a while for me.”
He’s right, by the way. The Pour House used to be in a smaller spot in West Ashley on Savannah Highway.
Charleston fans will also have the chance to see Hood play piano — or at least attempt to do so.
“Some of the Exploding Trees record was written on piano,” he said, “and I really had to struggle to get good enough on piano to write. Then my buddy Chris Funk (of The Decemberists) who produced the album told me I’d better start practicing so I could play piano on the road.”
“I said, ‘Oh, God, I hadn’t thought about that!,” he added with a laugh.
Regardless of what instrument he’s playing or how much he needs to practice it, Hood said that these occasional solo tours scratch a different itch than his full-on rock shows with the Truckers.
“When I first started doing these solo shows, people would come in all rowdy like they were going to the big loud rock show,” he said. “But now you can hear a pin drop through the majority of my solo shows, and I like that because that frees me up to tell stories and talk to the audience more. Storytelling has become a bigger part of the show, and I’ve enjoyed that.”
Fans of Hood’s day job might want to take note of this show on June 5, because the Drive-By Truckers is putting out a new album later this year, and Hood is audience-testing some new material on this tour.
“I’ve been working really hard writing songs for the next Truckers record,” he said, “and I’m hoping to play one or two of those to test out some stuff, because the band starts recording in August.”
Hood turned 62 a few months back, so it felt reasonable to ask how much longer he sees himself on the road, either as a rock ’n’ roll frontman or an acoustic troubadour who’s learning the piano in real time. His answer indicated he’s not stopping either anytime soon.
“There’s a lot to be said for walking in the door with the band that’s big and loud,” he said, “but it’s just as much fun to do things that are outside of that too. I do get homesick and I miss my family and the comforts of home for sure. But I do like traveling. And I’ve been on tour for so long that I’ve made friends all over the country. So for me, being on the road is a chance to catch up with my friends and see all these great places.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 8 p.m., June 5, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy., Charleston. Tickets range from $30 to $35. charlestonpourhouse.com
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