Phoenix will transform into Southern jam central with the Tedeschi Trucks Band about to pull into the desert.
The blues rock combo brings its specific mix to Arizona Financial Theatre on Tuesday, June 11.
The 12-person group fronted by wife and husband Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks has a gig in Reno this Tuesday followed by stops in Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Los Angeles before hitting Phoenix. The tour goes nonstop the rest of the year before wrapping up in November with back-to-back shows at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
Tedeschi and Trucks, who married in 2001 and formed their band caravan in 2010, have deep roots in jam, soul, and Southern blues rock.
Her own Susan Tedeschi Band in the early ’90s opened for the likes of The Allman Brothers Band, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal, and Bob Dylan. The band reached an even wider audience when opening for The Rolling Stones in 2003.
Trucks was a guitar prodigy who played alongside Buddy Guy by his 13th birthday and with Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh and Stephen Stills while still a teenager. The nephew of the late Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, Derek became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999.
He has twice appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Tedeschi Trucks Band released its ambitious quadruple album, “I Am the Moon,” in 2022. It was initially released in four separate parts over consecutive full moons that year.
Known for their big soul sound and energetic jam vibes, Tedeschi Trucks never plays the same setlist on tour and reaches as deep into their own catalog as they do into a range of cover versions that the band – which includes two drummers and three horn players – style as their own. On Sunday this week in Berkeley the band added the deep Rolling Stones cut “Monkey Man” into their live set for the first time, while at the same show performing the Grateful Dead’s “Mr. Charlie,” on which Tedeschi played Jerry Garcia’s “Alligator” 1955 Fender Stratocaster.
As the tour winds its way to downtown Phoenix, we caught up with Susan and Derek for some quick Q&A from the road.
Q: What songs are you listening to a lot right now?
Derek: “There has been a heavy dose of early Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland records spinning on the bus lately. That and ‘Blackheart Man’ by Bunny Wailer.”
Q: When's the last time you were in Arizona?
Susan: “It’s been a while since we were in Arizona. Looking forward to coming back and playing some music.”
Q: What’s the history behind your signature Gibson SG guitar?
Derek: “I have been playing an SG since I was 11 years old I believe. I remember seeing a photo of Duane Allman with that guitar and that became the goal. It was quite a day when they asked if I would be interested in a signature model. You don’t see those things coming when you are getting started.”
Q: Is there a cover song you're working on that might make its way into a show?
Susan: “Maybe some old Rolling Stones or Van Morrison or something fun.”
Q: Picture a Tedeschi Trucks Band show at The Sphere in Las Vegas! What do you see?
Derek: “That’s a lot to picture, but between Sue and I we have a pretty deep well and history to pull from. We have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of our lives and careers hanging and playing music with our heroes. Some of them in our own bands. I think we would certainly want to tap into honoring those people in visuals somehow.”
Q: Give us a fun story behind the scenes from the road that's happened on this tour.
Susan: “Went to a fun jam in Seattle at a place called Sea Monster Lounge where our bassist Brandon (Boone) played amazing drums and our drummer Isaac (Eady) played bad*ss bass! Alecia (Chakour) and I briefly sang – it was fun and we hung with the locals.”
Steve Stockmar
News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment
YourValley.net
sstockmar@iniusa.org
Meet Steve
Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.
Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.
Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.
Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.
Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.
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