Jerry Joseph with Drive-By Truckers - "Sugar Smacks"
I had never heard of Jerry Joseph until yesterday, but any time Drive-By Truckers are go ing to be someone's backing band, you're going to get my attention. And if Patterson Hood says that a song "... might be the most punk rock song I’ve heard in twenty years (or more)," I'm in. For some background, Jerry Joseph has been in various bands (Little Women, Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons, Stockholm Syndrome) since the early 80's. His upcoming solo album was produced by Patterson Hood, and Drive-By Truckers are acting as his band. "Sugar Smacks," the most punk rock song Patterson Hood has heard this century, is indeed punk as hell... but not in the traditional sense. It's a seven minute rant set to music. Jerry Joseph lets loose with spoken word for nearly the entire length of the song, which doesn't sound like a Drive-By Truckers song in the least. Instead, it's a funky yet scary psychedelic jam, more along the lines of those weirdo ...