D-B Truckers on Record Store Day

A/K/A The Stroker Ace, the Guitarist Goes 'High Art' for Record Store Day. Sitars, even.

By Andy Tennille

April is already a month chock-full of holidays, what with April Fools Day kicking off the month, MerleFest and JazzFest winding it down and that Sunday in between when that bunny shits chocolate eggs on everyone's front lawn.

In the midst of all that revelry, vinyl geeks and rock stars will unite on April 17 for Record Store Day, the annual celebration in support of record stores around the world. Check here to see what some of your favorite artists are saying about Record Store Day, and here to see if your local shop is participating.

Drive-By Truckers are ardent supporters of record stores worldwide, so it would make sense - what with their new album, The Big To-Do, dropping on March 16 - that the Athens, GA rockers  might have something special up their sleeve for this year's festivities.

So what's it gonna be - a free acoustic performance at Schoolkids in Athens? Signing copies of their new album at Amoeba in San Francisco? A special screening of "The Secret to A Happy Ending," a documentary about the band being released this spring?

 How about the much-anticipated solo debut of The Stroker Ace, aka co-founding guitarist Mike Cooley!

"Coming soon," Cooley confirms to BLURT in a recent sit down. "It's done."

Though tight-lipped on the details, Cooley says the band will be issuing the special release on April 17 in time for Record Store Day.

"It's not an album, it's not a full-length record. It's not even an EP," he says. "There's no way I can describe it. You'll think I'm fucking with you if I start describing it. You'll just have to see. The only thing I'll tell you is this - it's high art."

"It's definitely that," confirms Truckers frontman Patterson Hood with a laugh. "It's so high art that John Neff plays the sitar."

[Photo of Mike Cooley, top of page, courtesy Wikipedia Commons]