Mike Cooley

[THE PASSENGER] Drive-By Truckers lead guitarist and secondary songwriter Mike Cooley is notably less prolific than leader Patterson Hood, his contributions having waned during the last few DBTs records. So it’s no surprise, though perhaps a bit of a disappointment, that his just-issued, live solo debut, The Fool on Every Corner, contains not new material (save one song), but unaccompanied acoustic versions of Truckers tunes. While stripping down rock songs to their basics is often revealing, what’s revealed here is how Cooley’s voice needs the backing of a loud band to couch its slightly sour, not squarely on pitch character. And the album’s not helped by having been recorded in a room full of yahoos whooping and hollering at any mention of drinking or shooting. Even the use of the words “dog shit” is apparently cause for rapturous hosannas. Cooley’s a mother of a Trucker, but trading in his rig for a bicycle doesn’t suit him.

Where: Doug Fir Lounge
Phone: 231-9663
Address: 830 E Burnside St.
Website: www.dougfirlounge.com