Melody Trucks is a life-long student of music. Being born into a musical family, she was surrounded by incredible musicians from the start. She began studying flute at the age of seven, but expanded to all woodwinds as she progressed through high school. She switched to percussion in college, studying ethnomusicology with a focus in Balinese and Brazilian music. While she did sing occasionally with her brother, Vaylor Trucks of the Yeti Trio, it was not her main focus. After deciding to surprise her father, Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band, by singing at an open jam hosted by Hub Chason at the Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee, Melody was invited to tour with his latest group, Butch Trucks and the Freight Train. The Melody Trucks Band emerged as a way for her to carry on the legacy he began, as well as a way for her to voice her own musical ideas.
After touring with Butch Trucks and the Freight Train, Melody Trucks immersed herself in the increasingly rich and diverse music scene in Jacksonville, Florida. The Melody Trucks Band came together in early 2017 as she encountered each member within this extended musical family. Their individual styles and influences run the entire span of every music genre: rock, blues, jazz, funk, classical, country, thrash metal, and even world music. This has culminated in fresh and unique interpretations of iconic songs from the genre of Melody’s extended family.
The Melody Trucks Band’s ten-city U.S. Tour kicks off Thursday, August 2 in Worchester, Mass. She took time to participate in our 5 Quick Questions series prior to the Tour. Here’s how it went.
BEN: You waited a long time to start your first band, even with all the great musicians around you throughout the years. What finally made you take the leap and form your group?
MT: I was so lucky to be able to spend the time I did with my father during the Freight Train tours. I loved making music with that incredible band, but still didn’t really have the drive to start something on my own. The catalyst was actually my father’s passing. I just knew I had to keep making music for my own sake. Playing with this band has been so incredibly healing. I really don’t know how I would have made it through that time without them.
BEN: What do you feel you learned about the music business the most from your late father, Butch Trucks?
MT: First and foremost – it’s music first, then business. The business aspect, while essential in its own right, is secondary to the magic on stage. Next would be how immensely important your crew is. I was brought up with a very deep respect for the work they do. Plus, what a catalogue of stories they have!
BEN: Talk a little bit about your Tour that starts August 2 in Worcester, Mass?
MT: This is going to be our first trip out of the Southeast. The motivation behind this tour was to get the band up to Roots Rock Revival – a music masters camp at the Full Moon Resort in the Catskills that was founded by my father, Oteil Burbridge, Luther Dickenson, and Cody Dickenson. I was able to go to Roots Rock last year, and it was such an intensely beautiful musical experience. I really wanted to share this with the guys, so we booked a tour around it. We start in Worcester, MA with Torus – then go to Northampton and NYC before Roots Rock. After the camp, we will be heading south again, starting in Salem, NY with the Bruce Katz band for his CD release. Other cities we are stopping along the way:
– Long Island, NY (Westbury)
– Asbury Park, NJ with The Matt O’ree Band
– Knoxville, TN
– Franklin, NC
– Asheville, NC
– Atlanta, GA
BEN: Of all the songs you’ve written, “Freight Train”, an ode to your dad, really stands out. Can you resonate on this a little?
MT: Believe it or not, “Freight Train” is the first song that I have written “on my own”. I put that in quotes, because none of our original music has been any one person’s creation. I started writing this song shortly after my father passed, but it was going down a very sad trajectory that just did not feel right. I put it aside for about 6 months to give myself time to gain a different perspective. One evening, when I was up way too late, and thinking about way too much, I ended up writing the majority of the song. At our next practice, I sang it to the guys and they helped me build the song around the melody line. I think it resonates with people because I tried to write it as a celebration of him. I wanted to capture his passion for music and the Allman Brothers, as well as highlight how much he affected us all. It makes me so proud to know that people connect with how I feel about him.
BEN: Ultimately, what are your goals and ambitions for the Melody Trucks Band?
MT: To be honest, this band has already surpassed any expectations I ever had. I just wanted to play music with someone. Somehow, I ended up with some of the finest musicians in Jacksonville. We discussed, as a band, what our expectations were early on – to ride the wave and see where it takes us. The magic that is happening between us on stage is something I could never have imagined. My greatest ambition for this band is for the world to know the guys I am playing with. For them to get the recognition they so wholly deserve. West Brook is one of the most passionate, energetic lap steel players I have come across. Brady Clampitt has so much soul… and surprises us all the time. He came in as a guitar player. We had no idea he was so awesome at keys! Isaac Corbitt is the hottest harp player out there right now. Willis Gore… good gracious that man can blow the roof off of any place we play with that guitar of his! We call Shane Platten “The Beast” – and for good reason. He is one of the funkiest, most powerful bass players I have ever heard! Of Shaun Taunton, our drummer, I can only say this – no one could ever compare to my dad, but I have played with many drummers before and many times have wished it was my dad playing with us. When Shaun plays, that never comes to mind.
On a more selfish, personal note – I reaaaally want to play Red Rocks someday! https://www.melodytrucksband.com/ https://www.facebook.com/MelodyTrucksBand/
