It is difficult to imagine a performer who hits the road much harder than Derek Trucks. Over the past few years he has enjoyed steady gigs with his own group, the Derek Trucks Band, the Allman Brothers Band and Frogwings. In addition, he has sat in with numerous performers, including an extended run with Phil and Friends last fall.

Fans can look forward to recordings from three of these bands in the months to come. First up is Croakin' at Toads, recently released by Flying Frog Records, a powerful disc which chronicles a New Haven Frogwings performance. In addition, Derek's guitar can also be heard on the Allman Brothers Band Peakin' at the Beacon, culled from the group's March 2000 run. Finally, the weeks to come will also yield the third release from the Derek Trucks Band, which unfortunately has been held up due to some legal wrangling on the part of a now-defunct record label.

Amidst all this action, Derek also is focussing on a new incarnation of the Derek Trucks Band. Vocalist Javier Colon recently joined the group to provide a vigorous counterpoint to Derek's estimable guitar talents and the collective chops of the group.

The Derek Trucks Band will continue to perform throughout December, concluding with a New Year's Eve gig at the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC. For additional information on Derek's happenings visit, among others, www.derektrucks.com, www.frogwings.com and www.allmanbrothersband.com.

Budnick- Let's start off with your own group. You recently added Javier Colon to the band. How did you meet him?

Trucks- I had the word out for a while that we were looking for a singer/percussionist if possible. It was just a matter of time before we ran into the right person. It was actually through Eric Krasno of Soulive. He had heard Javier singing in a band that had opened for them in Massachusetts. It was pretty random how it came together. We were just looking for that instrument, somebody who could sing the way that Rico and Kofi and Todd play, somebody who's really on top of their game. When I heard him I realized that he definitely had that going on. I knew that surrounding him with these guys in this band would be great, especially because he's really young too and learning and sort of seeing everything for the first time. I think it's going to be a great growth period. It really opens up everyone to different things.

Budnick- How has his addition changed the collective approach of the band?

Trucks- He's changed it in a lot of ways. Kofi's really into Latin music, Latin jazz, a lot of the Cuban guys- especially because he's a flute player and there's so much great flute music over there. Javier's father is from the Dominican and his mother is from Puerto Rico so he kind of has that in his blood. I think that's going to come out more. For instance I think he will start singing in both languages. Javier also opens up the opportunity for more soul tunes, r&b tunes and funk tunes here and there. It opens up a few new realms that we were always listening to but we never had the ability to go after.

Budnick- I remember hearing you say that when you're playing you think of yourself as a singer, someone such as Mahalia Jackson.

Trucks- That's what I'm hearing in my head a lot of time when I'm playing. Especially the blues tune or the tunes that lend themselves to that, the more gospel-sounding tunes. We had a guy who opened for us in New York City, Robert Randolph, he's a lap steel player from that Church of the Sacred Steel- there's like a hundred or so lap steel players and they're the lead voice in the church choir, basically. It's pretty amazing, these guys are so bad ass. Hearing that made it more concrete in my mind because they can really evoke the human voice with the lap steel. When I heard them a few years ago that's when it all started making sense. I was mainly listening to horn players and vocalists, never guitar players. When I heard that it kind of brought it back for me and I started to get a handle on it a little better

Budnick- So then to what extent will a full-time vocalist alter your approach?

Trucks- I think in a way it kind of emphasizes it because we can play off each other and that's a good thing. Ali Akber has a Indian classical music school in San Rafael and we've sat in on a few classes. He makes all the instrumentalists take vocal classes because his whole thing is that when you're playing you should be singing through your instrument anyway, so you should approach it that way. You're supposed to be speaking through your instrument, not just playing patterns and working out mathematical problems all the time. You should also be trying to get at something, trying to tell a story. Even when you're soloing so should be doing more than just running through your scales and trying to find different combinations, you should be trying to say something.

Budnick- Do you currently listen to more guitar players?

Trucks- Rarely any guitar players. Still, mainly horn players and a lot of Indian classical too. I have a great Ravi Shankar box set, it has him with the London Symphony Orchestra. There for instance you have complete melody coming from everywhere, you can hear so many different things to play. I try to listen to things that are going to expand what I hear rather than just reinforce it. Most of the time when I hear a guitar player it is more in the realm of what I'm going to be doing rather than further along the path. I've always tried to look as far ahead as I can. That's why it's great to be around people like Jimmy Herring who realize how far there is to go. I can see someone like him doing what he's doing and appreciate how long he's been doing it and just how on top of his game he is. It's great to strive for that.

Budnick- I can remember I saw you after a show this summer and I mentioned that every time I see you play I notice something new. You answered, "I hope so," which I thought was a pretty telling response, in the best way possible. I'd be interested to hear about your practice regimen.

Trucks- It's pretty odd. Sometimes I'll go a few days writing things out and hearing things. Sometimes it's just taking piece of paper and having my instrument out nearby and then writing out all the different combinations of notes within a tune and just finding different chords or running the scales. Sometimes for me it's only listening or talking to Kofi because when you have people around you who are so well-versed in music theory, it's good just to speak about music. Sometimes they can really open things up by talking about rhythmic patterns or different ways to approach things which can make me play something completely different the next night. It's great having Rico and Kofi. They both have a wealth of knowledge and it's such a privilege having those guys out on the road and being able almost at time any time to hang and speak of music

Budnick- When you are performing with the Allman Brothers Band do you have that same freedom to aggressively review your parts and drastically modify them?

Trucks- That's a different time for me. When I'm out here with this group (the Derek Trucks Band) it almost feels like anything we want to learn no matter how far-fetched or unusual we can throw it into the mix and watch it happen. Sometimes it flies, sometimes it doesn't. With the Allman Brothers their sound is more etched so it's a little more difficult to work in things that I'm hearing if they're not within that realm. But because the touring schedule is so different it gives me a lot more free time to listen. With Jimmy out on the last tour as well as Oteil it was great hanging and playing with them.

Budnick- Assuming you're going to be performing with Warren in the ABB that should be interesting because you'll have two slide players.

Trucks- I've thought about that too and I'm not sure what to think. When you have someone like him it should be fun and there might some unique things that come out of it as well, a whole new side of that band. It seems like it always works itself out with that group so I don't worry about it too much.

Budnick- One other interesting thing of course is those both of you performed in the band as a counterpoint to Dickey. So I'd imagine that in certain tunes you'll have to rethink your approach.

Trucks- It should be a trip and we'll probably have to relearn a lot of our parts too. Hopefully we'll get a chance soon to start hammering it out if he's going to do the Beacon run.

Budnick- Speaking of which, I very much enjoyed the way that the band rearranged "Jessica" for the summer tour.

Trucks- That was nice, and that was a great tune for Jimmy too. A lot of times I would notice that was the one tune that opened the crowd up too him. A lot of nights we'd throw that early in the set and people would get off on it and lighten up and realize that he was a bad ass. Sometimes it takes a minute. Sometimes you have to drop a bomb until they see can it.

Budnick- That was one of the highlights for me of the summer. That tune really demonstrated the possibilities of the line-up.

Trucks- Definitely. That and "Mountain Jam," which was also great and a lot of fun. That was really loose. Maybe the third day of rehearsal somebody just put on the record. We all listened to it and then just fired up all the equipment and went for it. We opened up the first show with it in a way a statement: this is a different era, here it is. I thought it was a good move to do that tune.

Budnick- Let's move on and talk about one of two news discs that you're on, Frogwings' Croakin' at Toads. I'd like to hear your perspective on how that band came together and evolved.

Trucks- Butch called me up, said he wanted to do something and I just thought of players. Jimmy and Oteil first came to mind and then it all just fell together. I didn't have any ideas about singers. I think Oteil mentioned Edwin McCain. Edwin did it for a year and then his record company stepped in and X-ed that out for him. So everyone called Popper, which seemed the natural thing. Then they added Kofi, and that's an amazing group of musicians. It's great to be on the road with them.

I guess it was the pre-Allman Brothers, the farm team for a while. No one knew though, that was never in anyone's thoughts. Even when Oteil got the gig, me and Jimmy, the last thing the two of us thought was that we would be playing in the Allman Brothers. That was out-er than Sun Ra coming back and asking us in the band. We had no idea that was going to go down and we laughed about it while we were on the road. It was getting to the point before the Allman Brothers when me and Jimmy would feel so comfortable that when we would play we would just go out as far as possible. We'd detune and there would be no songs. We were baffled by the fact that they even let us play in the Allman Brothers together. At times it was really hard for us to hold it back and play in all night. There were many times when he would look over and I would look over and it was tough to hold it in.

Budnick- Were there any nights when the two of you just cracked and really took it out there?

Trucks- There were two or three nights where we really just let go. Right before the drum solo in "Mountain Jam" we detuned and went all the way out. Sometimes Oteil would go with us and sometimes he wouldn't. There was one night though, I believe at the PNC Arts Center, when all three of us went and there was just no hope of coming back. It was funny because I think Gregg said something about it on the bus and then came back about twenty minutes later and said to me, "Don't worry, me and my brother we used to have fights about that all the time. He loved going out. But you guys do whatever you want to do." It was funny. It was worth it.

Budnick- You've had a close relationship with Jimmy Herring for a while now. How did that initially come about?

Trucks- I've known Jimmy since I was eleven or twelve years old. We opened for the Aquarium Rescue Unit and from that point on, I've kind of been in that realm with the Colonel. Since then I talk to the Colonel at least once a week, it's kind of the family. It's one of those connections I made early on with Jimmy and Jeff and Oteil and Bruce. There's been a lot of time spent and music shared. It's a great thing. Those guys really opened me up to a lot of things, from going beyond just listening to normal shit to a lot of the higher forms of music, the other stuff, the stuff not everyone is hearing. I feel very fortunate to have hooked up with those guys at a young age.

Budnick- Which reminds me, I can recall reading a quote that Colonel Bruce attributed to you, one of my favorites. He said that after listening to Coltrane with him, you tuned and said, "Man that sounds good even after it stops."

Trucks- I remember he took me out and bought me a few records- Hampton Grease band on vinyl, Sun Ra at the Village Vanguard, and Coltrane's A Love Supreme. We were just siting on the couch listening to it and we didn't say a word through the whole thing. We were driving away from the house and then about twenty minutes later it hit me about what went down. I was completely listening but still kind of oblivious to it while it was happening. It was about twenty minutes later that it struck me. I remember him repeating that back to me a few times. He's definitely been a teacher in terms of showing me a lot of things and turning me on to music ands books and everything else.

Budnick- Let's return to the Frogwings. What are your memories of that last tour, the one that appears on Croakin at Toads?

Trucks- There were some really good nights. There were definitely some of those nights when Jimmy and I did get to go all the way out. Jimmy never likes anything he does unless it is complete broken and out. I remember though that after the one of the shows he really wanted to get a tape and he was running around after the tapers, that was funny.

There are so many crazy Popper stories, he's a madman. He always carries a piece. He came late to a rehearsal and we were all waiting for him. Then he came in and broke out his excuse- it turned out he was on the bottom floor of his hotel and while he was checking the chamber of his gun he accidentally shot it off through the floor. So he had to pack his shit and sneak out of the hotel. That was pretty funny. I think with those guys though, every day something completely insane happened.

Budnick- Have you listened to the Frogwings disc? Do you enjoy going back and listening to what you've done?

Trucks- I don't listen to myself play very often. It's like listening to yourself talk. I did listen to the Allman Brothers band disc once and I enjoyed that. Actually the record that we finished, our third record, I've listened to that one quite a bit. It's the first of our records that I really enjoy listening to, so hopefully we'll get it out soon.

Budnick- Since you mentioned Peakin' at the Beacon, what did you feel were the highlights of that disc?

Trucks- I just remember there being some real authentic Allman Brothers moments. It sounds like something I would have listened to before I joined the band, so I was happy with it. I hope we do an Allman Brothers Band album in the studio with some new material, that whole thing, but as far as what it was, I feel really happy with it. I thought Dickey sounded great on it, I thought he played his ass off. I thought his tone was completely him and I'm glad that era of the band was captured.

Budnick- Speaking of which, I caught at least one major Soulive quote on the album.

Trucks- (laughs) I think Erik [Krasno] was there that night so Oteil and I kept throwing in Soulive quotes. I think while Gregg was introducing the band I was tossing them in underneath and that made it on the record. Those guys are great. I love just being around them and hanging. I'm glad they're getting out there and starting to really hit it the way they deserve to. They're as good as any band going now as far as I hear.

Budnick- Aside from Soulive what other musical snippets do you and Oteil typically offer up?

Trucks- We toss in a lot of different things. A Sun Ra tune the band would sing before he would come out. The words are "When the world is in darkness and darkness is everywhere along came Ra." We play that melody quite often. Then there's tunes like "Afro Blue" and thirty others that we sneak in every once in a while.

Budnick- Let's jump topics again. I remember when I spoke to you last time for the web site, you had just recorded with Jazz Is Dead. At that time you told me that before you went in that night to perform with the band you hadn't heard much Grateful Dead. I'm curious, before you toured with Phil Lesh, did you listen to much of the band's catalog?

Trucks- I got the call from him two night before the Chicago show when I first played with him so I didn't really have any way to get any Dead CDs between the day that he called me and the show. So I was just as blind going into that as I was with Jazz Is Dead. It was an amazing experience, he was so wonderful to work with and it felt comfortable from the first second.

Budnick- So what is your approach when you step into that type of situation?

Trucks- Luckily for me I've been kind of sitting in blindly since I was nine years old. That's kind of the way I learned to play- just get thrown into a situation with somebody hollering out either a key or a time signature and then going for it. I think in a way it's a good way to learn. With Phil that was the extreme of it because we weren't doing it in front of a small audience and they weren't exactly normal tunes. A lot of them have strange chord changes and odd time signatures and weird shit going on that you wouldn't expect. When you're in the middle of that and you don't know the tune you're hyper sensitive to things and you have to kind of feel where people are going. With Phil he almost makes you feel a change before he changes, so it was pretty comfortable. Much more natural than I ever thought it would, and a great, great experience. Every day I would get a tape from him- we would do seven to nine different tunes every night and he would lend me some discs and I would study all day and play the show that night. It was definitely a trip. I enjoyed doing it and definitely hope to do it in the future when time permits.

Budnick- The same holds true from Frogwings I assume, if everyone's schedules can be cleared.