Melody Trucks: Honoring Butch Trucks’ Commitment to Youth
[Great thanks to Nauti Rock for his photos and videos!]
Most people know that the late Butch Trucks was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, playing the band’s first show in 1969 through the last show in October of 2014. What some may not know about was Butch’s incessant drive to educate, invigorate, and enable young players to create beautiful music. He, along with Oteil Burbridge and Luther and Cody Dickinson, created a summer jam band camp called Roots Rock Revival in 2012, an opportunity each August for young musicians to spend four days with some of the very best in the business, sharing and learning and growing.
In addition to ABB, Trucks also founded Frogwings, a band that included a number of young players who have gained prominence (1997-2003). After The Allman Brothers Band retired in 2014, Butch did not. He formed a band called The Freight Train Band, after his own nickname, to play great music with wonderful young musicians such as Heather Gillis, Damon Fowler, and Berry Oakley Jr. He also included them in Les Brers, a band formed to continue the ABB legacy.
Which brings us to Melody Trucks, daughter of Butch. She put together a superb band in 2017 which rocked out for several years. She has also done great work in collaboration with sacred steel masters The Lee Boys, and her band in 2022 featured some fine young musicians. Her most recent project started last year, when she began working some young musicians from Delaware, The Fitzkee Brothers. And by young, we mean that drummer and singer Alex Fitzkee is the ripe old age of 16, and much older brother Drew, who plays bass and sings backup, is 19.
Trucks and The Fitzkee Brothers, along with two great Maryland products — guitarist Otto Grundman and keyboard player Nick French — just finished a seven-night run with guitarist Jackson Stokes. We were fortunate to catch them on the last night… day, actually, a beautiful afternoon in Sarasota, Florida, at Big Top Brewing Company, a delightful location for music and beer.
The Melody Trucks Band took the stage right after 3 p.m., and it was ON! Grundman is a superb young guitarist right in that ABB mold, very inventive. You could barely see French in the back on keyboards, but you could most definitely hear him. (And kudos to the young sound engineer for getting perfect balance and optimal volume for both bands.) Trucks was front and center with her conga drums, with bassist Drew Fitzkee to her left and drummer Alex behind her.
They worked through two fine songs — “Something to Make You Happy” by the Derek Trucks Band and Edie Brickell’s “Carmelito” — before Trucks addressed the receptive audience, talking about her dad, about Roots Rock Revival, and about how she came to play with “four Northerners”!
She then noted that they would play the brand new Fitzkee Brothers single, handing off to Alex to introduce it. He said, “It’s called ‘Lakesong.’ It’s about a lake. We’re very inventive.” That drew laughs from the crowd, but everyone enjoyed the song. Drew proved himself a very capable bass player. Next on the agenda: “Live Your Life”; Alex and she traded vocals. This was written by Brady Clampitt and Isaac Corbett, two men in her band when they recorded Walking in Gratitude.
Trucks talked about how enjoyable the tour with Jackson Stokes had been before expressing her love for Little Feat, leading to “Hate to Lose Your Lovin’.” French and Ottoman were all over this. She next invited John Ginty up to play electric piano on the great ABB tune “Come and Go Blues,” a Gregg Allman composition. He sounded great and stayed up for the remainder of the set.
Trucks then called the very first single by The Fitzkee Brothers, “Give Me All Your Love.” Both Alex and Drew sang and played the heck out of it. Alex kept fine time all set long.
@nautirock Melody Trucks Fitzkee Brothers#LiveMusic ♬ original sound – Nauti Rock
The next guest was the fabulous blues belter Kaleigh Baker (a.k.a. Ma Baker). Trucks gushed praise accurately. They bounced through a fine version of Allen Toussaint’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley,” with Grundman also adding fine vocals to the mix. Trucks then gave Baker the spotlight for “Train Gone By,” a song Baker wrote for her 2011 album The Weight of It All. This scorching tune dives right to the depths of your soul.
Since we were in the train mode, Trucks offered up the homage she wrote for her dad, “Freight Train” (it appears on Walking in Gratitude). There was a whole lot of soul pouring out right there. Two amazing ladies and a crack band of youngsters.
@nautirock Kaliegh Baker Melody Trucks Band#LiveMusic ♬ original sound – Nauti Rock
One of the biggest influences on many, many musicians in the jam community was the late, great and one and only Col. Bruce Hampton (Ret.). Trucks often ends performances with his songs. Sometimes it is “Yield Not to Temptation,” a song written by Bobby “Blue” Bland and electrified by Hampton. This show it was “Tumblin’ Down,” a Bobby Lee Rodgers tune that he and the Col. performed with The Codetalkers. Voices soared, none more than Trucks’, as the band knocked this one clear to the Gulf.
I can see Butch Trucks smiling right now.
[MTB: Something to Make You Happy, Carmelito, Lakesong, Live Your Life, Hate to Lose Your Lovin’, Come and Go Blues, Give Me All Your Love, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, Train Gone By, Freight Train, Tumblin’ Down]
Trucks & Co. have two dates left on this run. We’d suggest you mosey on out to the show.
Trucks, Fitzkee, Fitzkee, Grundman & French
02/01 Skipper’s Smokehouse | Tampa FL **w/ Tony Tyler Band
02/02 Heartwood Soundstage | Gainesville FL
02/15 The 8×10 | Baltimore MD
