Vinyl Emergency

As NPR tells it, Drive-By Truckers' "examination of the Southern psyche is a microcosm of how Americans respond to triumph and tragedy," but their early career incline couldn't have looked more shattered behind the scenes. The band was close to imploding while crafting 2001's Southern Rock Opera, through a heatwave in a warehouse, for a paltry $7,000. But when the time came to make their follow-up, Decoration Day — in vocalist/guitarist Patterson Hood's words, "the most openly beloved thing we've ever done" — there was new fuel in the band's tank, with the addition of Jason Isbell, and a real studio and budget to help dial in their vision. Hood recalls it being his funnest recording experience to date, and the final product ended up catapulting the group to cult-like status. Today, on his second visit to Vinyl Emergency, Hood discusses the recently released 4LP Definitive Decoration Day box set, and why he feels the more his band is pushed, the better they become. Follow @dbtph on Instagram and hit up drivebytruckers.com for upcoming solo tour dates. (To hear Patterson Hood's previous interview, revisit Episode 144 from February 2021)

This week, singer/guitarist Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World chats about the heavy metal (and instructional breakdance) records of his youth, collaborating on a new track by Jay Som, and how he's attempting to take his critical ear out of the equation when enjoying music at home. The band's new EP, titled Something(s) Loud — a collection of post-pandemic material that's only existed digitally until now — is limited to 1,500 copies on vinyl worldwide and available only at jimmyeatworld.com.

Having spent the last thirty years fronting The Get Up Kids, Matt Pryor has earned an honorary doctorate in sharing intimate, vulnerable moments on record and making them sound catchy as hell. Through albums like Four Minute Mile, Something to Write Home About, On A Wire and Guilt Show, he's galvanized thousands of songwriters to similarly lean into the raucous joys of independent touring while pining for the stability and comforts of home. But on his latest solo effort released last week, The Salton Sea, we get inarguably the deepest and most honest look into Pryor's life yet, from the passenger's seat on the road to sobriety. Today, Matt discusses that journey, how writing daily before dawn has opened him up creatively, and why he's inspired by the way country stars like Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson are blurring the lines between punk rock and honky-tonk. Get The Salton Sea on vinyl, as well as 2026 tour dates and more at mattpryorandthesaltonsea.com.

Hot on the heels of his involvement with a new, one-step vinyl pressing of Wildflowers -- celebrating its 30th anniversary -- Ryan Ulyate talks today about working with Tom on late-career albums like Highway Companion, Mojo and Hypnotic Eye, as well as selecting tracks for The Live Anthology from literally thousands of performances over a three-decade span. Purchase the limited edition one-step pressing of Wildflowers from store.tompetty.com or becausesoundmatters.net.

If you were tasked with making a feature film about Bruce Springsteen, you could throw a dart and hit any number of career peaks worth covering. Instead, director/writer Scott Cooper chose to zoom in on the Boss' personal low, chronicled by author Warren Zanes in his acclaimed 2023 book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. With unbounded access to his subject, Warren's meticulous and potetic account of what he calls "the ultimate underdog of all recordings" is now the basis for 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,' coming to theaters everywhere this Friday, October 24th.   Also an executive producer on the film, Warren walks us through the journey from book to script to cineplex, as well as the film's granular attention to the smallest of details, and an emotional, full-circle moment he experienced after the film's first public screening. Plus, the brilliant casting choices of Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, as Springsteen and his longtime manager Jon Landau.   Deliver Me From Nowhere is available, with an updated, movie tie-in cover, wherever you get literature. Follow @warrenzanes on Instagram, and find his 2024 PBS special, Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music (featuring Noah Kahan, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, The Lumineers and more), at pbs.org.   Music throughout today's episode is from Joelton Mayfield's new LP, Crowdpleaser, also out this Friday, October 24th on Bloodshot Records. Visit joeltonmayfield.com for tour dates, social media, pre-order info and more.      NOTE: Further context on Warren Zanes' book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska is available from his previous interview on Episode 187 of Vinyl Emergency.