Track 35: A Drivin N Cryin double-shot

I think it's a safe bet, that if you went to college anywhere below the Mason Dixon line during the 1990s, you probably have been involved in a drunken group sing-a-long of the Drivin N Cryin song "Straight to Hell."

And of all the bands that made up the proverbial soundtrack to my high school and college years, Drivin N Cryin is probably at THE top of the pile.

As one of my favorite bands of all time, DnC has given me a lot over the almost 20 years I've been a fan. I've lost track of the amount of times I've seen them live. Mostly because there were a ton of them, and also because every show ended with a drunken group sing-a-long of "Straight to Hell."

Though the band has some radio hits and a few videos back when MTV still showed bands, they largely remain unknown for folks outside of the Southeast. But what a fantastic band. Simple, straight-forward Southern Rock with such great, excellently written songs. DnC's arsenal of riff-heavy Southern anthems is nearly astounding, but they also have a a more rootsy-acoustic (slightly bluegrassy) side to them as well. The band's singer-songwriter, Kevn Kinney (yes Kevn without an 'i'), could very well be the bastard, blue-collar child of the Ramones and Bob Dylan.

Basically Drivin N Cryin plays rock and roll the way it should be played.

"Scarred But Smarter"
Karma or justice, whatever you call it
it's really there just keep looking for it

Track 1 off the band's first album. This is such a great rock song and one my favorite all time songs to hear live. This live version is from a sort of rare live EP "Live on Fire." And my god, does it rock.




"Honeysuckle Blue"
Have you ever seen the Blue Ridge Mountains boy,
or the Chattahoochie,
or the Honeysuckle Blue?

Though DnC had a few hits like "Build a Fire," "Fly Me Courageous," and of course "Straight to Hell," "Honeysuckle Blue" will always be THE Drivin N Cryin song. The guitar riff, the "whoa oh oh," just some really cool lyrics. "Honeysuckle Blue" is one of those songs that all Southern Rock tunes should be compared to.