Derek Truck and Susan Tedeschi<\/span><\/p> As he admits, there was a period of time where as he was making albums, it often “felt like a chore.” Playing live was the opposite, he and his band would be “spitting flames” and subsequently get into the studio and wonder why that feeling wasn’t carrying over to the records.<\/p>\n But Jay Joyce, known more recently for his work on the last two Black Crowes<\/a> albums, was one person who helped crack the code. “We made a record with the Derek Trucks Band, [2006’s] Songlines<\/em> and Jay had me and Mike Mattison in his home studio,” the guitarist recalls, of his experience working with the producer. “He made it about something totally different. It was [like], this is a different muscle. This is exploration — we’re going to take these songs and just deconstruct them and reconstruct them.”<\/p>\n “‘And it doesn’t matter, because unless you love it, you don’t have to release it,'” he told the band members. “‘This is supposed to be fun and creative.’ It totally rewired my brain to making records. After that, it became as much fun or more fun than touring.”<\/p>\n Trucks adds that the exploration has only continued, something that’s been evident as he’s made albums over the years with Tedeschi Trucks Band — he names Jim Scott as one collaborator who helped them further expand their creative horizons.<\/p>\n The title track of their latest studio album, Future Soul<\/em><\/a>, which was released earlier this year offers just one example of how Tedeschi Trucks Band continues to evolve. As Derek takes a solo on the song, he goes way out in directions that might surprise longtime fans, just as it surprised him personally.<\/p>\n “I played that on on an old Flying V. You know, I’m not super well-versed in guitar pedals and getting crazy sounds,” he admits. “But Susan’s guitar tech, Ryan Murphy, who’s a great guitar player in his own right, he I was like, ‘Man, I really want this to sound like the end of the Earth. I just want it to sound like something’s gonna break.'”<\/p>\n “You could see the light bulb go off,” he continues. “There was this old Octavian [pedal], Chicago Iron Works [made]. It’s got a [Jimi] Hendrix<\/a> Fuzz Face [kind of sound], but he dialed this thing in. I plugged in the Flying V and you just had to hold on for dear life. It looks like it wants to get away from you at all times. So I was like, ‘Oh yeah, perfect, roll tape, let’s go!’ It was exciting. That was a lot of fun to play.”<\/p>\n Mike Elizondo, known for his work with Twenty One Pilots, Eminem, Carrie Underwood and others, brought “fresh ears” in Trucks’ telling, plus a wide swath of influence to the sessions for Future Soul<\/em>. “We’d\u00a0been circling each other for years and years,” he shares, regarding how they connected with the producer. “It was a fresh take on the band and he’s incredibly musical.”<\/p>\n “He\u00a0can play almost every instrument out there on the floor, so his ideas were incredible,” Derek explains. “Sonically, he was pushing and pulling and trying different things — and that really inspired the band. When you’re hearing the drums and the bass just pump and breathe in the headphones when you’re tracking, it makes you lean in a little differently.”<\/p>\n After lighting the fuse earlier this year with their annual New York residency at the Beacon Theatre, Tedeschi Trucks Band have a busy summer on tap. Their massive tour in support of Future Soul<\/em> will find them playing headlining shows, plus gigs where they’ll share the stage with a number of their peers, including Alabama Shakes, Jason Isbell<\/a> and the 400 Unit, Sheryl Crow<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n They’ll also play some special shows<\/a> with the Eagles<\/a>, something which Trucks admits is a personal thrill for him. “Joe Walsh<\/a> was always a great early champion for me,” he reveals. “I remember getting Christmas cards from Joe Walsh, with just him in a Santa hat for like a decade after that. “I would see him every 10 or 15 years and it always felt like long lost friends or like a mentor. So the connection with Joe is long and deep and real.”<\/p>\n “Now\u00a0that Vince Gill’s<\/a> in the band, there’s another guy that we’ve known for a long time that every time you see him, you just feel better for it,” he adds. “We [also] did a show with Don Henley<\/a> for a Leonard Cohen<\/a> tribute with the National Orchestra in D.C. tat was incredible. Sue’s known him for a good long time, so we’ve had some connections with him. But when they reached out about this, we were not expecting it. It was quite an honor to be asked to be a part of it.”<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Tedeschi Trucks Band 2026 Tour Dates<\/a><\/p>\n Tedeschi Trucks Band<\/span><\/p> Here’s a sneak peek at more than 80 of rock’s biggest Summer 2026 tours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTrucks Had His Own Struggles<\/h3>\n
Their ‘Future Soul’<\/h3>\n
Watch Tedeschi Trucks Band Perform ‘Future Soul’<\/h3>\n
Where to See Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2026<\/h3>\n
Summer 2026 Preview: Rock’s Biggest Tours<\/h2>\n