Tedeschi Trucks Band is One of Rock Music’s Most Celebrated Live Acts

Tedeschi Trucks Band stands out among rock music creative partnerships as an impressive husband-and-wife creative duo, with its stunning debut album Revelator making an indelible mark with audiences and critics alike.

This week, the 12-piece ensemble from Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center and Freedom Hill made their return to Michigan, performing at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center and Freedom Hill respectively. NPR’s William Brangham spoke with them about their musical journey.

Vocalist Susan Tedeschi

Susan Tedeschi began performing musicals and singing for family, before picking up guitar and joining a top-40 wedding band before transitioning into blues music. While on this path she met Derek Trucks – nephew of Butch Trucks who co-founded Allman Brothers Band as founding drummer.

Together they have formed a band that explores an expansive musical territory. At TD Garden, their 12-piece ensemble showcased all of its subtleties of sound; an ensemble capable of keeping arena audiences enthralled for hours at a time.

Guitarist Derek Trucks

Derek Trucks, nephew of Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, has shared many performances alongside Trey Anastasio from Phish. Whether it is the two Garden Parties held in Boston and New York or their guest appearances with Gov’t Mule; Derek brings an exceptional sense of musicianship into every performance.

On the TTB version of “Fall In,” Mattison offers beautiful vocals. On top of that, his tasteful licks complement rather than compete with Mattison’s slide playing skills and add another dimension of enjoyment to this track.

Bassist Mike Mattison

Mike Mattison – married to guitarist Derek Trucks and nephew of Butch Trucks (co-founder of The Allman Brothers Band) – commands the bottom end with guttural growls and raspy wails that conjure feelings of heartache and tender falsetto phrasing.

TTB’s new album, recorded live-to-two-inch analog tape in Jacksonville, explores roots music that spans from Americana to blues styles. He often sings alongside Paul Olsen from Scrapomatic bandmate Paul Olsen on this record.

Keyboardist Gabe Dixon

Tedeschi Trucks Band‘s debut album Revelator in 2011 marked an exciting journey into musical territory that spans Americana-influenced organ swells and acoustic shuffles, quickly making them one of modern rock’s premier live acts.

Dixon has been playing piano professionally since 1998 and has become one of today’s go-to pianists for some of today’s leading artists. He played keyboards on Paul McCartney’s Driving Rain album and Concert for New York City performances; Alison Krauss, O.A.R and Supertramp have also relied upon him to tour with them.

Drummer Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell

TTB follows in the musical traditions of blues and roots rock while breaking boundaries by incorporating jazz, country and more.

Tim Lefebvre, Kebbi Williams and Tyler Greenwell joined JJ Johnson for an unforgettable night of free jazz and fearless exploration in 2015. As a result, Whose Hat Is This? is their live album release.

Greenwell serves as a double-drummer and anchors TTB’s powerful rhythm section, and has also become one of the go-to studio drummers for Bilal, Outkast and Me’Shell Ndegeocello among many others.

Trombonist Mark Rivers

Mark Rivers’ trombone plays an instrumental role in the band‘s distinctive mix of rock, blues and soul music, providing rich tonal colors that complement Trucks’ vocals and guitar playing.

TTB recently headlined two arena shows known as “Garden Parties” at Boston’s TD Garden and New York’s Madison Square Garden, proving themselves one of modern music‘s premier live acts. Additionally, their studio set Signs recorded live-to-analog tape at Swamp Raga displayed their remarkable musical chemistry.

Saxophonist Kebbi Williams

Tedeschi Trucks Band performed sold-out arena shows dubbed “The Garden Parties” at both Boston’s TD Garden and Madison Square Garden earlier this year, showing their immense talent as one of today’s premier live acts. On their latest album Signs, this husband-and-wife creative duo harnessed different influences to craft an album with timeless qualities.

From the organ swells on “Midnight in Harlem” to the acoustic shuffle of “Until You Remember,” TTB are at their finest here.

Trumpet Ephraim Owens

Owens is a young musician with an expansive musical legacy to his credit and has quickly become an essential component of Austin music scene, having collaborated with everyone from Gary Clark Jr to Doyle Bramhall II.

His phrasing may vary song to song, but he always delivers. Roy Hargrove inspired him to pursue a career in jazz; additionally, he pays homage to Detroit’s rich tradition of black excellence in music.