Los Angeles got a masterclass in American roots music last night as East Texas’ Whiskey Myers and the mighty Tedeschi Trucks Band lit up the Greek Theatre. It was a double bill that blended red dirt grit with swampy soul, reminding the city that rock, blues, and country still know how to hit you in the gut and move your feet.
Whiskey Myers wasted no time setting the tone, dropping a scorching cover of Freddie King’s “Down Down Down” that felt like a calling card: Take note, Nashville — this is how country’s done. Their set carried the weight of workingman anthems, spiked with a soul revival energy that’s pushing the genre forward. From Billboard chart success to Yellowstone features, the band’s rise is no accident — it’s built on raw authenticity.
Cody Cannon’s voice came rough-edged and passionate, standing in defiance of the airy falsettos dominating today’s charts. Lead guitarist Cody Tate and John Jeffers tore through dueling solos that spiraled into harmonized wails worthy of Southern rock’s godfathers. The sound was thick with grit — Jeff Hogg (drums) and Jamey Gleaves (bass) locking it down, Tony Kent’s keys filling in the edges. It was East Texas heat, pure and unfiltered, pouring off the stage.
Then came the Tedeschi Trucks Band, delivering the kind of set that makes you wish every night in L.A. felt this alive. Derek Trucks’ slide guitar was a weapon of beauty — swampy glissando, lyrical phrasing, each note pulling you deeper into the groove. Susan Tedeschi, equal parts grit and grace, commanded the mic with a voice so rich it could crack the Hollywood veneer.
The 12-piece ensemble — including long-time members Gabe Dixon (keys), Kebbi Williams (sax), Elizabeth Lea (trombone), and Alecia Chakour (vocals) — turned the Greek into a southern block party. They slid between originals like “Do I Look Worried,” “Devil Be Gone,” and their soul-stirring “Midnight in Harlem,” and covers that honored their roots. Mike Mattison brought the funk on Prince’s “D.M.S.R.” (complete with a blazing trumpet solo), while Doyle Bramhall II joined for a searing “The Sky Is Crying” that saw solos traded like punches in a prize fight.
The night closed in full communal glory — Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends” — with the entire crowd singing in harmony under the cool California sky.
Two bands, two different approaches to the American songbook — Whiskey Myers with their unvarnished, East Texas grit, Tedeschi Trucks with their genre-blurring virtuosity. Together, they proved that in 2025, the spirit of Southern rock and soul is not just alive — it’s thriving.
Catch them in a city near you. Tour runs through the fall.
https://www.tedeschitrucksband.com/tour
