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GUEST EDITOR

From The Desk Of Drive-By Truckers: Birmingham, Ala.

After fighting writer’s block for four years, Drive-By Truckers singer/guitarist Mike Cooley is now back to work. English Oceans (ATO) is Cooley’s return to full-on songwriting—splitting the tracklist right down the middle after letting bandmate Patterson Hood steer the ship for the two albums prior—and is a return to form for the group as a whole. While DBT has never been a band to slack on the road or in the studio, English Oceans has the vigor and exuberance that made it one of America’s best rock groups. Cooley, Hood, bassist Matt Patton and multi-instrumentalist Jay Gonzalez will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Drive-By Truckers feature.

Birmingham
Cooley: Since 2001, I have made my home in Birmingham, Ala. It seems as though Birmingham and a number of other Southern cities have undergone a change in cultural leadership over the last 10-to-15 years, and most of its leaders aren’t transplants. They are a generation of young Southern-born entrepreneurs that see a future far more inclusive and diverse and are actually bring it into the present. From food to visual and performing arts and education, they are reinventing our cultural landscape while including many of the colorful and unique qualities that have always defined the creativity of our region. While there may still be work to do, I see in this evidence of a generation that finally understands the difference between history and heritage and believes its culture can be defined on its terms and understanding of the world it inhabits. Sometimes, the only way to a brighter future is to create a new past for it to work with. If that’s what’s happening, I’m glad I lived long enough to see the work begin.