Rock ’n roll royalty is arriving in Dahlonega this summer, as veteran Atlanta rock band Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ has been confirmed for two nights at the historic Holly Theatre on May 15 and 16.
The local stops are part of a wider Southeastern tour in support of the band’s latest album Crushing Flowers, set to be released on Friday, April 10.
With tickets for the two shows available online and selling fast, The Nugget was fortunate enough to snag a Zoom interview with Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ lead vocalist and guitarist Kevn Kinney.
During the wide-ranging discussion, Kinney reflected on the early origin of the band and how the latest record brings their 40-plus year music career full circle.
He also previewed what fans can expect to hear during the band's two night stop at The Holly Theatre.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Kinney predicted.
NEW RECORD
In a surprising announcement, Kinney indicated Crushing Flowers may actually be the final full-length album for Drivin’ N’ Cryin.’
“I think we’ve made 40 years of music, and I wanted to make a record that was very much for Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ fans only. If other people like it, that’s good,” he said with a laugh.
Kinney said the format of the album itself is getting a little bit tedious. He still plans to record whenever he wants, with whoever he wants, and call it whatever he wants. He might even record another solo record.
“But in general I think I like the format of the singles, you know, where you don’t have to commit to a whole story arc,” he said.
Kinney favorably compared the band’s latest outing to Mystery Road, their third studio album from 1989, or the popular Fly Me Courageous from 1991.
“All those records are very eclectic as far as sound goes and all that. I was just thinking ‘I want to make the perfect Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ record. A little quirky, a little cock-rock, a little art-rock, a little nod to some of our influences,” Kinney said.
The title track of Crushing Flowers is an homage to 80’s and early 90’s college radio, like Georgia State’s Album 88 radio station.
The lead single, Mirror Mirror, is a deeply personal song about Kinney’s mother who is struggling with Alzheimer’s.
“She’s in an assisted living, but going to visit her is just such a strange feeling. Like trying to pull stuff out of her and keep yourself entertained while you’re there. You’re all alone visiting somebody, even if it’s your mom,” Kinney said.
He said it’s a difficult fact of life that many fans can relate to.
“From the very first song of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, I’ve been singing songs to me. I wrote this song for me,” he said.
Another song on the new album, Keep the Change, was written for Scarred But Smarter but never made it onto that record. He said the band was going for the same eclectic feel of Scarred But Smarter this time around.
“It had a love song on it, it had a protest song and so on and so forth. So I really wanted to incorporate all of that, and I think that we have accomplished that on this record. I love it. It’s 33 minutes long at 33 1/3 RPM. It’s got one guitar solo, and it just gets to the point. It did everything I really wanted to do. Why would I want to make another record?” Kinney said.
With that being said, Kinney said attendees of the show will still get to hear their favorites along with the new material.
“I want people to hear Fly Me and Honeysuckle and Straight to Hell, of course. I’m not one of those bands that can just do the new record and leave,” he said.
ECLECTIC ORIGIN
Kinney moved to Georgia in 1982 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I had a punk rock band up there. And right when I left I started doing this acoustic thing with a guy I used to be a roadie for called Richard. We had a band called The Lonely Desperados. And he really turned me onto some more country and jazz kind of stuff he was doing, but garage rock versions of it,” he recalled.
Other early influences on Kinney was a record called The Knitters by punk rock band X, The Times They Are A-Changing by Bob Dylan, The violent Femmes’ self-titled debut and anything by Buddy Holly.
“We’re the band that’s like your record collection. That’s what I used to say when I did my first interview or tour. We’re like a mix tape, so there are no rules as far as style of the music,” he explained.
HISTORIC THEATRE
Kinney said he has actually played solo shows in Dahlonega previously.
“I used to play about every year at The [Crimson] Moon. So I would always go to the music store and the antique mall. I’ve been to Dahlonega a couple of times. I like it,” he said, although he noted the full band has never played here.
Kinney said the two Holly shows will be fun because they will be completely different.
“We don’t do the same show twice: We don’t use a setlist. So it will be a totally different show, whatever it is. I don’t even know if it's gonna be a three or four-piece, but the record is a three-piece with Sadler Vaden from Jason Isbell’s The 400 Unit producing it,” he explained.
While bandmate Laur Joamets will be on tour with another group, Kinney, bassist Tim Nielsen and drummer Dave V. Johnson will all attend the May shows.
“We’ll maybe bring some other people up on stage with us,” Kinney said. “But yeah, it will be a great retrospective of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
Tickets to Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ at the Holly Theatre on May 15 and 16 are available for purchase now at hollytheater.com.