Review – “Death-Defying Adventures of the Franklin County Trucking Company”
#510.9 and #560 (Truck Driver Country, Country Rock) on the Country DDS
For all of you gear jamming daddies and mother truckers out there that love the smell of diesel smoke, slurping down scrambled eggs at roadside diners, and showering at the Flying J, you better make sure The Franklin County Trucking Company is in the shuffle of your custom deluxe king cab as you tear down the highways and byways of America trying to avoid those smokeys lurking behind billboards.
Yes it’s true that odes to 18-wheelers are so prevalent in country history that they constitute their own subgenre, along with a proud lineage of singing legends from Dave Dudley to Dale Watson. But like so many of country music’s traditions, this one has busted a flat, and been abandoned on the side of the road by the bean counters on Music Row.
Lucky for us though, The Franklin County Trucking Company is here to pull this proud tradition out of the ditch, shine up the chrome, tie some steer horns to the grill, and get it tearassing back down the road. That’s what they do with their immensely entertaining new album The Death-Defying Adventures of the Franklin Country Trucking Company released appropriately on 10-4.
You can actually give these dudes double credit, because it’s not just trucking songs they’re saving. The Franklin Country Trucking Company is one of the last outfits that truly lays on the pedal and reminds you of the hard-driving sound of ’90s-’00s alt-country/country rock, and it’s all aided and abetted by none other than Eddie Spaghetti of The Supersuckers fame. He’s is the bass player of the band, and a writer of multiple songs.
Along with guitarist Jim Rotramel and singer/guitarist Sean Hopkins who also share songwriting duties, they deliver twelve new original truck-driving songs that give Red Sovine and Red Simpson a run for their money. You might think that writing and singing songs about tractor trailers would be terribly limiting. But that’s always been the challenge and beauty of this discipline, and one the Franklin County boys both revel in and excel at.
For certain, most of these songs are just freewheelin’ and fun-loving tracks that are perfect for a road trip and have you rolling with the little puns and references to the truck driving life. The opening song “Bless My Soul” will have you breaking speed limits and working on your left arm tan, while “Raise Hell, Praise Dale!” makes for the perfect country music road dog anthem.
But just like Red Sovine’s classic trucking song “Teddy Bear,” the Franklin County Trucking Company tries to find a few more meaningful moments too with songs like “Me & Mr. Pibb” and “Work Hard, Be Humble.” Though country rock is the major attitude here, “Ain’t No Duke in Paducah” is about as country as you can get, and the closing song “Got One Comin'” finds a Western flavor.
And these days when most everything feels like sappy Millennial/Gen Z “Americana” exploring a songwriter’s feelings, it’s refreshing when some salty old salt and pepper dudes who still have plenty of tread on the tires decide to play garage band. The Death-Defying Adventures of the Franklin Country Trucking Company is one hell of a good time, and for a good time’s sake.
The Franklin County Trucking Company are the premier purveyors of truck driving songs and country rock in the modern era, and now have an expanding catalog of music to explore. Their Death-Defying Adventures adds to that legacy.
8/10
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Purchase from The Franklin County Trucking Company
October 6, 2024 @ 8:15 am
Trigger, are they kind of like the truck driving, southern rock version of the Aquabats (including a very mild ska feel in some of the drum and guitar licks)? It’s hard to be overly critical of a “themed band” because they are catering to a niche audience of sorts, and the instrumentals are strong despite the vocals being a bit buried in the mix. If you have additional insights on the band’s origins and if this is a side-project or touring band, that might help contextualize the album and band a bit more. Thanks for introducing us all to great new music, and great job, FcoTco!
October 6, 2024 @ 8:48 am
This is definitely a side project for all involved, but one they take very seriously. Eddie Spaghetti is still doing his Supersuckers thing obviously, and the guitarist Jim Rotramel has another band called “The Number 9 Blacktops.” Sean the singer also used to have a trucker country band called Dallas Alice. The did play the Outlaw Country Cruise last year and are planning to do some touring behind this album. I don’t want to discount them, because when they point their nose to this project, they clearly take it seriously. They’re basically the only band out there doing this right now in any sort of active capacity.
October 6, 2024 @ 9:03 am
Great album, thanks for putting on the radar Trig.
October 6, 2024 @ 9:25 am
My CD should be here tomorrow. These boys are the real deal, all their albums kick. The world is a better place with music from FCTC, keeping it shiny side up from southern Illinois!
October 6, 2024 @ 9:28 am
Sweet!!!!! Eddie spaghetti is so underrated.
October 7, 2024 @ 6:33 am
Yeah he is. Great songwriter, and he can write some truly beautiful and moving songs… when he wants to.
October 8, 2024 @ 4:47 pm
Supersuckers from La Mano Cornuda to Motherfuckers Be Trippin really were the Greatest rock-n-roll band on Earth.
October 6, 2024 @ 2:57 pm
Merle Haggard’s song Movin’ On comes to mind as one of the standards for this sun-genre
October 6, 2024 @ 8:59 pm
C.W. McCall’s “Wolf Creek Pass” is a cornerstone for this sub-genre IMHO and this does it justice.
October 7, 2024 @ 5:31 am
Fun stuff. Good music for a road trip.
October 7, 2024 @ 3:02 pm
Nice!
They’d be great for a double bill show with the Warner E Hodges Band
October 10, 2024 @ 12:16 am
That’s a fun one, thanks for the review!
October 15, 2024 @ 3:14 pm
Love this album.
Butt kicking country & rock.