Usually, when singer, songwriter and guitarist Patterson Hood comes to Charleston, he does so with a badass rock band. That would be the Drive-By Truckers from Athens, Ga., a powerhouse quintet that cranks up the guitars and lets the neo-Southern rock riffs fly.
This time out at the Pour House on June 5, it’s just Hood, his guitar, a piano and his ragged-but-right vocals. He has downshifted after a tour with the Truckers to promote his new solo album, Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams. Instead of distortion and snarling guitars, the album relies on incisive storytelling and more muted arrangements, allowing Hood to explore some of his most intimate writing.
With guest vocal appearances from Lydia Loveless and Waxahatchee, the album is quiet and contemplative even when Hood plugs in his six-string…