A Career of Rave Reviews

  • "Van Tour and Let's All Go to Bed put The Mother Truckers at the head of the class when it comes to Austin country rock. Van Tour follows in a similar vein... but the Truckers really hit their stride with the disc’s last four tunes. ‘Size of the Sun’ and ‘Concentrate’ house Collins and Zee’s coziest harmonies, while Zee’s guitar work on ‘Summer of Love’ fuses Billy Gibbons and Joe Walsh. The closing title track is just the right combination of goofy wordplay and 90-mile-per-hour country stomp."*

    — Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle

  • "Austin’s Mother Truckers have penned an instant pop classic with ‘Keep It Simple’ from their new Van Tour CD. The tune, featuring Teal Collins’ sensational, soaring vocals, has a nostalgic Top 40 radio feel as it yearns for love minus drama. Zee and Collins are probably the most talented guitar/vocal tandem in Austin since David Grissom used to play with Lou Ann Barton in the '80s."

    — Michael Corcoran, Austin American-Statesman

  • "The Mother Truckers have now made three straight albums that I like—how many bands have that kind of winning streak? Not many. Van Tour leans more toward blues-based, Stones-ish rock. My favorite track is probably the opener, ‘Alien Girl’—it has a riff that reminds me of T. Rex! ‘Summer of Love’ is an obvious ZZ Top move and simultaneously the most metal and most country song on the album. Bottom line: Lots of good stuff."

    — Chuck Eddy, freelance writer for Village Voice, SPIN, and more

  • The Mother Truckers’ song ‘Summer of Love’ was chosen as one of the “Coolest Songs in the World” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage SiriusXM show. Their 2008 track ‘Streets of Atlanta’ also received this distinction.

    Little Steven’s Underground Garage (SiriusXM Radio)

  • "My theory is if you start on a good note and end on a good note, you can hit anything in between." That only describes part of Zee’s maniacal approach to guitar. His ability to combine rock, blues, country, and Americana in a single tune makes The Mother Truckers' latest album Let’s All Go to Bed such a six-string hoot!"

    — Matt Blackett, Guitar Player Magazine

  • "Zee is an unholy hybrid of Joe Walsh and Paul Gilbert, shredding, picking, and squawking through leads... No matter how technically dazzling his guitar playing gets, it always keeps a refreshing sense of humor. Let’s All Go to Bed is a MOTHER-TRUCKING BLAST!"

    — Matt Blackett, Guitar Player Magazine

  • "For his raw tone, Zee cut the main tracks with three mid-'70s, 100-watt Marshall JMP half-stacks, with contrasting sounds ranging from very clean to super distorted, often playing all three amps simultaneously. His go-to guitars included an '81 Gibson Les Paul Custom, a '95 Gibson SG, and a Fender American Standard Strat."

    — Lisa Sharken, Guitar Player Magazine

  • "This band is a trove of talent—from guitar virtuosity to male/female vocal harmonies that give Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris a solid run for their money. Their style blends Blue Ridge reverence with Wild West rebellion and a strong dose of Texas tenacity."

    — Eben Sterling, Thrasher Magazine

  • "For a real taste of Austin flavor, local legends The Mother Truckers will keep you pleasantly immersed in their brand of country rock."

    — Michael Ventre, MSNBC

  • "I know that I give a lot of records four stars. After hearing Let’s All Go to Bed, I’d like to go back and give some of them three stars instead." - 4 stars out of 4.

    — Michael Corcoran, Austin American-Statesman

  • "They pack the Continental Club every Thursday, get regular airplay on KGSR, and have a charming new CD Broke, Not Broken, which has been flying off the shelves at Waterloo Records. The group celebrated this year by playing Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic in Fort Worth."

    — Michael Corcoran, Austin American-Statesman

  • "This Austin-based quartet barreled into town with big-rig harmonies, honking vocals, and 18 wheels of roots-rock bravado. Broke, Not Broken was a diesel-powered kick in the pants, bubbling over with enough honky-tonk heartache, country blues, and asphalt rock to fuel a fleet of Freightliners on a run to the Yucatán and back."

    — Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle

  • "Barely a year after relocating from San Francisco, The Mother Truckers are practically the South Congress house band."

    — Chris Gray, Austin Chronicle

  • "Principal songwriters and co-lead vocalists Josh Zee and Teal Collins exude effortless chemistry. So often, when a band has two distinct songwriters, fans fall into camps that favor one or the other—not with The Mother Truckers. Not only is the whole band on the same page, they finish each other’s sentences."

    — Dante Domonick, Austin Music Magazine

  • "Josh Zee (formerly of local band Protein) and Teal Collins take turns writing brilliant songs on this album and sing beautifully together throughout. A little bit country, a little bit rock—the Truckers mix it up to create a unique and amazing combination that’s likely to restore your faith in songwriting."

    — SL, SF Weekly