Veteran rockers Drivin' N' Cryin', Cracker bring '90s nostalgia to The Foundry

We’re in the grips of some serious ‘90s nostalgia right now as a country, so the upcoming tour stop featuring rockers Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ and Cracker at The Foundry in Greenville is just a common-sense kind of show.

After all, both of these bands scored their biggest successes in the early-to-mid 1990s, most notably with Cracker’s “Low,” (“I’ll be with your girl/Like bein’ low”) and Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Build A Fire” (“Won’t you love, sing along/Won’t you come, to build a fire”). Those songs were released within two years of each other, and one might think that the bands crossed paths at some point during those years.

Nope. As Kevn Kinney, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for Drivin’ N’ Cryin,’ this tour, which includes that aforementioned stop at The Foundry on June 5, is the first time the bands have played together.

“I knew who Cracker was at the time,” Kinney said in a recent interview, “but we didn’t meet until a lot later. David (Lowery, singer, songwriter and guitarist for Cracker) is a married to my best friend. And within just the last decade, I’ve really become a fan and a good friend of David and the band. They’re great people.”

In fact, the bass player for Kevn’s solo band is currently playing with Cracker, so think of it as a game of “Six Degrees of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’.”

“I’m not sure how we put it together,” Kinney added about the tour, “but I think it’s a great pairing.”

Fans of guitar-heavy alternative rock will have a blast at The Foundry show, and both bands will certainly bring the hits. Cracker is pretty much legally obligated to play “Low,” but they’ll also hit highlights like “Get Off This” and “Folksinger.”

As for Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, you can count on the misfit anthem “Straight To Hell,” the smoldering “Build A Fire,” and the aching “Honeysuckle Blue.”

But this isn’t all about nostalgia. Kinney and company have a new album out called “Crushing Flowers,” and he’s excited about playing some of it for the band’s fans.

“We’re doing five songs off the album, almost the whole first side,” Kinney said.

Those five songs will be done in a hurry though, because none of them are more than three minutes and there’s only one guitar solo on the whole record. Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ has been a lean and mean trio for a while now, and that more concentrated approach left zero fat on “Crushing Flowers.” Other than a guest appearance from R.E.M’s Peter Buck and some touches by producer/guitarist Sadler Vaden, it’s just the band and the songs.

“I was trying to make the perfect Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ fan record,” Kinney said. “I’ve kind of given up on trying to be a global star, or even trying to get played on the radio. But the good news is that we created our own world, and I want to stick to the people we’ve brought into this world. We’re going to dance with the ones that brung us.”

If Kinney has given up on ever becoming an international sensation, he certainly still values those people who have become part of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s world over nearly 50 years.

“I really do love playing in clubs,” he said. “I know what my strengths are, and my strengths are listening to what the audience wants and throwing things out there that they might like to hear.”

“I don’t know how to be Bono or Springsteen,” he added with a laugh. “But I know how to play for Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ fans.”