Mike Cooley, left, Brad Morgan, Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood and Shonna Tucker; Isbell quit in April.

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The Drive-By Truckers are bringing a kinder, gentler, more acoustic-friendly show when they make their way through the American Southwest this week.

Unless you catch them in Tucson.

The Old Pueblo won't get to experience "The Dirt Underneath" tour, a back-to-basics retrospective on 11 years of hard grinding, alt-country rock music.

Frontman Patterson Hood said the band is sticking to the electric side of its live act in keeping with the spirit of the Tucson Thunder event.

"We were afraid if we played a quiet show that you would hear Bad Company playing through the walls or something," added Hood from his home in Athens, Ga. "That ain't going to happen."

The Truckers are performing with Alejandro Escovedo and will be accompanied by Spooner Oldham Saturday at the Rialto.

"We get to perform with Alejandro. He is a hero of mine and one of my very favorites. It is such a treat. We played a festival in San Francisco and we played a radio convention in Louisville last year with him. We also played a couple nights in Chicago back before he got so sick (with hepatitis C) and took time off. We've actually played together very few times, for as much as both of us have been on the road and considering what fans we are and everything."

"He has been a family friend my whole life. It's the same deal with (bassist) Shonna (Tucker). She grew up with his daughter, so he is someone we have a lot of history with. To actually have him get on the bus and do a tour with us is kind of like a gift from the gods or something. He will also be appearing on our next album.

"We'll try to show him as good a time as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young did. I bet we will be more fun. We probably won't pay him nearly as well, but we'll be more fun."

At the same time, your longtime guitarist Jason Isbell parted ways with the band in April. What happened there?

"Jason joining our band was one of the best things that ever happened to me and us. It was a wonderful experience. We had five amazing years together. There is no denying the chemistry between me and him, us and him. He is such a huge talent and a great writer and artist in his own right.

"It had gotten to the point where it had gone about as far as it was going to go. He was moving in one direction, and we were all kind of moving in a little different direction. There comes that time where it is time to say, 'This has been great. Let's leave it like it is and move on and do some other things for a while.' That way, it doesn't become something it isn't supposed to be. It was all friendly and amicable. When he comes through town on his own tour, I'll be there in the front row."

You are playing a show in coordination with the Tucson Thunder motorcycle rally Downtown. Do you have a strong biker following?

"I think maybe a small one. I don't know how big it is. It kind of makes sense it would go well together. A lot of times bikers and guitars go together. That's what you would think anyway. And we've got a lot of guitars. If I was going to ride a bike, I would probably want to listen to something not too far from where we are at."