Still Drivin’ but not Cryin’

“They were like, ‘Hey, ‘Whisper Tames the Lion.’ Your new record is coming out September 29th. And I was like, ‘Yeah. I know,’” Nielsen says, laughing.

It seems that fiercely loyal Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ fans have gotten the word. The hard-rocking band’s first new recording in 12 years, “Great American Bubble Factory,” is in fact due out out at the end of the month. And Kinney, who sings, plays guitar and is the principal songwriter, and Nielsen, who plays bass, mandolin and sings backup, will be doing a string of shows, with current bandmates, guitarist Mac Carter and drummer Dave V. Johnson.

When Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ released its first album, “Scarred But Smarter” in 1986, the rock club 688 was the center of the Atlanta alternative music scene, and the band’s stirring blend of bluegrass- tinged punk stood out at a time when the sounds of R.E.M. and Athens, Ga., were all the buzz.

Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ released more than a half-dozen well-received recordings in the next 10 years — including, “Whisper Tames the Lion” “Mystery Road,” “Fly Me Courageous,” and “Wrapped in Sky” — while gaining a huge regional following. But somehow, that never quite translated to a national audience.

Since 1990, Kinney has put out as many albums on his own, making a living as a solo artist, and moving to New York City. Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ went on several long hiatuses, and Nielsen started a company building and remodeling houses.

That Kinney and Nielsen came together to record again was both rather remarkable and pretty simple, they say. In June, they were signed to a new label, Atlanta-based Vintage Earth Music, and went back into the studio.

“I’ve been paying to make my own records for ten years now, “ Kinney says. “It was really nice to have someone pay for us to make a record.”

“The way this thing came together is kind of cool,” agrees Nielsen. “The whole economy is tanking, and suddenly we get a record deal. Total irony there.”

But “Great American Bubble Factory” doesn’t ignore that irony or the present recession. In fact, many of its 12 songs charge headlong into current events.

The first track, “Detroit City,” is a scorching celebration of the American automotive dream. And the title song was inspired when Kinney went to a dollar store to buy his kids some soap bubbles and discovered they were made in China.

“Maybe we can’t make TVs or microwaves cheap anymore,” says Kinney. “That’s cool. But, come on, bubbles? Made in China? That’s insane.”

The song, “Preapproved, Predenied,” is a loping, cinematic collage of hard times, with images of economic struggle juxtaposed against a wry sense of the absurd, as Kinney asks, “Just how stupid do you think I am?”

“I wrote that a couple of years ago, before all this happened,” he says. “I kind of foresaw all of it happening. I know how much I struggled just to have a little house in Brookhaven. I wondered how people were managing to buy these McMansions and drive really, really nice cars. But they were getting these crazy loans. And now so many people’s lives are destroyed.”

Longtime fans are sure to embrace “I See Georgia,” a bittersweet, vintage-style Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ road anthem about being homesick for the the home state.

“They’re true stories about being all over the world and hearing songs that reminded me of Georgia,” Kinney says. “Like I walk into Bleeker Bob’s [record shop in New York City], and I hear ‘South Central Rain’ [by R.E.M], or I’m riding in a car in Spain and somebody’s playing the Drive-By Truckers.”

Drivin’ N’ Cryin’

Free concert at 3:45 p.m. Sept. 5 at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park as part of ESPN's College GameDay festivities, www.centennialpark.com . Drivin' N' Cryin' perform at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at a free album release party at Criminal Records, 1154-A Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, 404-215-9511, www.criminal.com .