Blues Traveler didn't just spring into existence with that "Run-Around" song, you know. As with so many other breakthrough singles, there were several years of artistic development behind it - the group has been doing its jammy thing since the late '80s. With Blues Traveler's 20th anniversary rolling around, the group has decided to reexamine its past with an all-covers album... of itself.
Yeah, sure, it's got all of those singles you remember from late-night VH-1 video blocs, but since the group got its fans involved with the song selection process, there are a few lesser-known favorites included as well. The band has promised some drastically reworked arrangements of its standard material.
"The big lesson is that there's so many different ways to approach a song," said guitarist Chan Kinchla of the project through a press release. "When you're writing songs, you think the song kind of writes itself and you just follow what naturally happens, but doing this you realize that you can give yourself permission to change that process. And that's really just the beginning."
The track list:
1. But Anyway
2. Just For Me
3. Defense and Desire
4. Hook
5. Mountains Win Again
6. 100 Years
7. Lost Me There
8. Run-Around
9. NY Prophesie
10. Reach Me
11. Carolina Blues
Produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno, Cover Yourself drops on Oct. 30 via C3 records. Its release comes smack-dab in the middle of one of those good ol' Blues Traveler cross-country romps.
Dates (including four stops at the House of Blues!):
October
9 - Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theatre
10 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Visulite Theatre
12 - Trenton, N.J. @ Patriots Theatre at the War Memorial
13 - Baltimore, Md. @ Rams Head Live
14 - Glen Allen, Va. @ Innsbrook Pavilion
16 - Huntington, W.V. @ Huntington Music Hall
17 - North Myrtle Beach, S.C. @ House of Blues
19 - Pensacola Beach, Fl. @ Capt'n Fun
20 - Jacksonville, Fl. @ Freebird Live
22 - Lake Buena Vista, Fl. @ House of Blues
23 - Port Saint Luc, Fl. @ Mojo Room
26 - Hoover, Ala. @ Iron Horse
27 - Little Rock, Ark. @ Revolution! Music Room
28 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Wildhorse
30 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Music Mill
31 - St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
November
2 - Flagstaff, Ariz. @ Orpheum Theatre
3 - Buckeye, Ariz. @ Verrado Village Green
6 - Ridgefield, Conn. @ Ridgefield Playhouse
12 - Cleveland, Ohio @ House of Blues
15 - Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues
16 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Cabooze
24 - Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox
25 - Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
27 - Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Catalyst
28 - Oroville, Calif. @ Gold Country Casino
29 - Agoura Hills, Calif. @ Canyon Club
December
1 - Henderson, Nev. @ Green Valley Ranch Show
2 - Solana Beach, Calif. @ Belly Up Tavern
Related links:
Paste: Review of Blues Traveler's ¡Bastardos!
BluesTravler.com
Blues Traveler on MySpace
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