Pages tagged “blues traveler”

It’s been 20 years since Blues Traveler rose to prominence on New York City’s jam-band circuit, and well over a decade since “Run-Around” shattered a record for its lengthy stay on the singles charts. Nevertheless, the band explores very familiar territory on North Hollywood Shootout, which pairs John Popper’s harmonica acrobatics with songs that groove, waltz and occasionally rock.

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

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Former Wilco wiz Jay Bennett helms latest from H.O.R.D.E. fest pioneers

Out of the gates, Blues Traveler rocks more than it grüves on ¡Bastardos!, anchored by guitarist Chan Kinchla’s riffing and frontman John Popper’s fantastical melodies. The album displays far more ambition than typical jamband studio efforts (which are usually failed attempts at bottling a group’s live magic). Producer Bennett sweetens the mix with a Summerteeth-like cornucopia of tape loops, sampled strings and dreamy Mellotron, though the songs don’t always jibe well with the treatment. The first couple tracks might con listeners into thinking Popper has become more tasteful—reigning in his harmonica blitzkrieg to where he’s not constantly climaxing. But this notion is soon shattered. Like Robert Randolph, Popper is technically amazing, but lacks restraint. Too often—rather than serving the music—he indulges the overwhelming desire to get his rocks off. But he’s still a soulful vocalist (even if he occasionally meanders into territory his pipes can’t handle), and the band can still write a catchy chorus. In this regard, “Amber Awaits” stands out as ¡Bastardos!’s best track, but there’s nothing here as memorable as earlier chestnuts like “But Anyway,” “Sweet Pain” and “Hook.”

Beginning Sep. 22, Blues Traveler will once again hit the road. Barely resting after a summer tour that found the band playing several sold-out shows across the nation, John Popper and company will cover 40 cities across the U.S. this fall.

For more information, including tour dates, visit http://www.bluestraveler.com/