After playing at Austin City Limits on Sunday, Blues Traveler makes a stop at the State Theatre tonight in support of its new album, North Hollywood Shootout, released in August.
With the band’s first CD released in 1990, Blues Traveler has put out eight studio albums and four live albums. “Run-Around,” the band’s first big single, hit the charts in 1994 and was the longest-running single in Billboard history, according to the band’s Web Site, bluestraveler.com.
Frontman vocalist and harmonica player, John Popper, delivers high energy to the band’s shows. His vest is home to an arsenal of harmonicas, in every key, just lying in wait for Popper to arm himself.
The band is composed of Chandler Kinchla on guitar, his brother Tad, on bass, Brendan Hill on drums and percussion and Ben Wilson on keyboard.
After more than 20 years of touring and recording, Blues Traveler set out to record North Hollywood Shootout in a different manner than usual, Kinchla said on their Web site.
“On the last few records, we concentrated so much on the craft of the songwriting and arrangements that we started losing some of the live spontaneity that the five of us created on stage,” Kinchla said. “So on this album, instead of doing the usual pre-production process, where we really worked out the songs before taking them into the studio, we decided to go straight into the studio and do the songwriting there.”
To the band, this change seems evolutionary since Blues Traveler is more of a live-show, touring band.
“That was a completely new way of working for us, but it was also taking what we do live and bringing it into the studio,” Kinchla said.
He said the members thought of being in the studio and playing live to be different creative processes, and they could not always do live what they did in the studio.
Popper wanted to do something additionally different; he wanted more melody.
“The main thing that we wanted to emphasize on this record was melody, and I think that aspect of it turned out really well,” Popper said on the band’s Web site. “The guys took a real risk in trusting me to run with that.”
Grammy-winner David Bianco produced North Hollywood Shootout. Bianco has worked with artists and bands including Mick Jagger, Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller and Rage Against the Machine.
“You, Me and Everything” looks to be the first single on the new album and is reminiscent of earlier Blues Traveler songs.
The album’s longest track, “Free Willis, Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob’s Machine Shop,” was inspired by actor Bruce Willis. The six-minute spoken-word sound collage is performed in a William Shatner-like manner.
MSU students and Starkville residents alike are looking forward to the show.
Senior information technology systems major Austin Dean said, “I’ve listened to [Blues Traveler] for years, but I haven’t had a chance to see them live, yet. I’ll definitely be there Tuesday.”
State Theatre bartender Dave Wood said he’s also excited about the show.
“We have been looking forward to Blues Traveler coming for awhile,” Wood said. “We just want to keep good live music going in Starkville, and as long as the crowds come out, as I’m sure they will, we’ll keep getting good bands to play here.”
Tickets for Blues Traveler cost $22 and the State Theatre’s doors open at 7 p.m.