Heart & Soul and a Little Magic in NOLA

Magic and voodoo are two words that come to mind when thinking of the great city of New Orleans.  Making the drive from Houston, I started to feel a little bit of that magic as we approached the Crescent City to see the current owners of my heart and favorite band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

I first caught BRMC about six months ago during their first leg of the U.S. tour in support of their new album, Specter at the Feast.  At that time, I knew little about the band, even less about their music, but what happened that night was magical, indeed, and changed my heart and soul forever.  Now I was finally heading east for my second BRMC show, fully armed and ready to rock.  Walking through the French Quarter and along Bourbon Street, I quickly knew I was in the right setting for a BRMC show.  There was grittiness and brilliant beauty in every corner; darkness and lightness casting shadows throughout.  Much like the band, the city has weathered many storms, but only the scars remain and it is a stronger version of its previous self, sharing that spirit with the world. 

The day finally arrived that I had been waiting anxiously for the last 12 weeks.  The warm sun shined down and the air was breezy as we made our way over to check out the venue, the recently renovated Civic Theatre.  No signs of the band yet, so we decided to take it easy…and then magic stepped in.  When we came back, the band had just gotten there for load in and sound check and Robert and Peter were outside talking to the members of opening band, Plowboy (more to come on them).  I nervously made my way over to Peter in hopes of being able to speak and not sound like a bumbling, star struck idiot.  I barely made it out alive, but it was one of the greatest “magic” moments of the day.  Peter scurried off with the members of Plowboy so we chatted with Robert for a few minutes and I got to thank him for his music as well as let him know that his father’s music was a big part of my life growing up and today.  After Robert left to join his band mates inside, I stood there in amazement and awe of the fact that I just met two people that have unknowingly become such a huge inspiration to me.  I definitely needed a drink after that.

Finally, it was show time.  The lights dimmed and out from the darkness emerged those three angels of music.  Three chords into opening song, “Hate the Taste,” and I felt like I was home.  After all the anticipation over the previous weeks, I was finally there, standing in front of Peter as he struck every chord and sang every note.  His face wrought with emotion every step of the way.  Leah remained hidden from my view for most of the show, but her power behind the kit blasted through causing my heart to skip a few beats, resetting it to match her rhythmic pulse.  And then there was Rob a.k.a. Babe Shadow whose light may have shined the brightest as he energized the crowd with those driving lines.  Magic was happening.

The night continued with other favorites from Specter as well as other classics from previous albums like “Ain’t No Easy Way,” “Berlin,” and “In Like the Rose” sprinkled throughout the show.  Surprise of the night was the addition of “Evol” from 2010’s Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, but for me seeing and hearing “American X” and “Promise” performed live were the most magical moments of the show.  Robert poured so much heart and soul into those two songs you couldn’t help but experience the emotional intensity right along with him.  I’m pretty sure my heart stopped during “American X” before Peter brought it back to life with “Screaming Gun.”  And “Promise” was so heartfelt and pure that I had to wonder if a certain someone was on Rob’s mind that night as he pounded the piano keys, taking an extra tender moment at the end and keeping his head down before leaving the stage for Peter’s acoustic solo of “Some Kind of Ghost.”  I got the feeling that the band might have had a little bit of a chip on their collective shoulder which only brought the passion out on stage that much more.  All of that emotion and passion and intensity helped to create a very special show in the Voodoo City.  I wasn’t ready for it to end, but are we ever?

What I left with will be another moment embedded into my heart forever.  That is why those who love this band, love them wholeheartedly because they connect with you on another level, bury themselves into your soul and take you along for one hell of a ride leaving you feeling satisfied yet wanting so much more in the end.  Seeing them twice in one year, meeting them and thanking them for allowing us to be a part of their world through their music as well as finding some new friends  along the way has been beyond amazing for me these last six months.  And somehow I feel like the magic is just getting started. 

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Announce More Tour Dates

Yesterday was a day of happiness for many Black Rebel Motorcycle Club fans and a day of sadness for others as the band announced its next round of tour dates which will take them pretty much around the world and back. Still supporting their latest release, Specter at the Feast, BRMC aims to please all of their fans and will be making stops in the U.S., Russia and Australia before rounding it out in Japan in November. Many die hard fans in Europe were hoping for more dates to be added in their neck of the woods as were some in Canada and South America. Still, just because these dates don't include those stops, that doesn't mean the band won't continue on with their journey and pick those places up in an added set of dates at a later time.

I'm checking them out in New Orleans, LA! I have never been to NOLA so this will be a treat! Of course, the just mentioned Austin show would be the closer show, but I'm in the mood for a road trip! Hope you get to make it out to see them near your part of the world.

UPDATE: Additional dates have been added for New Zealand. 

 

 

 

Sometimes the Light Shines at the Right Time

It’s funny how you can listen to a song or an album as a kid and not really think much of it. Listening to it just becomes a part of your daily routine because your parents are listening to it, but somehow that song or album gets buried into your heart and soul and stays with you for years to come, molding what becomes your musical tastes for today. I must have been about six years old when The Call’s Reconciled album hit the airwaves. We were living in Corpus Christi and my dad’s band was pretty much on the outs by that point and soon we’d be moving to Houston. I remember listening to that tape in the car just about every day on my way to and from school and everywhere else in between. When you’re a kid, you don’t really pay attention to the lyrics and I couldn’t really understand why my parents had grown to love this album so much. I mean, “I Still Believe” sounds a little silly to a six year old that would rather listen to Duran Duran with her sisters instead of whatever band her parents were into at that moment. Now, as an adult, I’ve learned to appreciate that album and it is one that I still reach for whenever I’m in need of an old, comforting friend. Michael Been’s faith inspired lyrics are a breath of fresh air especially in today’s state of popular music that drones the radio waves. The Call was truly an underrated band in every sense of the word. They were pegged by critics to be the U2 of the US but never quite got to that point; still, they acquired quite the following that has stood by their side even to this day. When Michael Been passed in 2010, a huge part of music died with him. That is, until now. 

And I shouldn’t even say “until now” because this particular band has been around for the last decade and are only getting better as they go along. That band is Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Been’s son, Robert, taking on duties as bass player and co-founder. I had seen the name Black Rebel Motorcycle Club floating around various websites over the years, but I’m ashamed to say that I never really gave them the time of day. I don’t know why, I can sometimes be a little bit of a music snob and I just figured they were some “new, rock alternative blah band” that wouldn’t do much for me. That all changed last summer when I was tooling around on YouTube looking for something new and exciting to catch my fancy.  I clicked on BRMC’s “Love Burns” video and I quickly fell in love. So I did what any modern person does when they want to know more about a certain subject; I Googled them. And I discovered that Robert was Michael’s son and that Michal had been acting as BRMC’s sound engineer, mentor, friend and honorary fourth member for many years up to his death. Well, now I have to love this band, right? But as much as I enjoyed their sound, I sort of put them on a shelf for a later date. Not much was going on with them at this point. They hadn’t announced too much of what would be their latest album, Specter at the Feast, during that time and I sometimes have a knack of getting into a band on the tail end of their existence so I didn’t want to start something with his band that I couldn’t finish. Plus, even in the world of music listening, timing is everything and at that time, BRMC just wasn’t meant to become a part of my life. 

And that’s the funny thing about timing. It can be a person or a thing or a song or an album that can come into your life and you don’t have any idea that it is going to be a life changer. And that’s exactly what happened when BRMC’s Specter at the Feast came into my life. I casually picked it up at Cactus Music on Record Store Day in anticipation of the concert the following weekend thinking to myself, “Hey, I better know some songs for this show.” I didn’t have any idea as to how much I was going to fall in love with that album and the band as a whole. After Michael Been’s passing in 2010, the band understandably took time to grieve and figure out the next step. During that time, they wrote what I believe to be some of their greatest pieces to date. There are so many great moments on that album starting with the ethereal, bass driven opener, “Firewalker” before tearing into a dynamic and inspirational cover of The Call’s “Let the Day Begin.” The listener gets invited into a journey of grief, frustration, hope, joy and sadness. I really felt a lot of Robert’s healing as he sang “Returning” and “Lullaby” with lyrics like “You are the hand I can’t reach, you are the words I can't speak.” The center of the album revolves around the classic, gritty guitar laden rock anthem songs that BRMC is more known for with “Hate the Taste”, “Rival” and “Teenage Disease” proving that Peter Hayes is still a solid songwriter and guitar player. Other great tracks on the album are “Some Kind of Ghost” and “Sometimes the Light.” Each song gives a feeling of connectedness, picking up where the other leaves off and the band does an excellent job at bringing the listener full circle by ending the album with the epic masterpiece of “Lose Yourself.” 

I have to say, there is one song in particular that on most listens, doesn’t leave me with a dry eye and that’s “Returning.” I don’t know what it is about that song, but between Leah's beautifully rhythmic pulse of her drums, Robert’s poetic words and the intertwining layers of Robert and Peter’s melodic guitar and bass, I really feel like I’m there with them, experiencing whatever pain or sadness they experienced during these last few years. Personally for me, the message in that song is about returning from such a sad event and learning to start over and move on and having faith that it will all work out in the end. And sometimes we just need to be reminded of that. I really get a sense that Michael was with them throughout this whole process of creating this beautiful album, even if it was in a spiritual, emotional way. 

Music is an amazing thing. It can touch people in many different ways. It can lift you up, it can make you sad, it can make you laugh, it can make you cry and it can help heal your heart. When people are able to make music like that it’s a special gift and not everyone that creates music is given that gift to touch someone the way certain bands or musicians do. Michael Been and his music that he created with The Call started a legacy that would be carried on by his son and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. There’s no doubt that I’m certainly in a different place in my life now than I was a year ago when I first gave this band a listen and that is why now I feel like they have become part of my soul. I needed them now and I needed this album to come into my life now. I don’t know why and I certainly wasn’t planning on falling in love with them the way I have, but to say that I have become “obsessed” with this band is an understatement. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is something special and their loyal fans know it. Seeing them perform live in April, experiencing first hand their passion and love of music and appreciation for their devoted fans only solidifies that place in my heart that only a few have ever been able to reach. It is a place that I expect Robert, Peter and Leah will hold for many years to come. Perhaps one day our paths will cross and I’ll be able to thank them for sharing their heart and soul with the world. Until then, I hope they continue to spread their love and share their light.

Photo taken by Summer Davis at Warehouse Live in Houston, TX on 4/28/2013.