We have learned that Shower Me Blue has just been in the studio. Where did you record and how would you describe your process?
—> First of all – thanks for chatting with us! We’ve been planning a new album for almost a year now. Originally it was going to be recorded at Wired Studios in Austin, but then we checked out the facilities and people at eTown in Boulder. eTown is such a cool place with a great sounding room we couldn’t pass it by. As it turns out, our producer Stuart Sullivan and the house engineer at eTown, James Tuttle are old friends. This really helped the sessions, as everyone knew each other and it made for a really comfortable experience. We aren’t finished yet, and the plans are to go down to Wired Studios in January to do vocals and add a few more tracks. So basically we are kinda following a traditional approach, basic tracks, over-dubs, mixing and then mastering with David Glasser at Airshow. It’s still going to be a while before we are completed, but we hope to start releasing a song or two in the spring (2019).
—> Having experience recording direct to tape (back before computers, Pro Tools and a bazillion tracks), it is quite different to track digitally. The benefit is that you have almost unlimited opportunities to totally screw up! But, there is a bit of a loss in serendipity – those moments where something was wrong, but it turned to be a magical “right”. We found a few, and overall we are having a great time making this album!
What is the recipe to your success?
—> “HAVE FUN!!” – Never lose sight of what makes performing music enjoyable. We try not take our musical lives too seriously. When we are together, we all tend to be closet comedians (or was that “we put Dingo in the closet – just so he could say he came out again”?). We have nick-names for our songs that tend to change based upon some crazy topic du jur (there – we added some French for Gilles!). Probably besides having fun, we really try and balance our lives. That is important to staying cool, calm and focused (did we really just say that?).
Your tour schedule looks to be extremely busy in 2019. How do you approach new territory for the band and does the group enjoy traveling?
—> Yeah – the schedule looks pretty intense – but we promised we would be on our bestest behaviors (fingers crossed). We all enjoy traveling – you have to in order to be a musician playing to a live audience! As for going to a new place, it’s pretty much a process of getting local exposure. Having friends in the area helps, as they become our street team. But we also like to reach out to local radio and see if there are any opportunities to get an interview. Social media works to a degree, but that is really a buckshot approach – you get a lot of likes, clicks and comments, but it is so easy to tap an icon today. It’s harder to actually get up and go see a live show – but we are working on that!
Do you feel your approach to writing and performing is a new take on the rock n roll, blues scene?
—> Actually we are probably a bit if a throw-back to how bands made blues-rock in the late 60’s and early 70’s. There is a sound from that era that we all like, and that naturally kinda flows into out music writing and performing. We have kinda started calling our music a “global gumbo of original, heavy blues rock”. We all come from very different planets (or at least different parts of this planet!) – Gilles from planet Paris, Dingo from planet LA and Bill from the outer moons of Chicago, and so we have been exposed to many different music styles over the years. When we get together we like to bring our roots to the party and stir in a bit to our musical gumbo. There are a lot of new sounds happening all across the globe, hip-hop, EDM, alt-rock, metal, fusion, whatever. All of these sounds plus the sounds of our environment definitely have an influence our our writing and performing. Just as the musicians did in the 60’s and 70’s, we listen and then try and add current, modern influences to our sound.
Any new, modern bands of your taste & choice?
—> Nathaniel Rateliff, Muse, Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, Ed Sheeran, Portugal The Man, Green Day, Counting Crows, and then EDM stuff like Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Nero, Bassnectar and Infected Mushroom.
Anything else you want to say to your fans out there?
—> We love you! Especially when you come dance in front of the stage!! Everyone – especially you on the phone! Please continue to support live music – not just by clicking “Like” but by coming out to see a live performance. If it’s not us, go see someone local – you never know if they might just be the next up on the ladder of musical success! (It’s still really OK to be able to say “I saw them before they made it, with about 15 other people at the place down the street, and they totally rocked it!”)
Thank you Shower Me Blue. Best of luck with your new album.
—> Again, thank YOU!! Cheers!
M.T.V.rock 