The Honey Island
Swamp Band Brings A Sledgehammer
To Demolition
Day
Out April 29 During
Jazz Fest In New Orleans
“They’re
irresistible by their name alone…” - Elmore
Think The Band’s Music From
Big Pink album and add a splash of hot sauce with “Willin’’ by Little
Feat – this group of New Orleans vagabonds nails it.
New
Orleans, LA or San Francisco, CA– From the pristine waters of the Honey Island
Swamp, to the vibrant streets of New Orleans, to the hazy corner of
Haight-Asbury in San Francisco, this band has endured devastation, relocation,
and revitalization. A group whose sound has been tagged “Bayou Americana,” the
Honey Island Swamp Band takes the hammer to the nail with the help of producer
Luther Dickinson, and presents Demolition Day to the world April
29 on Ruf Records.
This
album marks the 10-year anniversary of the Honey Island Swamp Band, which
formed in San Francisco, CA via New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina displaced
the founding members. With little hope of returning to their beloved
city, the band channeled the blues and emotions of their circumstances to develop
a soulful style and sound that critics have compared to legendary
Blues-Roots-Rock Artists such as The Allman Brothers, Little Feat and The
Band.
Recording
at the Parlor Studio in New Orleans, Honey Island Swamp Band teams
up with producer/musician Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars to
capture a rhythm and a feel born straight from the heart of Americana. The
album features a host of New Orleans finest musicians, including guest
appearances by keyboardist Ivan Neville and Tab Benoit on pedal
steel.
“Their all encompassing sound of blues, roots,
country, and soul has been described as “Bayou Americana.” – No Depression
“We’ve
always wanted to record to two-inch tape, to get that old analog sound,” says
bandleader Aaron Wilkinson,
“and this was our first opportunity to make it happen. Luther was the
perfect producer to help us nail that old-school, authentic sound. He was great
at keeping us focused on the spirit of each performance, not getting bogged
down in details and perfectionism. That’s what we were looking for and
what we needed.”
After
all, polish isn’t necessary when you’re working with songs this strong. Across
its eleven cuts, Demolition Day tips a hat to most of the great
American genres, while adding the Honey Island Swamp Band’s inimitable
thumbprint. There's the spring-heeled slide-blues of “Ain’t No Fun”, the upbeat
funk of “Head High Water Blues”, the cat-house piano and country-fried guitars
of “How Do You Feel”. But then, on the emotional flipside, there’s also the
reflective wah-guitar lilt of “Say It Isn’t True”, the mournful funeral-jazz
slow-burn of “No Easy Way” and the heart-in-mouth acoustic confessional of
“Katie”.
“We’re
diverse and complex people,” explains Chris Mule, the band’s guitarist, “and
our audiences are as well. So we try to let our music reflect that.”
Drawing
from their diverse backgrounds, the band’s lyrical content is quite colorful.
“They really are all over the map,” Aaron explains of the topics explored on Demolition
Day. “Some are rooted in reality and personal experience. “Head
High Water Blues” is a look back at the Hurricane Katrina experience now that
ten years has passed. Much has been rebuilt, but much has not and never
will be – and the song is more about the emotional scars that can never be
fully erased. Others are just fiction and storytelling. We had the
music for “Through Another Day”, and it sounded sort of old and epic and
Southern, and that inspired this Civil War-era storyline that became the
lyrics. Others are just sort of playful nonsense about life and
relationships, like “Watch And Chain.”
Demolition
Day is about
rebuilding more than tearing down. It's about a renewal of purpose,
reflected through powerful lyrics and stories, great slide guitar on top of
deep bass and rhythms that continue to move the foundation that the band was
built upon.
New
Orleans has a deep well of music, and that well has no rules - the only
boundaries are the ones that we place on ourselves.
On Demolition
Day, the Honey Island Swamp Band breaks these boundaries to deliver a
sound so relevant and honest that even in the darkest of days – like the
violent storm that brought this group of musicians together – Demolition
Day still shines brightly.
Meet
The Honey Island Swamp Band:
Aaron Wilkinson - mandolin, guitar, harmonica,
vocals
Chris Mulé - guitar, vocals
Sam Price - bass, vocals
Garland Paul - drums, vocals
Trevor Brooks – keyboards
