HT: Fantastic job on the new album, I’m a big fan. Could you talk about the song In the Dark? I find that song quite powerful and inspiring, and was curious to know what prompted you guys to write it. Was there a specific incident that you wrote it about there?
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/09-In-the-Dark.mp3]The Ramblers – In The Dark
JB: A little history revisited started it all off… Let me explain. When I was about 19, I got my first good acoustic guitar. My buddy Ben taught me some of the fundamentals of fingerstyle guitar; I started listening to a bunch of Jorma; and eventually made up some riffs to practice on my own.
One day Scott and I were writing and my fingers remembered this particular long-dormant riff. Scott stopped and said, “What was that?” I played it again, and he said, “I got something that might fit.” He’d had some of the lyrics written verbatim, and I had made a bunch of notes I’d made on the subway that morning that went right along with ‘em…it’s one of those ones that just spilled out. We were both in a similar state of mind and verse, and wrote the song in under an hour.
SS: It wasn’t so much one incident as a series of them for me. It’s a song about coming out of a bad spell and realizing that you’re the only one who can change things. It’s the kind of song that’s hard to talk about without sounding cheesy or downright preachy, but essentially what I was trying to get out of it was that it’s easy to just blame everything on bad luck and become cynical, but good breaks come to people who pursue good things. It’s not a shot in the dark.
JB: The thought of words failing me, that I’m trying to break through the very words that are breaking me down. That second verse, man, when I sing that, it’s really what I have experienced and believed. And when we come together in that last verse, about being ready to stand up again. It just always feels so true.
HT: On that note, what led you to the name Getting There for the album title?
JB: We’d decided early on that our song of the same name would be the leadoff track. As we progressed in the album-making process, we kept finding ourselves saying the phrase “We’re getting there” while working. It just fell into place.
SS: It just seemed to fit the vibe of the band and the record. We didn’t exactly debate its philosophical or artistic merits, it just felt right.
JB: It was either that or “Sincerely, Elvis Presley.”
HT: So, I understand The Ramblers had to do some reshuffling over the past couple years as original members John Embree and Kazuya “Kaz” Ishijima decided to move on? Has it been tough to fill in the missing pieces?
SS: It’s always tough to replace people, especially when they’ve been such a part of creating the band’s sound.
JB: While we all knew John and Kaz needed to move on, they both gave us their blessing to keep it going and told us to kick ass. After we parted ways, we weren’t sure exactly which direction we wanted to go. Scott and I had planned a duo tour of the South, and we of course had a lot of miles to figure it out. By the time we got back, we’d decided we wanted to keep the Ramblers alive. We’d written many of the songs that made it onto our new record, and then Shawn, our bassist, and Steve, our drummer, who are both friends of ours, just fell into place.
The best part about it is that once we had all the pieces together and debuted the new lineup, it was more like a continuation than a rebirth. Our older fans have given us great feedback, as have John and Kaz! We’re all still friends and continue to inspire each other—at our very first show with the new lineup, when we were nervous as heck, John came and cheered us on. And Kaz, who spends a lot of time playing Delta blues in the subway, pretty much gave us the second verse of our first single, Give Me Music (“Kaz is sitting humble in the Lorimer Station/Playing blues in the key of the G train”).
SS: I think the smartest thing we’ve done is not tell Steve or Shawn, “Play it this way because John did it this way.” We just let them fall into a natural groove and it’s worked out great.
HT: You mentioned that you were really hoping to break The Ramblers in to the jamband scene a bit more, as lately it’s been more Joe’s Pub and Rockwood Music Hall type of crowds with more of the Americana fan base. Does that mean we can expect to see more jamming at Ramblers shows?
JB: Definitely! When we started as a band here in NYC, it was always more of a showcase situation- just a short set to say everything we wanted to say. Now, being able to play slightly longer sets has given us the freedom to open up. It’s more in the tradition of the Dead and Allmans, in that those moments are specific and related to the tune – like a movement, or just a moment to go off. Which itself comes from putting the jazz approach in a folksong-based idiom. I think that’s how I once heard Jerry G. describe it.
SS: We’re still very much a song-oriented band.
JB: We like to ride the groove and see where it takes us. Plus, between Scott’s Hammond organ, and slide master Mark Marshall and I occasionally dueling on guitar, it feels a lot like Clapton and Winwood, or CSNY, when Stills’ and Young’s guitar battles would drive the band ever higher. It’s awesome to get a room dancing by playing your ass off. But yeah, I think we’re right on the point where the Americana and jamband scenes cross over each other, and that’s a great place to be, and for new folks to find us. We’re excited for our upcoming show at Mercury Lounge ‘cos there’s lots more room for people to get down!
[Photo by TR Smith]
HT: If you could put a copy of your new record in the hands of any musician in the history of music – living or dead – who would it be?
JB: Willie Nelson. But like Lays, I can’t pick just one. Tom Petty, David Crosby, Robert Plant, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Garcia also come to mind. And Ahmet Ertegun.
SS: Elvis. Living or dead.
HT: I noticed a couple tunes on the record have horns, including my favorite track, Leave a Letter Behind. How did that come to fruition?
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/03-Leave-a-Letter-Behind.mp3]The Ramblers – Leave a Letter Behind
JB: Thanks! We’re proud of that track. It was the first song Scott and I wrote together. The horns were producer Jeff Berner’s idea. Scott, Jeff and I worked out most of the parts on-the-fly in the studio with the players, Otis Redding-style.
SS: Naturally, I was skeptical because we’d always played it live a certain way, but in the end I was pretty happy with the result.
JB: As was I. We weren’t sure how it was all going to work out but we love it! And now, even when we don’t have the horns, our whole approach to the song is different when playing live. It’s a classic example of how the studio refines and shapes songs.
HT: Do you guys play many covers?
JB: Lately, we’ve been putting in a cover or two depending on the show. It’s fun for us to learn new stuff and keeps us on our toes.
SS: Sometimes it helps connect with audience members who are seeing us for the first time – it’s something they’ll remember and associate with us. Or sometimes playing a cover is a chance to tip our collective caps to some of our seemingly less-likely influences. Playing a John Prine song or a Rolling Stones song might seem appropriate, but playing a Velvet Underground tune can really grab people’s attentions because it’s unexpected.
JB: Whatever we play, though, we make it our own.
HT: Finally, would you ever consider a supporting slot on a tour for someone else? Who would be some top choices that you think you would fit well with both musically and personality-wise?
JB: Man, that’s our dream. I think we’d fit great with Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Tom Petty, CSN, Donna the Buffalo, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
SS: We opened for Levon Helm twice and would be honored to work with them again. Levon is a living legend and his people are all top-notch. John Hiatt would be another. Lyle Lovett, Ryan Adams, The Jayhawks (who are reuniting to tour this year!), Patty Griffin, Bonnie Raitt, the Allman Brothers… really, too many to list. That’s just scratching the surface.
