Plenty of people go to see bands when they come through their town, but most people don’t think about everything that it takes to get those bands to their favorite club. Being on tour for a musician is both enlightening and daunting, as physically and mentally draining as it is stimulating. And no matter what, there are always stories to tell. In Tales From The Golden Road we let musicians tell their own stories of life on the road to get a behind-the-scenes, up-close look at what really goes down between each show.
Jamie McLean is best known as the former guitarist for New Orleans’ legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band and his own Jamie McLean Band are set to release a new album later this year that was recorded at the famed Sound Emporium studios in Nashville. The album is produced by former Wilco and Uncle Tupelo member Ken Coomer and features Sam Bush and Jeff Coffin of Dave Matthews Band. Jamie and his band are excited to share these new tunes with audiences up and down the East Coast over the next couple of weeks, and Glide Magazine is excited to be right there with them. Jamie will be sharing behind the scenes dispatches of life on the road while he tours with Louisiana singer-songwriter Marc Broussard…
The second leg of the tour with Marc Broussard and Jamie McLean Band started at Ram’s Head in Annapolis, MD…
The show was sold out and it was a great way to get back into the groove after a day off. Over the course of the tour the two bands have been hanging out a lot backstage and on stage and the collaborative spirit has really taken off. We asked Marc’s guitarist Joe Stark to join us on stage for a bit of our set. Joe is a phenomenal player and singer and it’s nice to have another voice on stage with us. Joe dug in on “One and Only”, “Virginia” and the New Orleans classic “Junco Partner” with us. Marc returned the favor by asking me to help him close out his set. Most nights I grabbed Joe’s beautiful Gretsch Duo Jet guitar and played on Marc’s hit “Home” and the Solomon Burke soul classic “Cry To Me”. I always love jamming with new people, it opens me up to new sounds, textures, grooves and ideas. It’s like a musical awakening.
I always love playing shows but some tours are easier and more fun than others. Sometimes traffic, long drives, delayed flights, lost luggage, bad weather, weird venues and weirder vibes can make things difficult, but this tour couldn’t be easier or more fun! We are all sharing drums and amplifiers which makes set up and soundcheck a breeze. Marc and the band couldn’t be nicer guys and the hang with everyone has been a pleasure. Plus, the drives are all short between cities, which gives us time to explore a bit. When we pulled into the venue in Bethlehem, PA and I saw the Steel Stacks looming behind the stage I knew I was going to take a walk and to check out these giant relics. The massive industrial steel plant opened in the 1860’s. After Charles Schwab took over it became one of the largest producers of iron and steel in the country and the Bethlehem Steel Stacks produced beams for Madison Square Garden, Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam and many Naval ships. The Martin Guitars factory is also located nearby. I feel so blessed to be able to check out so much of the country and the history in each city as we travel around playing music. I’m a lucky man.
When we aren’t taking in the sights or grabbing some great local fare there is work to be done. Jamie McLean Band is gearing up to release a new album this year and along with that comes publicity and promotion. Each morning at the hotel I usually take a couple of phone calls for interviews with local magazines, websites and radio shows. I really enjoy these especially when the interviewer has great questions or insights and we can get a fun back and forth going. We also played in studio at a few radio stations during the tour. It’s always fun to set up acoustically and play on air to get pumped up for the show that night. The Roots Down show on radio station WVTF was a lot of fun. We talked up the concert we were playing that night and we played a couple of tracks from the new album. Radio station WVTF is in Virginia and since I wrote a song called “Virginia” for the new album we figured it was an appropriate time to debut that song on air.
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As tour wound down we all got a little sentimental. When you’re on the road with other bands you obviously spend a lot of time with each other day in and day out and when it’s over it’s like leaving your summer camp friends for the year. We all got along so well and it was refreshing to play and hang with such open, honest, intelligent and talented people. We’ve already been talking about more collaborations in the near future including some dates at New Orleans Jazz Fest and more. 2017 is off to a great start and we can’t wait to keep it rolling with more tour dates and the release of the new Jamie McLean Band album later this year. Be kind to each other and be sure to turn the music up loud!
Feb 28 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn NY
