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_For any wheelchair or ADA needs, please contact the Box Office in
advance of the performance at (443) 283-1200._
Think The Band’s 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.
“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
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29/05/2020 Last update