Page 30 - Black Velvet Issue 97

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hey say family comes first and this is certainly something U.S. Southern rockers Black
TStone Cherry have always preached. The importance of their immediate and extended
families has always been a present theme in their music and now more so than ever with
the launch of their sixth studio album, ‘Family Tree’. A good family always stands strong no
matter what is thrown at them. And, rather like the 200-year-old tree on the album cover,
Black Stone Cherry, with their family’s backing, are a band that has stood the test of time.

or anyone who last checked in with ence, are very intelligent about blues and had always been the main part of our roots,
FBlack Stone Cherry with 2016’s ‘Ken- when it is genuine and when it’s not, and so and in doing so we kinda rediscovered our
tucky’ album, ‘Family Tree’ might seem like to be accepted by them, that really inspired love for blues. We’ve always loved blues and
something of a sharp left turn from the band, us to go, “We’re on to something”. We took, had a passion for blues but we kind of redis-
but for anyone who’s paid more than a little not a risk, but a leap, with the blues EP and covered and rekindled that passion so it just
attention to last year’s ‘Black To Blues’ cov- for our next record we just needed to do helped when we did ‘Family Tree’. It helped
ers EP then this is not only the next logical what it is that we started doing at the very with the writing process and the recording
step but also something of an obvious one. beginning. We’ve had moments like this on process and everything just came out more
In Black Velvet’s review of their new ma- every single album but now, with the current naturally and a little less struggle was in-
terial we stated, ‘One of the main standouts label we’re on, Mascot, they just let us be the volved. There was no force at all.”
of ‘Family Tree’ is the huge injection of blues wild animals we are and so this is the best “If we’d have not done ‘Black To Blues’,
to the album’ and detailed further, ‘The representation of the truest Black Stone I believe ‘Family Tree’ would still be great. I
Southern sound of this Kentucky four-piece Cherry that you’ll get.” do think we were still going to go where we
remains as clear as the day their self-titled John Fred says, “This is what we really were going to go. I don’t think it would have
debut album dropped over 10 years ago, but are; a 100% raw, in the moment, rock band come out sounding extremely different, but
it’s wonderful to see just how far they have that grew up listening to a multitude of I think what the ‘Blues EP did was, it made
subtly evolved their music over the years artists from a span of genres over time and us play as a band tighter. When we went in
and the albums and have somehow man- it just felt right when we went in and did this and did the blues stuff, it was a lot more of
aged to retain their roots but still keep things record... We don’t have to think “Man, we got getting into really playing with each other
so fresh, different and interesting.’ Put to make sure this record gets on the radio” and so I think that helped.”
bluntly, if it were ever in doubt, ‘Family Tree’ now, because honestly we are a live band, Jon says, “It was a very naturally occur-
is a superb album and, at the same time, it’s we are a live rock ‘n’ roll band. We’re capable ring event. We did this record in a very simi-
a different album from Black Stone Cherry, songwriters, but playing live is our arena; lar way to how we did the ‘Blues EP. The
unique to all those they have produced since whether we’re in a bar or an arena, our audi- difference was that instead of sitting around
their self-titled debut in 2006. ence wants to see us play the rock ‘n’ roll we listening to blues all day and going, “That’s
Prior to the album’s release, guitarist play and that is where we are at right now.” the one, let’s go and record that one”, we
Ben Wells said, “We caught divine interven- would sit back and listen to the demo we
tion with this one,” while drummer John Fred very album of a band’s catalogue is wrote in the back of our bus and kinda get a
Young added, “We hit a creative spark and Ea stepping stone, each one its own feel for what it was and then we would just
tapped into a spirit and fire we hadn’t had be- landmark and all necessary, helping the go and cut it. There weren’t any rehearsals
fore”, these feelings underlined by the title artist to get from where they began to where leading up to it, there were just demos which
of one particular song on the album, ‘New they need to be. we took home and listened to and got a vibe
Kinda Feelin’’, and that is something Black Jon says, “Up until ‘Kentucky’, elements and a feel for and we just went in the studio
Stone Cherry certainly have with ‘Family like having the female singers and also the and cut it.”
Tree’. So, while ‘Family Tree’ might seem the heavy organ and piano parts which we had
obvious next step in the wake of ‘Black To done some before but it was very spoon-fed, s we’ve already mentioned, family is
Blues’, it is perhaps something which was it was a little bit here and there. When we did Aimportant and Black Stone Cherry
less expected to follow their first album 12 ‘Kentucky’, we dug way deeper into that kind have never pretended otherwise; in fact they
years later and so, with this in mind, we of stuff and there were moments when we have repeatedly and frequently spoken
begin by asking John Fred and bassist Jon were doing ‘Kentucky’ that we were so glad about the importance of their families. Given
Lawhon if creating an original album with we could actually do this because we had the name of the new album, we ask whether
such a strong blues element to it has always wanted to do it forever. Stuff like the horns they have ever explored the history of their
been on the agenda for the band. and all that stuff has transcended into ‘Fam- own families going back through the gener-
Without hesitation, John Fred tells Black ily Tree’, and, I think, more so on ‘Family ations. It is little surprise to learn that they
Velvet, “‘Family Tree’ is the album that rep- Tree’ because the fear and the programming have, and it helps when your family has an
resents what we have been capable of doing which we had built in from the previous historian in the ranks, which is what Jon
our whole entire career but we have only regime had all washed away at that point, be- quickly tells us John Fred has in the shape
been in the past on our albums, kinda cause we’d been out of it long enough, so of his grandfather, who he describes as
spoon-feeding it in small amounts. Now, we ‘Family Tree’ became very natural. being known as a “very intelligent historian”.
are at this point of our career where we really “We had ideas and there was no “Well, Chuckling at what he is about to say, Jon ad-
have creative control over our music and art maybe the label won’t like that.” There was mits, “He’s told me stuff about my family that
and this is the door-kicker and the album none of that. It was just, “That’s cool, put I had no idea about.”
where we are able to go, “We grew up listen- that on there,” “That’s awesome, do that”. It Excited to tell us more, John Fred says,
ing to all these classic bands and blues all really did just fall together. There was no “My grandfather, his name was James
artists and Motown and soul”, and this is the pencil pusher in the corner trying to figure Howard. He was a school teacher for 40
moment where we can just do all this stuff. out a formula of how it was all going to equal years and he taught history and English and
“The ‘Blues EP was a really big turning radio play, it was just us.” he traced our family history back and found
point for us because we went in and we were Clearly, the aforementioned ‘Black To his mother was a Shirley which is suppos-
just going to do it as a fun project. In six Blues’ covers EP, which the band released edly one of the oldest houses which lasted
days, we recorded it, we did a lot of covers, last year, has played a massive part in the for ages and ages. My grandfather had a
which was the intention, but we didn’t have new album being exactly what it is and when large group of Shirleys come from England
any idea it would do what it did. It debuted at asked how much of a help creating the EP to visit him in Kentucky in the mid-1980s.
number one on the Billboard Blues chart and was in inspiring ‘Family Tree’, John Fred is Back then, ancestor.com wasn’t available,
it hung up there for a couple of weeks. That quick to answer with “immensely”. He says, you couldn’t do DNA and swabs and stuff
to us was like, “Wow!” In the blues commu- “When we did the EP, the idea was just to like that, so it was really cool. I think it is im-
nity, the conversations and messages which give something to our core audience, our portant for anyone to know where they came
we got, we had nobody complain about it, diehard fans, give them something that they from and to keep up with that.”
people loved it. could chew on between the two albums. We Echoing this sentiment Jon adds, “Be-
“For us, it was a really amazing thing. didn’t realise it at the time but when we were cause where you come from isn’t just who
That community of people, the blues audi- doing it we were digging deeper into what your mum and dad is, it’s who was their
BLACK STONE CHERRY