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members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gave no
1 lie thought during the making of their latest album Howl
to how they would perform the new songs in concert. This much
became apparent when bandmembers Peter Hayes, Robert Levon
Been and Nick Jago began rehearsing for the tour that followed
the fall release of Howl.
"When it came to rehearsing, it was... it sounded terrible,"
says Been. “It was one of the scarier things we ever had to do.
We didn't really know how to play a lot of the instruments that we
played on the record. We knew how to play them, but we didn't
know how to master them in any real respect live."
That BRMC got caught off guard by the difficulties in translat
ing the new songs to a live setting was understandable. Hayes and
Been, in particular, had other more pressing issues on their minds
during the making of Howl— namely whether the album would even
get released and whether BRMC would still be a band once Howl
was finished.
“We didn't have a [record] contract," says Been. “So it was kind
of like well, this might be all we've got. so it was kind of like we
have to enjoy the [recording] process, as
much as any part of it. because that might
be the only thing we get out of it."
B een isn't being overly dramatic in talk
ing about the Howl project. The future
of BRMC was very much up in the air fol
lowing a period of major turmoil within
the group. In August 2004, drummer Jago
abruptly quit the band during a European
tour after a blow-up with guitarist-singer
Hayes. "It's funny, because it was always me and Nick that had the
problem," says Been, who plays bass and sings in the group. "But
for some reason, the final blow was this conflict between Pete and
Nick one night over the tempo of a song, which had nothing to do
with it, really. We were all really burned out from touring so much
that we just didn't have that restraint. We didn't have a perspec
tive that it's not that big of a deal. Yeah, we all kind of exploded.
Or imploded."
The group's recording future was already up in the air follow
ing a split in April 2004 with their record company Virgin Records,
which had released the first two BRMC albums—-neither of which
had enjoyed anything more than minimal commercial success in
the United States. Even though they were again unsigned, Hayes
and Been had begun working on songs for the third album in June
2004, two months before the split with Jago. Been said they liked
the songs enough to return to the project that fall as a duo—even
playing drums themselves on the tracks—despite the real possibil
ity that BRMC might not exist after the record was completed.
As it turned out, Jago eventually approached Hayes and Been
about rejoining, and returned to the fold in time to play drums on
one song from Howl.
T he Black Rebel Motorcycle Club then got new life on a career
level when RCA Records signed the group. The deal happened
even though Howl was not the kind of CO anyone who heard the
group's first two would have expected. Those impressive CDs, a
2001 self-titled release and 2003's Take Them On On Your Own were
both fully plugged-in, glammy garage rock albums.
Howl is an altogether different beast. Drawing on a love of
classic folk, country and soul that dated back to the childhoods of
Hayes and Been, the guys went acoustic and remade their sound.
On "Shuffle Your Feet," they go to the bluesier side of the folk
spectrum, building a song around a rock-and-ramble melody ac
cented by handclaps and layered vocals. A similar rough and ready
vibe fills "Ain't No Easy Way;" the stinging slide guitar leads head-
on into a stomping, harmonica-filled, instrumental break.
Other songs are less boisterous, but also appealing. The title
cut. for instance, uses organ to complement a vocal melody that
bleeds melancholy soul. "Promise" brings in
a touch of gospel, as piano and horns team
up to form the primary backdrop to the
song's mournful vocal melody.
As for performing the songs from Howl
live, Hayes, Been and Jago overcame the
initial difficulties in translating the mate
rial to the stage by taking a couple of
months to learn instruments certain songs
required, including piano, harmonica and
slide guitar. When the band reconvened for
rehearsals, the new songs not only began sounding much more ac
ceptable, the new and old material began to blend together better
and the live set took on a greater sense of dynamics.
"It was actually a big challenge, but it was a good challenge,"
Been says of learning the additional instruments. "We had Nick
back in the band, and he didn't play on the record. So when he
stepped on the drums, the songs started gluing together with more
of the old sound. So live, it actually feels more like 'us' to people,
I guess, because the old songs blend with the new songs."
Alan Sculley
—
WHO: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Elefant, Voyager One
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
WHEN: Thursday, February 23
HOW MUCH: $12
V . J
Drawing on a love of classic folk,
country and soul that dated back
to the childhoods of Mayes and
Been, the guys went acoustic
and remade their sound.
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