Mixing classic rock and roll with a passion for blues with a dash of soul, it's little surprise that Milwaukee band The Heavyheads have often been compared to The Black Crowes.
But on its second disc -- and arguably, its first proper outing -- the quintet has really found its own voice. And although you might occasionally be reminded of Chris Robinson and company, you won't mistake this hard-workin' band for The Crowes anymore.
Launching into the job of crafting a musical statement as soon as its debut disc - which was basically a demo, according to guitarist Chris Anderson -- was released in 2007, the result is the well-produced, handsomely-packaged "Down At The Heels," which has 13 songs from the band's set list.
As the record arrives, we asked Anderson and bassist Scott Oakes about making "Down At The Heels" and more.
OMC: Tell us a bit about making "Down at the Heels." Was it a different experience than making the first one?
Chris Anderson: Making "Down At The Heels" was completely different from our first effort, which was certainly more of an EP or demo that was made a few weeks after getting together to form the band.
"Down At The Heels" was an effort that culminated almost from the day we finished the EP. So, in the end I guess you could say it was a couple years in the making. Thirteen tracks were culled and rehearsed.
We then hooked up with Neil Strauch at Engine Studios in Chicago; an unbelievable studio with top-notch equipment and personnel. We were able to capture a wide spectrum of sound and tones. We wanted to incorporate lots of different influences into the album and we were able to achieve that to some degree.
Scott Oakes: We went for a much more complete sound than we did on the first record. On the first record we stuck to guitars, vocals, drums and did minimal overdubs. On "Down at the Heels" we knew we had an opportunity to broaden our sound, so we layered in some banjo, mandolin, keys, random percussion and ambient sounds. At the same time, we wanted the songs to remain very organic, so we got songs like "Orbiter" that were layered with sounds like that, but retained a ton of open space to let the song breathe.
OMC: How do you think the altered approach affected the finished record?
CA: I think the approach to the album really affected the way the finished product turned out. We came in with a definite list of songs that we all new together. At the same time we never play the same song the same way. We're a band that's not going to practice a song 50 times and then lay down that version in the studio. We knew the songs but still wanted to keep them fresh. What you're hearing are all first or second takes on all the songs. That's the way we work best. The songs aren't complicated, so every member has enough space to live in them and be creative without stepping on toes.
SO: Very true. I don't know if we've ever played a song the same way twice. We're always varying the intro or the solo or the outro, we might throw in some weird breakdown ... it's a trip sometimes. And I think that helped us in the studio. If we had these tightly-structured songs, I think we would've been more critical. By keeping them loose and constantly evolving, right down to the moment we played them in the studio, we were able to surprise ourselves a bit with what ended up on the tape.
OMC: Did you guys write this record differently, too? Was it more of a collaborative thing or did Chris still bring the bulk of the tunes in?
CA: All the songs were written by Tom (Joy, guitarist) and / or myself with Eddie (Sauer, lead singer) writing lyrics on a few numbers. We brought them to the group with the songs pretty much finished.
OMC: Has the band's songwriting and performing made similar leaps in the intervening years ... since the debut was made, that is?
CA: I know the songwriting is more dynamic now because it is a craft and after working on the craft we've naturally gotten better at it. Yeah, I think when we finished the album we were a pretty focused group. We had cut our teeth with all these songs, listened to them religiously in the studio during the mixing and mastering processes and overall were very in tune with the album tracks. As a band playing shows that translated into a lot of confidence when we stepped back on stage.
SO: Man, we were really, really tight over the summer. Playing constantly in the studio got us more in tune with each other and we knew the songs inside and out, so when we got back onstage after recording to play our spring and summer shows, we were locked in. Chris actually melted someone's face in the front row at Summerfest.
OMC: You guys have a new-ish drummer, right? Tell us about that change.
CA: We were working with a drummer who is a great player but just wasn't on the same page with us all the time. We were very serious about doing the best we could on this album and didn't want anything to impede that process. So in the end we brought in our friend Tim Schulz who we knew from playing shows with Southbound. He brings tons of experience to the table and is a hell of a drummer. Surprisingly, being the elder statesman of the band, he is also the biggest boozer. Who knew?!
SO: Ha! Right, we needed someone to pick up the slack after Mickey (our former harmonica player) moved to Colorado. One time he drank a bottle of wine and fell into Tom's amp onstage at Linneman's. A classic moment. As Chris says, Tim brings some great experience and has been fun to play with. His style is more rock n roll than our previous drummer, so as a bassist it took me a little while to adapt and mesh with his style, but I found that it allowed me to open up more, which in turn allowed everyone else some more flexibility with our sound.
OMC: What's happening now? Are you touring in support of the record?
CA: We don't have any shows on the books at the moment. We were busy beavers this past spring and summer recording the album and then playing all the shows that our schedules would allow. Now we're reenergizing a bit, trying to stay warm during the winter and letting the engines cool a bit. There's never a shortage of drama with The Heavyheads, that's for sure.
SO: Until we're able to afford roadies to carry our gear through the cold, we're going to stay holed up for the winter. Don't expect us to emerge from a log cabin with a new album like Bon Iver did, but I think our beards will be fuller by the time spring thaws us out.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
