By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com

Black Crowes still soaring on eve of 20th anniversary

The Black Crowes perform Tuesday, July 7 at 7 p.m. at the Simon Estes Amphitheater. $30.

It seems like yesterday when The Black Crowes took flight 19 years ago as one of rock ’n roll’s best bands with the release of their debut album, “Shake Your Money Maker,” which produced hit songs like “Jealous Again,” “She Talks to Angels” and “Hard to Handle.” Over the years they have gone on to release several studio albums, including “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” “Amorica” and “Three Snakes and One Charm,” while being hailed as one of rock’s best live acts.

So it is fitting that on the eve of their 20th anniversary that The Black Crowes get set to release and tour in support of their new album, “Before the Frost,” [due in stores Sept. 1] which was recorded live before a small audience over a series of five nights at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y. [home to The Band’s legendary drummer/singer], but is considered a studio album. The Black Crowes spent three weeks there, where from Monday through Friday they would record new tracks in the studio and on the weekends they would perform and record them live before an audience of about 200 fans.

The live recordings comprise the album’s 11 original tracks like “Good Morning Captain,” “Appaloosa” and “Kept My Soul.” As a bonus, eight original country-tinged tracks also recorded at Helm’s studio such as “Aimless Peacock,” “Garden Gate” and “Shine On,” as well as a cover of Stephen Stills’ “So Many Times,” can be found on a second, accompanying album entitled “Until the Freeze.” The second album will be given away for free exclusively through a unique download code that is included in “Before the Frost” as a thank-you to fans. And a limited edition vinyl release of “Before the Frost… Until the Freeze,” featuring all 20 tracks will also be sold.

“What you heard there is what the record is, and we’re really happy with it,” said drummer Steve Gorman, who alongside co-founders/brothers Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar) Robinson, is one of the band’s original members. “There’s a great vibe to it.”

Leave it to a band that champions organic rock and its founding elements of blues, country and R&B, as well as musicianship and vibe, to buck the trend of over-producing an album, which is so commonplace in today’s popular music world. Were it not for the band’s live chops, it might not have worked, Gorman said.

“To someone else it seems risky, but we felt we could pull it off,” said Gorman, 44. “As the best of our plans go, we never have the details planned out. We know when it starts and when it ends, and the rest in the middle kind of finds its way.”

Despite numerous lineup changes over the years, The Black Crowes continue to glide their way through the obstacles of the music industry. The current lineup includes the brothers Robinson, Gorman, Sven Pipien (bass) and newcomers Adam MacDougall (keys) and Luther Dickinson, guitarist for the North Mississippi All-Stars.

“We’ve had a lot of guys come and go, and that was never our intention,” said Gorman, who left the band in 2002 as the group announced it was on hiatus before reuniting in 2005. “The hardest thing about being in a band is being in a band. It’s really difficult to keep it together. When you look around at bands that started in 1990, there’s not a whole lot of us left.”

Gorman said Dickinson and MacDougall have made valuable contributions to the band since joining in 2007 and contributed to 2008’s “Warpaint” as well as the two forthcoming albums. He added that from a longtime fan’s perspective they both have big shoes to fill, but are perceptive and intuitive musicians.

“It’s their job to bring what they have and find a way to make it fit with what we are doing,” Gorman said. “We’re not going to adapt how we approach songs to their style; that’s not what a band does… There’s a singular purpose to what we’re doing now, and it’s a testament to Adam and Luther’s ability to blend in as much as anything else.”

Though The Black Crowes won’t launch their official “Stuck Inside Utopia Tour” to promote their new material until next month, next week local fans will be able to hear a few new songs when the group plays the Simon Estes Amphitheater on Tuesday, July 7, as well as some familiar favorites. Gorman says the band is also thinking about next year’s shows that will provide an overview of their 20-year-career and something extra for the fans.

“Obviously we’re not here because we’ve played the game so perfectly,” he said. “We’re here because the fans have given us the space to be as creative as we want to be and have come to see us year in and year out. If it weren’t for them, we’d be gone by now. We want to find a way to best celebrate our 20th anniversary for the fans because it’s all about them.” CV

soundnotes

July means free jazz
Jazz in July, a month-long series of free concerts by local jazz musicians returns for its 27th season. This year’s schedule once again features a mix of jazz veterans and newcomers playing all styles of jazz music. Visit www.metroarts.org or call 867-8572.

July 2 Dave Camwell and the Jazz Addicts (4:30 p.m.), Tony Valdez Large Band (7 p.m.), Urbandale Lion’s Park
July 2 Roxi Copland Band, Yankee Doodle Pops, Capitol Steps, 6:45 p.m.
July 7 Ed Kaizer Jr. Group, Wesley Acres, 6:30 p.m.
July 8 Giants of Jazz: Jim Oatts Quintet performs Freddie Hubbard, West Des Moines City Hall, 6:30 p.m.
July 10 Giants of Jazz: Scott Davis Quartet and Friends performs Miles Davis, Greenwood Park, 6 p.m.
July 11 Max Wellman Quartet, Waveland Park Neighborhood Association, 6:30 p.m.
July 12 Giants of Jazz: Des Moines Tango Trio performs Pablo Ziegler (5:30 p.m.), 3x5 (7:30 p.m.), Salisbury House
July 15 Giants of Jazz: Brazilian Sunset performs Stan Getz (5 p.m.), Ashanti (7 p.m.), Heartland Presbyterian Church
July 16 Giants of Jazz: Old School performs Wes Montgomery (5:30 p.m.), Tina Haase Findlay (7:30 p.m.), Living History Farms
July 17 One Nite Stand, Chautauqua Park Neighborhood Association, 6 p.m.
July 18 Java Jews (6 p.m.), Los Saltinos (8 p.m.), Beaverdale Park
July 19 Party Gras Classic Jazz Band, Music Under the Stars, Capitol Steps, 6 p.m.
July 21 Giants of Jazz: Classic Jazz featuring Judi Ann Brown performs the Gershwin Brothers (5:30 p.m.), Ed East (7:30 p.m.), Shops at Roosevelt
July 22 Giants of Jazz: The People’s Connection perform Grover Washington Jr. (7:30 p.m.), Dave Rezek’s Alpha State Agents (5:30 p.m.), Gray’s Lake South Pavilion
July 23 The Jazz Page, 6th and Walnut, Waukee, 7 p.m.
July 24 The Belin Quartet, Central Library, 12:15 p.m.
July 26 The Jason Danielson Trio, Union Park Neighborhood Association, 5 p.m.
July 28 Giants of Jazz: Mel Hrubetz performs Bix Beiderbecke and Harry James (5 p.m.),1236 Oakridge Drive.
Aug. 1 Four Fried Chickens and a Coke, The Village of Ponderosa, Lakeside Terrace, 520 Market St., West Des Moines, 7:30 p.m.; Gateway Market Patron Party (6 p.m.)

Local music news
Des Moines metal band Destrophy recently signed a contract with Victory Records (Hawthorne Heights, Hatebreed) and will record a new album this fall.

Local stoner rock band Johnny Reeferseed & The High Rollers have won Song of the Year and Best Pop Song for the 2009 American Marijuana Music Awards with their tune, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime.”

Malcolm Wells, former singer/harmonica player with the Soul Searchers, debuts his new band Malcolm Wells & The Two-Timers on Thursday, July 2 at Music in the Junction in West Des Moines’ Valley Junction with a free show from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

The 2009 Iowa Blues Challenge Solo/Duo competition will be held in one round on Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. at Blues on Grand. Acoustic and electric acts are encouraged to participate. The winner receives a cash prize and the chanced to represent Iowa blues societies at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next year. Visit www.cibs.org or call 225-6638 for an application. Entries are due July 15. CV

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