|
We went to the river!
New single is out today folks 🙌 "The River"
Recorded in San Francisco with Eric Beaur at his 'Mansion' studio a year ago while on tour of the West Coast. Mix assist by the one and only Ethan Miller of Howlin' Rain and Silver Current Records. Mastered by Joe Bozzi. Out on Blind Owl Records-- stream it everywhere, download it and pick it up on a limited run silk screened 7” vinyl
ABOUT THE SONG:
"The River" was recorded in San Francisco, CA - August in the middle of the band's first tour and first shows back since undertaking the Last Waltz concert in . We hadn't played a show in 8 months together, the band needed a little time to simmer after that ordeal plus other projects took over - Blake (singer and bassist) went to tour with the Schizophonics in Europe and US, Jody went and played with everyone, everywhere and Howlin Rain finally released The Alligator Bride album so I went to go tour that. Things come in waves, and Mrs. Henry had been on a big long one for a few years non stop. We had never taken a break as a band and probably won't ever again!
The decision to record came out of a necessity. We had few days off to fill in the tour schedule between a Saturday night in SF and a Wednesday in Newport, OR. I couldn't fill the dates to save my life and I figured what better way to spend some time then recording with the band new material that had been written in one of our favorite cities in the world. I had done a couple recordings in Howlin Rain with Eric Bauer already and loved to work with him in his studio The Mansion.
Wedged between the financial district and China Town this studio is like a bunker. You can basically shell up here in the apocalypse with some of the coolest gear around. Tape machines, amps, record collection and comfy couches and blow up mattress to rest your weary head from a long, long days recording. This was the first time the band had the opportunity to play out original songs on the road before recording them so we hit the ground running when we got to the studio. Eric even came out to see our show the night before at Bottom of the Hill to get an idea on the tracks we planned to record, later that night we came barreling down into the Mansion unloading our b3 organ, portable baby grand piano and all amps and everything loaded into the back of a van and trailer. We woke up the next morning and got straight to work on these two new originals "The River" and "It Will Be Alright." We recorded everything in the two days and nights we were in SF. Taking breaks to grab House of Nanking, Bahn Mis and walking up to north beach checking out the late night ghosts and day cruising little Italy.
We recorded it all live, to tape as always and were able to enlist the help of Ethan Miller for the final mix at the Mansion while we were on the road. This was the first time having someone else mix our own material on the board without us, we all were pretty stoked with how it came out.
The song "The River" is about a river, kind of. It sounds like a river in my opinion. Calm at first sight, then you get a little further down and it gets moving, then the white water kicks in and before you now it you are going over the waterfall and into the unknown if you haven't sunk or gotten out by then. The song is about going somewhere to go, doing something to do it. Going after the unknown to know. I wrote the mantra while on a hike with my lady up in Big Sur, brought it to the band and it developed into how the song is now. Mrs. Henry always warps the music into the bombastic which I love. Each member added input on ideas, the whole middle section was from Chad wanting to get this bayou boogie in there. The end farewell hits "To know to go" where initially all there was and I remember Blake suggested right before packing up after a tour rehearsal "you've got to row your boat to keep a float." I really liked that line and finished off the rest "it's sink or swim and start all over again." I kinda felt like at that time, we had done both sunk and made it out alive as a band, first time a group I was in managed to take an 8 month break and come together again after, maybe stronger then it was before. The lyrics meant a lot in that regard.
On a metaphor end there is something about the river that calls people. When you are on a hike the sound of a river always gets me excited to go see it. Sometimes you meet people along the way that tell you whether or not its worth going to. Sometimes you have to see it for yourself and sometimes its absolutely worth it. Sometimes its more than you can handle. Mrs. Henry is the kinda band that has to see it to believe it and do everything all at once all the time as much as possible.
-- DAN CERVANTES
| 
Comments
Post a Comment