"Well, I certainly hope so, it seems like it is," laughed Blues Traveler bassist Ben Wilson as he discussed what the band has been up to and their preparations before they hit the road once again for a Summer tour. "The band has been quite active over the years through touring and we managed to continue to record some records. We've done two kinds of covers records, the first one was a blues record which actually got nominated for a Grammy which was pretty cool and the next one, we did some soul covers. That one wasn't quite as well received but it was sure fun to make. So, it's been really cool; you have this massive success for a decade or so and then you kind of dip below that cultural Gestalt line where you're just kind of bubbling below the surface and you can do just fine there even though you're not on the cover of "The Rolling Stone" and that's kind of what we've been doing. We've had a good run, it has been fantastic and these summer tours where we get together with these other kind of bands of similar eras with similar kinds of hits; we're very fortunate as kind of a neo-hippie jam band from that era that kind of bucked some of the trends that were going on at the time but we were lucky enough to have a couple of hits and that has allowed us to have kind of a different career than just the straight jam bands do; not that that wouldn't be awesome as well because obviously many of them are doing just fine but it's just a slightly different road but it has been wonderful. We didn't rehearse a whole lot because we've been playing together for 38 years but things are good and we're stoked for this upcoming tour."
The "Upcoming tour" kicked off on July 4 at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and features Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and The Spin Doctors all together on what promises to be a fun, rockin' and "Nostalgia" filled great time which will make its way to Atlantic City's Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort on July 19.
Recently, a pair of Wilsons, Ben and Gin Blossoms Robin offered up their thoughts on the tour and the longevity of their respective units.
With shortened sets because there are three bands, oftentimes the artists are kind of forced into playing a "Greatest hits" type of set but Ben says, that is not necessarily the case this time.
"It is kind of what you said in terms of when we do a summer tour like this; it's more about getting a big crowd to come out, it's summertime, people can sing along, they know a lot of the words to a lot of the songs and it's just super fun," he explained. "We do the songs that we're known for and what people know; first of all, you've got John as the singer and harmonica player and he stretches out but as a band, we've been doing jam kind of stuff for a lot of years and we'll kind of lean into that in addition to doing the hits and the singles. A lot of that is crowd pleasing along with maybe one or two songs that makes the band feel like we are kind of doing something that is meaningful to us as opposed to just playing the hits which obviously, we are so grateful to have; anyone who complains about having a hit is, in my opinion, a moron because that is a pretty cool thing. Then in the Fall or the Spring, we'll do more theater shows where we kind of get up there and flex the other side of the muscle. We still play the hits because people want to hear those songs but we'll kind of lean into the more jam song ""A" or song "B", song "C" with various solos going on with different guys in the band. So, we're kind of able to balance that throughout the year and I think we've come to a pretty comfortable place. Sometimes some of our fans think we're a little too much on the song side and some of our fans think we're too much on the jam side and we've kind of gone back and forth on that tightrope our whole career. I remember when the band opened for The Rolling Stones and at first they weren't playing the hits and Mick and Keith said, "What the hell are you guys doing? Why don't you play the hits?" This was The Rolling Stones; if they tell you that you should be playing the hits, obviously, they never had any problem playing the hits; they kind of knew what the whole game was about and I think, sometimes you can lose track of that if you're not careful."
"On this thing, our set, it's gonna be an hour," said Robin, "We don't have to go more than two or three songs before we have to play another hit. We had eight Top 40 singles, more than most groups from our generation so there is plenty of stuff in it that people may or may not know if they don't have our records but there's a lot of hits for your concert going dollar. This tour is the kind of nostalgia that you might get watching "Jaws" again in a movie theater."
As mentioned, the tour kicked off in Colorado on July 4 which is a little extra special to Blues Traveler and ends in September but in between there are plenty of chances to see these three "Niche" type bands who are now and were then; different.
"We've been fortunate to play there on July 4 for like 30 years running or something like that and it's just awesome," said an excited Ben."It's amazing, you go there for soundcheck and you look up and there is this mass of empty seats and red rocks all around and you're like, wow, this is amazing and then when you get there for the show, there is this palpable energy and the crowd, it's just beautiful. The sound is amazing, you can feel the power but it's not overwhelming and the Colorado crowds are just music lovers and we've always done well there. I think a lot of bands that haven't necessarily been able to fill a place that big anywhere else in the country can do really well at Red Rocks because they are just really music fans who appreciate music of that type; kind of that outdoor fun kind of hippie rock. They are also always prepared; we've been there in the Summer, it has been beautiful all day and the next thing you know, a front comes over and it drops 20 degrees and it's sleeting sideways in July. A lot of the crowd leaves but a lot of the crowd grabs their Patagonias or whatever and keeps right on rockin' because they are used to it and for us, there is no place like it. I imagine if you're U2 and you're doing five nights at the Garden, that might be a little bit of a different story but for us, there is nowhere like it for a Blues Traveler show and it just feels great; we are so fortunate."
"Yeah not bad," adds Robin, "With a line up this solid we're in the position to do actual kind of show business stuff. Technically, it's a co-headline situation but I'm perfectly fine being in the middle slot; it's easier, we get into bed earlier. We're not spring chickens anymore, it's a lot of work, I love the middle slot. Any time we are on a tour and we get the middle slot it's the best one; for me, this type of tour is easier because of the types of venues and the fact that we're on a bus for an extended period of time, it makes my life easier. I get to bring my bike and my skateboards, I get to have a routine where every morning I wake up and we've done all of the driving overnight so I have a full day to just make the most of it for myself; get ready for the show and for me that involves exercise, decent food and an afternoon nap. I just kind of focus on my routine so that when I hit the stage, I'm in top shape. Our whole band tends to shine when we're out there on a bus doing it four or five days a week. It's just basic rock 'n' roll, it's all pretty timeless for the most part. The songs are good, that's why it works because the songs are good, it's not because of a particular guitar tone or my voice or any one thing, it's a combination of factors but ultimately it comes down to the quality of the songwriting, that's how I see it."
During the planning of this tour, there were many factors to consider including youth or lack of; according to both Ben and Robin, part of their longevity is due to not slowing down but keeping a steady pace.
"We've recently changed our schedule a little bit," began Ben. "We had a tour where we packed it too full and John's voice started to suffer and that plagued us for the rest of the year and we thought to ourselves that we weren't sure it was worth it to squeeze in extra shows in a week in July as opposed to trying to be a little smarter so that we could keep playing through the end of the year. So, our schedule isn't quite as packed as it once was, I think some of it is, let's recognize what we can do and try and be able to continue to do that for as long as we can whether it's over the next year's schedule or over the next decade and inevitably you get older, you have to slow down a little, there is only so much that John can take in terms of singing; it's really just the singing which has made us so much of who we are, not only his harmonica but also his singing and his songwriting. He is very singular that way, there are not many people in rock 'n' roll that have kind of reached that; not that he is a Neil Young or Paul McCartney but he certainly is John Popper and you know him when you hear him."
"This is somewhat luxurious for us because normally, we pack them in even more in the summertime but Blues Traveler has certain rules about how often they're willing to play and how far they are willing to drive between shows so it has made it easier for us because they want to do it a certain way and it turns out that way is easier for me so, yeah," agreed Robin."It's perfectly understandable, I'm turning 60 this summer, there is no telling how long into the future that I'll be able to do it at this level with this kind of frequency so, we'll see. When doing a bus tour like this, we get to bring our own gear and that is one of the advantages of doing it in a bus; for us is to have our own equipment which is much more consistent and it just sounds better when you get to use equipment that you understand and for me, I don't carry much out there. I have my own microphone but for a tour like this, I actually get to bring my own mic stand and it's little things like that that make me more comfortable and make me feel cool when I'm up there on stage and as the frontman of a rock band, whether or not I am actually cool is not as important as just feeling cool when I'm up there."
Both Wilsons seem enthusiastic about hitting the road and Ben is quite happy about doing so with Gin Blossoms as well as their old pals The Spin Doctors.
"Ocean Casino Resort, we've done Atlantic City a ton but I wasn't sure if it was there or elsewhere. I hope to be able to continue to have fun and be grateful for what I get to do for a living. John has had a few surgeries. He had a carpal tunnel surgery because it had been bugging the shit out of him for a good year; his harmonica microphone is a beast and kind of hefty and you could notice when he'd lift it up to play that he had kind of a tremor, almost like he had Parkinson's but it was really carpal tunnel and so he had to have a couple of surgeries. So, we haven't really done anything since the end of January. I think we've played two shows since and we have two more before we start the actual big tour. So, just getting back into playing and having fun with my buddies in the band, getting to know the Gin Blossom guys and getting to know the Spin Doctors better; although we've done stuff with them for decades; it's actually really cool to see them back out and grinding again. I think they've really started to pick up their schedule in the last couple of years and it's kind of cool to see them becoming more of a touring band again because they're so good and it's just fun; summertime touring is just fun."
To find out more about the tour and the bands, please visit https://bluestraveler.com/ https://www.ginblossoms.net/ or https://www.spindoctors.com/
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
