I’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying the new album, High Water I, from The Magpie Salute. If you’ve read my REVIEW, you know that I am a big fan of the bands work. In fact, I’ve been a fan of Rich Robinson since The Black Crowes debut album, Shake Your Money Maker came out.
I was initially exposed to The Magpie Salute by watching their VIDEO for Omission, the first song from their live eponymous album that was released in 2017. I was hooked from the first line of the guitar. One of the biggest reasons? Well, I’ll give you two. That riff and that killer tone.
Rich and I were able to connect to talk about the band, the new album and a little bit about the writing process. He is very upbeat about everything that is going on. He says, “We’re very positive and excited about the record coming out. The band is firing on all cylinders and I’m really happy for what’s happening right now.” He sounds pleased when I tell him that many people are picking up on the album and that everyone seems to be talking about it.
“The band is firing on all cylinders and I’m really happy for what’s happening right now.”
The band recorded High Water I at Dark Horse Studios, which is just outside of Nashville. I tell him that Kelly, the general manager over there, says that the bands session was one of the most unique experiences she’s ever had. There’s definitely an excitement with this album. Rich says, “That’s so nice to hear! The people at the studio couldn’t have been cooler. Robin and Kelly were great and were so accommodating. It was such a good vibe there and that definitely makes a huge difference when you are making a record.”
Rich tell us that they spent 37 days at Dark Horse. “We did all of the band tracking in 21 days and then everyone went home. Then we did some vocals and some tweaks and things like that.” He would know the details on that intimately as he also served as the albums producer. Rich tells me, “Yeah it’s cool, ya know? Look, everyone’s been in the studio enough. Everyone knows what’s going on but there does need to be someone that’s kind of in charge. But you know, everyone’s open and has opinions and I’m always open to hear what everyone has to say and what they want to do. But someone has to make a decision.”
That’s a lot of responsibility and pressure. I wondered if he does anything special to prepare or to get into the recording mode. “I don’t really have to get into that mode. I just show up and see what happens, you know what I mean? I don’t have to go through a process. I go there and see what’s happening and be like, oh yeah this’ll be cool. It’s pretty mellow in Nashville. I believe in flow and nature and letting things happen in the proper way instead of trying to force something. Each day is different that way. You kind of greet it with a different scenario everyday.”
This philosophy also hold true for the albums songwriting. John, Mark and Rich went to a house in Nashville for about ten days and wrote the majority of the songs. “But we didn’t finish anything”, says Rich. “We kind of got to 70-80%. Because when you go into the studio, or when I go into the studio, I believe in using that energy to kind of force you to make some decisions. If you have a finite amount of time, you know what you have to do. I think it can make you rely on your instincts instead of overthinking anything. I think it’s the best way to work and there might be a song that comes from out of nowhere and we work on it.. and it’s cool.”
“Come on out and support your favorite band, no matter who it is.”
Another piece to this album being so strong is the amazing vocal work done by John Hogg. “When we were first putting this thing together, I thought it’d be cool to bring someone in that could give us another take and a lift on vocals. And the only guy I’ve been wanting to work with, is John.” Both John and Rich were formerly in a band together for a little while. “Ever since then, I’ve been trying to get back on a page where I could work with him.”
My favorite track, For The Wind, has those beautiful acoustic guitars. Rich tells me, “Those were double tracked. One was a twelve string and the other was a six string. It’s a song I’ve had for a while and I feel like John nailed it.” Asked if he had any other songs that were personal favorites on the album. Rich tells me about the song, High Water. “We took a whole day and worked on that one. It grew from basically a verse part that I’d had. That was cool to sort of watch it come to fruition. I also like Sister Moon a lot.”
We talked about the changes in the musical landscape and both agree that going to see a live show is important to a bands success. Rich sends the message: “Come on out and support your favorite band, no matter who it is. I think the best way to support your band is by going out there and seeing them.”
Based on their touring history, I think there will be an opportunity to see these guys play live very soon. Go to their tour page to check out concert dates: http://themagpiesalute.com/events
-Tommy Marz
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