Band of Heathens, One Very Cool Band T
he Band of Heathens new record One Foot in the Ether went to #1 this week October 31st, 2009 on the Americana Radio Chart.This is the first time in chart history for an independent band to hit number one twice on this chart! LA County Blues is my vote for song of the year on the Americana Charts. It was written and recorded by the Band of Heathens out of Austin,Texas. They have been compared to Little Feat and The Band in their song styling and performances. I see them as not copying those great bands but taking the foundation of that style of music and bridging it to fit today’s taste and style. A very, very good hybrid that is truly a new format in itself. This is one hard working band! They play 270 shows a year. The band began to form in 2006, when the three principal songwriters, Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, were sharing the bill every Wednesday night at Austin's Momo's club. Originally, each performed his own set, but in a short time they started sharing the stage equally and collaborating on each other's songs. Largely improvised and unrehearsed, the shows quickly gained in popularity. They soon added drums and bass and the band took shape. I got to sit down with The Band OF Heathens (Ed Jurdi Guitar, Keys, Harmonica,Vocals; Gordy Quist Guitar, Harmonica,Vocals; Colin Brooks Guitar, Dobro, Lap steel,Vocals; Seth Whitney Bass, Vocals; and John Chipman Drums, Percussion at the Americana Music Conference in Nashville in September. It was an interesting hour I spent with them over Wisconsin Cheese Curds and Wild Hare Sausage. Two of the members of the BOH Ed Jurdi and Drummer John Chipman have Wisconsin ties. Jurdi’s wife is from
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Port Washington, and Chipman’s brother used to live in Madison. The Heathens were funny and easy to talk with as you will see in the interview below. AG: I’m not going to ask you the standard questions on how you got together and how long you have been a band. BOH: We like you already! AG: You have such a great sound and groove to your music. Was that planned or did it develop from your songwriting and jamming together? BOH: It was pretty spontaneous. We never try to write in any direction or style. It just happens. When one of us brings a song in the other guy’s interpretation and playing style helps to bring the songs to life. As we switched to a quieter end of the room the discussion goes to yoga and palates. I tell them how I had planned to be in the Iron Man Competition last weekend but I had to drop out just before the competition began. Chipman informed us that he had tried to enter one but they wouldn’t let him smoke while he ran. As we gathered around the cheese curd, the BOH all commented on how this interview was off to a great start. AG: When you write your songs do you come in with a finished product or is it piecemeal with the whole band? w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t