I’ll offer apologies again for that epic Grammy Award acceptance-length speech that came from me earlier today. Like I said, in future years I think it is safe to assume that there will be no similar posts, or if there is a post, it will be a heck of a lot shorter.

But yeah, in case you missed it, Kevin has his introductory post online now, and I’ve already heard bits and pieces of ideas that he has for upcoming posts. Should be fun, and perhaps even a bit inflammatory at points. I think we need some more of that around here.

Speaking of flames, Mel has her first post in the can, ready to go for tomorrow. I took a look at it, and man, it’s signature Mel for all of you that already read her blog. For those of you that are new to the Mel experience, I think that you’ll dig it. It’s exactly what I thought that she could kick out musically for the masses to enjoy.

Now that they are on their way, with all of the announcements, first posts, and related things out of the way, I’ll return my focus to my own blogging weirdness. I’ve got a good post in mind with audience participation (read: special guests) that should post later this week, or early next week at the latest. Get stoked.

In the meantime, I just got the first bit of new music from the upcoming Rusted Root album Stereo Rodeo. The album has been available digitally since early March, and will be in stores on May 5th.

With the title “Stereo Rodeo,” you can imagine the willpower it took to resist the temptation to open this blog post with something like “Yee-ha, a new Rusted Root album.”

I can resist the cheese, but sometimes not the urge to share my evil thoughts with you.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Rusted Root, but I’ve always kept an interested eye trained in their general direction, because of the various contributions that the members of RR made to the albums of fellow Pittsburgh band The Gathering Field during the 90s. The Gathering Field were/are one of my favorite bands of all time, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that perhaps we MIGHT see a performance-based relapse from the band this summer.

The Rusted Root 90s radio hit “Send Me On My Way” was drilled into my noggin repeatedly at least 98 times per week during the 90s when it was a single, to the point that I had to file it in a deep dark place with musical mementos like the Jagged Little Pill album from Alanis, the entire AC/DC catalog, and a little bit later, “She Hates Me” by Puddle of Mudd.

All of these items were musical moments that were initially pleasing the first time that I heard them, but after mass-over exposure to them, which came in the form of being inside and around radio stations throughout the 90s and 00s, I needed a little bit of a break.

Now, I can hear those popular Rusted Root ditties on the radio and on my Ipod, and I smile, recalling great times with friends that were enjoyed during the era that these songs were on the radio.

Since I haven’t paid attention to a single RR release since the 90s, I was intrigued to hear “Dance In The Middle.” On the first listen, I was surprised to hear a vibe that is almost a bit Stones-like. Perhaps in 126 years, when the Rolling Stones are still making records with Robo-Keith and Robo-Mick, they’ll decide to try a crack at this one.

Take a listen to “Dance In The Middle” for yourself, and check out the full album details below, and also some tour dates! I look forward to hearing the entire album – I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Liz Berlin’s vocal contributions to RR.

Rusted Root will be releasing Stereo Rodeo, their first studio album in 7 years, on May 5, 2009. On March 13, 2009 the album became available online. “We named our record Stereo Rodeo after a song that I started writing back when we were recording our last studio record. It’s really just a great name,” says band founder/leader Michael Glabicki. “We were all just so into the music,” says vocalist/percussionist Liz Berlin about the recording process, “the synergy and excitement on this album is so fresh and energizing.” “It is one of the most powerful albums we have ever recorded,” agrees bassist/vocalist Patrick Norman.

“[Stereo Rodeo] is filled with all the different styles you’ve come to expect from Rusted Root, definitely having all the elements you want. From the energetic dance euphoria that Dance in the Middle evokes to the powerful epic sound of Weary Bones,” writes Evan Levy (CBS Radio), of the long awaited eleven-song collection. “We are getting a lot of positive feedback from fans,” says vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter, Michael Glabicki, “We are definitely heading in a lot of different directions with this new CD.”

Patrick Norman says about the invigorating energetic track that leads off the album, “Dance in the Middle is one of those tracks that once we first started working on, we knew we had something.” The title track, Stereo Rodeo brings a cinematic, wide-open and intimate style to the album that is captivating. The one cover on the album, Suspicious Minds, made famous by Elvis Presley in 1969, is reworked with new and vitalizing Latin rhythms and has become a powerful favorite at the band’s incendiary live shows. Glabicki states that the political track on the album, Bad Son, “is about George Bush’s accomplishments, {as his fellow band members laugh} talking about his childhood insecurities that you can see were prevalent in how he ran the country.” Filling out the album, the last track Crucible Glow was an obvious conclusion, as it’s about change and the uncertainty of the future, adding horns and a heavy groove to the polyrhythmic flow of the album.

Songs like Driving One & Driving Two “came about musically by hanging out playing on stage, just improvising, and a groove just fell together,” relays Patrick Norman. Other tracks on the album such as Weary Bones, Animals Love Touch and Garbage Man are songs Glabicki has been playing solo over the past few years that have been restructured by the band. “What I like about our band is that I might write a song and have a certain idea for it but then we start playing and the group comes together, they often come up with different ways to express the emotions of the song,” says Glabicki.

News Pop music critic Jeff Miers writes “Rusted Root, which all but tore down the Tralf (Music Hall) on Thursday, knows how to take the singer/songwriter guy’s songs and pump them full of fire and life… These were strong lines with supporting chord progressions penned by Glabicki, and given abundant support by the [band]…in essence, this was a dance party…the new songs, Stereo Rodeo and Weary Bones, were standouts… Crucible Glow (was) among the most visceral…Glabicki appears these days as an elder statesman of ‘world music’-based rock.”

Stereo Rodeo blends the diverse influences of each member to create an album that explores a variety of musical styles crossing and merging genres as usual. Original members Michael Glabicki (lead vocals, guitar), Liz Berlin (vocals, percussion), and Patrick Norman (vocals, bass, percussion) are joined on this album by Jason Miller (drums, percussion), Colter Harper (guitar), Preach Freedom (percussion) and Dirk Miller (guitar). “Labeling is dangerous and limiting,” said Glabicki. “We are a band made up of individual musicians who come together collectively to create music, call it what you want but we are simply creating music that has a message.” “That message has been resonating with fans for nearly 20 years” writes columnist Rick Coats.

Rusted Root has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by singer/guitarist Glabicki in the early ‘90s, Rusted Root’s worldly style quickly charmed fans of roots music and world rock. After debuting in 1992 with the self released Cruel Sun, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and released the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the hit songs Send Me On My Way, Ecstasy and Martyr. Not long after, the band scored on tours with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, HORDE Festival and, perhaps most notably, the highly coveted support role on the landmark Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour.

The hard-touring Rusted Root returned in 1996 with Remember, which was followed by 1998’s Rusted Root. Following some time off the band re-emerged in 2002 with Welcome To My Party. After leaving Mercury/Island Def Jam Records the band’s sixth album, Rusted Root Live, was released in 2004. This double live album was the second release on the band’s Touchy Pegg label, following the re-release of the newly remastered Cruel Sun in 2003. Along the way, Rusted Root has also issued three EPs (Evil Ways, Live, and Airplane), a home video (Rusted Root Live) and miscellaneous film and TV soundtrack tracks (Twister, Mathilda, Home For the Holidays, Party of Five, Charmed, Homicide, Ice Age). And interestingly, NASA engineers chose Send Me On My Way as “wake-up” music for the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, for Sol 21.
-Neato.

Rusted Root will be touring throughout 2009, playing their new music as well as some of the faithful fans favorites.

www.rustedroot.com
www.myspace.com/officialrustedroot

Rusted Root On Tour: additional dates TBA

May 1 2009-9:00P-Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hard Rock Pool-Las Vegas, Nevada
May 15 2009-7:45P-Brown’s Island-Richmond, Virginia
May 16 2009-5:00P-The Church of Universal Love & Music-Acme, Pennsylvania
May 30 2009-7:00P-Saranac Brewery-Utica, New York
Jun 3 2009-8:30P-The Handlebar-Greenville, South Carolina
Jun 5 2009-8:00P-Amos Southend-Charlotte, North Carolina
Jun 6 2009-9:00P-Lincoln Theatre (Outdoor)-Raleigh, North Carolina
Jun 20 2009-5:00P-MidSummer Music Fest at Candler Park-Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 26 2009-8:30P-David Ulrich City Courtyard-Lockport, New York
Jun 27 2009-7:00P-Howelsen Hill-Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Jul 5 2009-8:00P-Great Blue Heron Festival-Jamestown, New York
Jul 11 2009—8:00P-KOTO Radio-Telluride, CO
Jul 23 2009-9:00P-Riverside Park-Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Jul 25 2009-TBD-Lodo District – Denver, CO Sound Czeck Festival
Aug 15 2009-TBD-Ghirardelli Sq-San Francisco, CA Czeck Festival
Aug 23 2009-TBD-Freemont District-Seattle, WA Czeck Festival
Aug 29 2009-TBD-Pearl District-Portland, OR Czeck Festival
Sep 9 2009-TBD-Midtown Village-Philadelphia, PA
Sep 12 2009-TBD-SOWA-Boston MA
Sep 19 2009-TBD-Empire Fulton Ferry State Park-Booklyn, NY
Oct 24 2009-TBD-2nd Str District-Austin TX
Sep 6 2009-7:30P-Hartwood Acres-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania