he line curving around the sidewalk in front of Harry O’s last Wednesday night surprised those who arrived late to watch the smoothly entertaining Blues Traveler. The band was scheduled to go on around 11 p.m., allowing for fans to make it to the club with enough time to throw back some drinks while half-heartedly listening to the random opening acts that Harry O’s had selected. As it was, attendees were streaming through the doors well past 10, rushing to the front of the stage, eagerly awaiting the appearance of John Popper and his fellow band members.

With the release of their seventh album, Truth Be Told, Blues Traveler’s members have proven that after 15 years of making music, they are still capable of producing a killer record. As keyboardist Ben Wilson explains, the album serves as a revelation of just how far the band has come. The addition of Wilson as a permanent member in 1999 is one of the many steps the band has taken to lead to a successful production.

Wilson reveals that the most dramatic change the band made for its newest record was the decision to abandon the idea of capturing the sound and feel of a live show in the studio. The band’s amazing live show is precisely what has allowed it to make a huge mark across the music industry. On any of the six records produced before Truth Be Told, it is rare to hear a song that is less than five minutes long.

The band members realized that the energy maintained on stage was something that could not be replicated in the studio. “Trying to capture live sound in the studio doesn’t feel good—it’s boring,” Wilson says. The keyboardist believes that in order to feel great about the record, “we had to allow the song to be the guiding force, instead of letting our egos or our instruments take over.” Surprisingly, the new record does not contain one song that is longer than five minutes.

After completely changing its approach to record-making, the band sought a new producer. The search ended with Don Gehman, who has worked with artists such as Tracy Chapman and REM, and according to Wilson, “has a good ear for what sells good in arrangement.” Wilson proudly explains that Gehman aided the band in attaining its goal of “creating music to inspire some kind of emotion.”

Though the band members are aware of improvement through changes, they are somewhat wistful that the record has not achieved much recognition over the airwaves. Meant to be hit singles, songs such as “Sweet and Broken” and “Unable to Get Free” are amazing pieces that many will never get the chance to hear. A hint of bitterness drips from Wilson’s voice as he says that the band would like to be as big as performers like Britney Spears, but realize that they will most likely never get that chance because they are not a mainstream band.

As Wilson realized upon joining the band, Blues Traveler is a group that reeks of talent. Wilson says that while working with the legendary frontman Popper initially excited him, he soon realized that “there’s a lot of other s*** going on here.”

The band’s performance at Harry O’s validated Wilson’s feelings. What makes Blues Traveler so unique is how the members just sort of fit together like an oddly shaped puzzle. Its music makes sense in a way that can’t really be explained, even through the most flowery rhetoric. Every song performed flowed into the next one. Popper’s voice was so clear that it couldn’t help but freak out those who paid particular attention to it. The brotherly relationship that exists between the band members was evident. Their unique relationship has allowed them to remain a band for such a long time.

The savvy guys will continue to tour until the end of this month. They will then take a short break until June, when they begin touring with Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Following that tour, Wilson says that he and the guys will “just keep doing what we do.”

Wilson says there will be more simplicity on the next album. “Simplicity is a thing that moves people the most,” he says. Watching the casually dressed guys perform amazing instrumentals on the small stage inside of Harry O’s, one can’t help but agree. Simplicity is a beautiful thing indeed.
autumn@red-mag.com