JPG: Besides the title of the album, a lot of the songs for April Uprising were they already written or did you rewrite them after doing the show?
JB: The whole political and social uprising happened in April of 1875, but there’s a lot of revolutionary kind of sentiment on the album and in the songs. So, that mixed with 100 years later me being born in 1975, in April, and then in April me breaking up my band, and then in April me releasing an album. It can just tip that personal revolution, that metaphysical vision.
There’s about maybe half that was completely written and the rest was kind of written and some that were just barely written that I finished. Literally, I just introduced the general cords and changes to the band. And I guess for this album more so than any other album I wanted to be concentrating on songs. Not that I hadn’t before, but really, really concentrate on it. I asked myself, ‘Pick your favorite song.’ “Get Up, Stand Up.” “Superstition.” Artists like Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, all these great people…The Beatles, great songs! Real memorable music is great songs.
JPG: I was just going to ask you about the album being song-oriented, but you segued nicely for me. Now, is this right? I read that the album was recorded at your home studio?
JB: Yes, in my hometown but not in my home. I built a studio with some of my time off, and recorded it in my compound there.
JPG: Did that make the formation of a new band, new songs, new approach easier because all you were paying was the electric bill?
JB: Probably. Yeah, it was probably the most luxurious, most comfortable artistically indulgent thing I’ve ever done. The guys were staying upstairs, above the studio. This building that I bought, it was created completely around making the best, highest art possible.
JPG: Well, the result is very hook-laden.
JB: I’m not playing a myriad of notes. Less is more, you hear that all the time from the elders. Not so much letting my technique or my ego rule the song for once, and realizing that I had to serve the song, the song didn’t have to serve me.
JPG: I would also imagine that expanding musically is something that can be done during doing a live concert.
JB: Yeah, exactly. If a song wanted to be necessarily longer it would have and it may grow into that later live. I don’t know. Songs that I have wanted to be longer in the past have been recorded that way. I just found it a little bit trite to try to record something necessarily longer, in the context of jamband and a lot of other bands in the world. (laughs) I kept asking myself, ‘When did music become about the length of the song?’ It’s more about the song.
JPG: Maybe when you are younger you’re just so excited about playing and then as you get older you sense the idea that less is more and that you don’t have to, for lack of a better term, show off.
JB: I really wouldn’t have any clue to tell you the truth. (laughs) I’m just more a student. That’s for someone else. I’d like to think that if the song wanted to be 20 minutes long, then I would have to justify it.
JPG: That’s true. Now, you moved from Lava/Atlantic to ATO Records. How did you end up there? Does it seem more artist-friendly because it’s owned by an artist (Dave Matthews)?
JB: Actually, one of the key people, Will Botwin, who is the CEO of the company, I’ve known ever since he tried to sign me to Sony seven years ago and I went to Lava/Atlantic instead. Just knowing his passion for the band that hasn’t died over the past seven years; usually with record companies it comes and it goes. To see that kind of relentless passion was a key factor.
Lava/Atlantic wanted to go 360 [a contract where the record company promotes an artist for a long period of time in exchange for a percentage of non-music revenue such as concerts, merchandise and ringtones], and I thought, ‘Hell, they can’t even work out their own business of selling albums, why would I give them my touring when they know nothing about touring a band.’ I said, ‘I don’t think I’ll be taking up that deal.’ And they said, ‘Why not?’ And I said, ‘Because I’m taking the other deal.’ So, part ways, but you know they were good to me, as good as they could possibly be. There’s a couple great people there, and major labels are constantly downgraded by the lawyers and the accountants. It seems like there is less of that at ATO.
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