Like a friendship which unites two distinct personalities, the Bridge has used the years of familiarity between Cris Jacobs and Kenny Liner as the foundation to construct a sound that’s home to rock, blues, bluegrass, hiphop and much more. The informal jams between the two grew into something more cohesive as members Dave Markowitz, Patrick Rainey, Mike Gambone and Mark Brown joined, and they expanded from their Baltimore homebase and began performing in other cities, states and across the country.
Now, like many other bands that have come through the jamband scene, the Bridge wants to be known not just for its dance-laden grooves and ferocious improvisations dished out during opening stints, headlining gigs and dates at festivals, but to be taken seriously as songwriters and recording artists. The group found a sympathetic soul in Steve Berlin of Los Lobos whose years as a writer, musician and producer (Jackie Greene, Angélique Kidjo, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Michelle Shocked, Rickie Lee Jones, Faith No More and Buckwheat Zydeco among others) has helped in the creation of their most cohesive, best album-to-date, National Bohemian. The album is streaming at the group’s website.
Of course, for a band that earns its keep one crowd at a time, I catch the Bridge’s Cris Jacobs right after a record release concert celebration in their hometown and just before the group heads back out on the road, sharing dates with Galactic, Tea Leaf Green and Trombone Shorty then heading off on their own.
JPG: You played in your hometown the other day for a record release party. Did you perform the whole album?
CJ: We did, actually. Yeah, first set we did the album, start to finish. Actually, had Steve Berlin, who produced the album, he was at the show playing with us. He sat in for that whole set and then sat in for the second set as well, which was some other Bridge music.
JPG: Nice. Was Steve playing sax or percussion or…?
CJ: Both and keyboard, depending on the tune. He was switching it around. He is a pretty versatile guy. Whatever he does, usually works. It always works as far as I heard.
JPG: One of the tunes on National Bohemian has a Los Lobos vibe to it.
CJ: Are you referring to “Sanctuary?”
JPG: I’m thinking more so “Big Wheel.” Are there people hitting you with that?
CJ: People have heard the general Lobos comparison, but I certainly don’t mind at all. I love Los Lobos. I love their recordings, which is why we wanted Steve because of all his production work. He had a huge hand in a lot of the arrangements, and, obviously, the instrumentation and the tones that everybody was getting. He even helped me write a couple tunes on there. That’s why I mentioned “Sanctuary” because he helped me finish that one up and write another section to it and all that.
JPG: You produced past albums prior to this, was it that you felt you hit a wall and that you wanted an outside voice and Steve Berlin was available?
CJ: No, it’s not exactly that way. You say it was like we ‘hit a wall’ but it was more like we wanted to try something new. Every album we’ve done up to that point it was done the same way and the same place and the same studio. So we were like, ‘Let’s see if we can try something new.’ We tried to get a producer and Steve was the first person that came to mind. I’m a huge of his production work, as is Kenny. So, we contacted him and told him we were interested in working with him and sent him a few older tracks and happened to be passing through his town a few weeks later. He’s in Portland. We were on tour at the time. He came out to the show, checked it out and after the show said he was intrigued enough to want to do it.
JPG: Now, working with someone there’s usually some degree of expectation, what did you have and did he live up to that or what else did he bring that you didn’t expect?
CJ: As far as the expectation, we’ve never worked with a producer before so certain expectations were impossible to have. We didn’t know what it was going to be all about. I can say he lived up, far surpassed any, far and beyond any expectations I could have had of the experience.
Basically, what I think he brought to the table also was such a great comforting vibe on a personal level that was allowed us to be comfortable and be ourselves the whole time. There was never this, “we got this big shot, we’ve got to change our personality and act different.” It was like one of the guys, just hanging out. He was like our Jewish uncle from Philly that we never knew, you know what I mean? We got along on a real personal level like that. I would definitely say I was also surprised at how involved he was. He wasn’t just a phone-it-in guy that just showed up and started barking out orders. From day one that we met him, he was having us send him demos and critiquing them and sending him edited versions and critiquing them. He was hands on with the song arrangements and everything. He showed an interest and a passion in the project. It didn’t seem like he was bullshitting or just getting a paycheck at any point, which was great.
JPG: It’s always interesting to hear something like that as far as terminology because in films someone who would do all that would be considered the ‘director’ whereas in music it’s the ‘producer.’
CJ: I didn’t even know what a producer did, to be honest with you. We finished all of our albums ourselves. I guess you can call that producing. It’s really about bringing out the best, making sure the best comes out of the project. It’s the general summary of what I gathered out of producer. And he definitely did that.
JPG: When you said that Steve helped you write the song “Sanctuary,” I read a previous Jambands interview with Randy Ray where you said how it’s difficult for you to write on the road. So, for a band that does tour a lot what do you do for motivation? Do you just force yourself to write on the road or wait until you get home and then let inspiration hit?
CJ: When we’re on the road and there’s some of those long van rides, I definitely start to break out a tune and start riffing to see what comes out. Never really trying to be too perfectionist about it. I come up with a lot general ideas that I take home and dig more into when I have more focus and quiet around me. That’s how I get my ideas when I’m out on the road. It’s sketch pad stuff.
And then as far as working on the inspiration, it depends on the tune. A tune like “Sanctuary” ended up being more heavy content just based on things that were going on in the life of a family member at the time and feelings that I was feeling from him and just thinking about it. Generally speaking, I get inspiration from life. Sometimes, when it’s not as heavy and more lighthearted content, it’s stuff I feel like writing a song about. On our last album I wrote a song about moonshine, just for the hell of it. Sometimes, you are just having fun. Sometimes you’re waxing poetic. Sometimes you’re philosophizing. It’s all whatever what kind of mood you’re in.
JPG: Another thing about songwriting. With the Who on the Pete Townshend demos it’s totally constructed as a Who song minus the elements of John Entwistle’s bass playing or Keith Moon’s style of drumming. It’s fully developed. Do you present your songs to the band in that way or do you bring in scraps such as when you worked with Steve Berlin on the song “Sanctuary” and develop it from there?”
CJ: It’s varied from throughout the years. In the past it was more of ‘Here’s the song and here’s what I’m hearing from you and here’s what I’m hearing from you…’ As a younger songwriter, not as developed with the process of bringing it to them. Maybe it’s just the trust factor might not have been there as much. Now, that we’ve built chemistry throughout the years and I trust everybody, it’s more of a collaborative thing now.
This particular project was much more me just having to trust the evolution of it. When I met Steve he said, ‘Please send me everything you have, even if it’s just a guitar riff, even if it’s just a melody, even if it’s just a couple chord changes.’ He just wanted to hear everything. And something like “Sanctuary,” it was just one chord with a couple verses written over it. “Big Wheel” was just a melody without words and one section of it where he said, ‘I love that. Keep going.’ (laughs) It was really cool how this project happened to be much more of that, like figuring it out as we go along as a group than in the past. And I think that’s something I’m definitely gonna try to take because there are certain songs when I write them that I feel like, ‘Okay, this is a song for me by myself.’ There are other certain songs where I feel like, ‘I’d like to hear what kind of stamp the Bridge could put on to this one.’ It’s definitely that the band brings its own personality to the tunes.
JPG: Between where you are as songwriter and where the Bridge’s other songwriter, Kenny Liner, is, how do you find common ground? Do you ever get into that songwriter competition where it matters how many songs are used on an album?
CJ: Kenny and I have always had a real easy relationship like that where there was never any competitive thing going on between us. And it was always like we were helping each other out, too. He would bring me out his songs and I would openly tell him my critique and suggestions to use some and not use some, and the same went from him to me. In the past when it was time to record it was like, ‘What are the best songs that we’re going to do here?’ However, this time around, having Steve, both of us sent him lots of things and he picked the ones for the album. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, we need eight Cris songs and…’ He just picked the ones he picked. The way that he pieced them together on this album, the order and everything, makes it a lot more cohesive than in the past where clearly there’s a separation of one of my tunes versus one of Kenny’s tunes. Not a bad thing, we each have our own style, but on this record it meshes a lot more seamlessly instead of seeming like two separate songwriters.
JPG: Do you think that non-competitiveness is there because you and Kenny were friends prior to playing music together? When did you become friends? Grade school? High school?
CJ: We were friends since we were 11 years old. We went to the same summer camp and played rec basketball and stuff. Went to the same high school for a couple years. Then, he got kicked out (laughs) but he can tell you about that.
JPG: Do you feel that lengthy relationship is why it’s not as difficult?
CJ: Yes, definitely, and I think the way the whole band started was very casual and organic. We were just friends hanging out. We were friends before we even started playing music, and we hadn’t seen each other in years and, all of sudden, we bumped into each other, and discovered that we both played. So, we got together and started playing just for the hell of it, not even, ‘Let’s form a band.’ At the heart of it all, we’re good buddies and super-honest with each other. We trust each other and that’s really important. There’s never been a competitive vibe to the two of us. It’s a brotherly thing, for sure. Not that we don’t have our brotherly spats, of course, but we love each other.
JPG: As far as music you’re passionate about, there’s Doc Watson, Leadbelly, Delta Blues… I hear even more bluesy elements on National Bohemian. Is that a matter of you bringing it out more or Steve’s influence?
CJ: Steve chose the songs for the record. So, that would be his influence on there because there were a couple of others that may not have been geared towards that side of things. I’d say it’s just a lot of how I write. It’s a big influence on how I write and feels natural to me.
JPG: In the press release it mentioned that you worked for a financial business.
CJ: (slight laugh) When I graduated college I didn’t really have anything to do, no money to pay my bills. I ended up getting a job doing mundane stuff (slight laugh) in the corporate world for a year. I knew the whole time it was not for me.
JPG: What kind of stuff were you doing?
CJ: It was like 401K planning, mutual funds. I basically, spent most of the day sitting at my desk doodling lyrics and dreaming of the day where I could afford to get outta there. That was when Kenny and I started playing together, while I was working there. It was one of those things where I was laying in bed one night and I had to get up for work the next day and it just hit me, ‘You know what, I’m walking in tomorrow and I’m quitting. I’m not going to think twice. I’m not gonna tell anybody before I do it. I’m just gonna do it. And I’ll accept the consequences later.’ That’s all it was. I really had no plan. I started trying to pick up bar gigs, guitar lesson gigs, waited on tables while the band picked up. I can’t say that my retirement fund is looking any better because of it but, hey, my soul is happier. (laughs)
JPG: A 401K planner, I would think you’d be one of the few musicians who would be prepped for your later years.
CJ: Well sure, if I had any money to invest into it I would certainly know where to put it, but I’ve got to pay my rent so there’s not much leftover. It was just one of those things where I wouldn’t have been satisfied in life. Certain things are just more important than a paycheck.
JPG: Obviously, being in the Bridge is a much better place for you but with a background in the business world and music world, how do you compare them as far as what is more cutthroat?
CJ: (slight laugh) Good question. Business is cutthroat, man, and the music business is no exception. You’re dealing with different products and you’re dealing with different quantities of money and stuff like that. At the heart of it everybody’s trying to make a buck and few people are trying to do favors for anybody. With the music business you hope that there’s a little more integrity involved and it’s not as dog-eat-dog. (sighs) I’m afraid to say that’s not always the case. (slight laugh) It’s ‘What’s selling now, baby,’ know what I mean? As much as you need to know about that stuff sometimes it’s so depressing to think about it that I try to shut it out and try to keep playing some decent guitar, writing a few songs and hoping that it all works out. If I start thinking about marketing trends and who my target audience is it’ll make my fuckin’ head spin.
JPG: In the beginning or even now, do you for your own peace of mind stay completely away from contracts or with your background crunch some numbers and notice if something isn’t right?
CJ: As far as the mundane details, that’s why we hire managers and agents and people that we trust to do that. But, I’m definitely hands on. I wouldn’t say that I’m hands off at all. Kenny and I really take a lot interest in what’s going on and what the plans are and the strategies. As far as looking over every contract to make sure that all the ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s are crossed, I don’t do that. But, I do care about the Big Picture decisions that we’re making.
JPG: You mentioned earlier about target audiences, and as far as looking at the Big Picture, I think I can be sarcastic at this point with you and you’ll get it. When I read the West Virginia Gazette article where it talked about how the band’s grown and it’s time to lose the jamband label…
CJ: I was kind of annoyed by that. Sometimes you never know what these people are going to write. (slight laugh) You say one thing and, all of a sudden, it’s gets totally taken out of context. But anyway…
JPG: That’s where I was going to go, kind of why do you hate the jamband scene, Cris? (laughs)
CJ: (laughs) I certainly do not, John. Not at all. It’s been my music scene for a long time and I hope it continues to be. It’s unfortunate that people don’t quite understand what it is, and people outside of it don’t even realize. They hear that word and it’s like a stigma. It’s like this word that immediately shuts people down. There are so many of these indie rags and these weekly newspapers that think we’re a jamband, and they’re run by a bunch of people who like indie rock and a bunch of hipsters who say, ‘Oh yeah, this noodly jamband,’ when, obviously, they haven’t listened. They think that everything ‘jamband’ sounds like Phish or just a bunch of wankering jamming. And that’s obviously not the case. To me the jamband scene is people that appreciate music that is not commercial cookie cutter stuff, that spans the gamut from bluegrass to jazz to rock to funk. And it’s improvisational, and evolving and always changing and exciting. It’s certainly something that I’m not giving up.
What I would like to see happen is for all these labels to disappear because they prevent people from appreciating music for what it is. Someone hands you a CD, ‘It’s this up-and-coming jamband.’ Instantly, your brain goes to these inhibitions and preconceptions, where it’s like, ‘I don’t want to listen to this damn thing.’ Losing the jamband label…I’d like to lose all labels to be honest with you. I’d like it to be that people could listen to music for what it is at face value and make their own decisions without having to group it into some sort of category that they think it’s supposed to be in. When they hear that this band is a jamband they immediately get turned off without giving it a chance. In that regard I wouldn’t mind losing that, but that’s nobody in the jamband scene’s fault. It’s one of the most appreciative audiences out there. They’re always looking for something new and exciting and always ready to have their faces melted. (laughs)
JPG: Being in the middle of it all, and seeing the festival lineups at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, All Good, Hangout…maybe years ago, there was more of a distinct definition of jambands, bands that jam. But now, when you look at who’s playing these festivals and then who went there as well as to one of your shows or a Phish show or a Beck show or a Bassnectar show. To me it’s an open mind as the musical definition and it’s just amazing that there’s still that perception of it all.
CJ: Absolutely. Stereotypes…it needs changed because there’s a lot of music out there that people aren’t appreciating. The same goes with, I could probably say that there are jamband kids out there that hear a band and go, ‘Oh, they’re emo,’ or ‘Oh, they’re indie rock,’ and that immediately closes your mind off to certain possibilities. It’s the same.
JPG: Speaking of All Good, I was there when you did the jam with Mike Gordon. Then, you toured with him shortly afterwards. Is there anything you can relate that you learned by touring with him?
CJ: One thing I definitely appreciate about Mike after getting to know him pretty well personally and as a band was watching him, at his stage in his career you’d think that he might not feel like he had anything to prove anymore, that he’s, basically, conquered a lot of things. He still seemed to have such a childlike curiosity and willingness to go outside the box and improvise and make things different every night. We did, maybe, seven shows with him and they were all completely different. And every soundcheck he would have some new idea that he just thought of and lay it on the band. It was really inspiring to see that a guy at that level was still into the art.
JPG: Right now, when I look at your tour schedule I don’t see a lot of festival dates on there. I imagine that will chance in the next several months.
CJ: They’re coming in. Certain things are still in the works. We’re certainly trying to go for the festivals. We’re not distancing ourselves. West Virginia Gazette quotes aside, we’re not alienating ourselves from the jamband scene. That would be foolish.
JPG: By the way how many times have you been to All Good?
CJ: About seven, I think. We’ve been very lucky. Tim Walther has been a great friend and supporter of the band since our up-and-coming days back when we were getting 50 bucks to open up for people. We have a great relationship with Tim.
JPG: You’ve played festivals, headlined your own shows, did Jam Cruise, what has been the best thing that’s boosted your profile?
CJ: It all helps. This latest record with Steve Berlin it’s certainly a nice addition to the story. The All Good Festival I would point to as a huge boost to our notoriety. People are always coming up to us throughout the year at all the club shows we play, ‘I was at All Good…,’ and the festivals, in general. We’re still trying to play as many of those festivals as we can. It’s such a great place to play in front of huge crowds. We enjoy it all. The club shows help the festivals which help the club shows. It’s a cycle. It all counts.
