SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Listeners might notice jazz and rock influences on the new album “Don’t Forget to Tip the Band” featuring guitarist Jesse Christen, drummer Dan Heier and bassist Reuben Rodriguez, but the blues are unmistakably all over the new recording.
“Can’t get the blues out of my playing,” Christen said.
Christen wrote most of the album’s songs.
“It was great to bring Jesse’s songs to life,” Heier said.
“I think Jesse underplays his creativity as an artist and doesn’t speak a lot about it,” Rodriguez said.
For Heier, the album provided a learning opportunity.
“This was really cool for me ’cause people think of me a lot of times as the jazz drummer,” Heier said. “And I had so much fun, like, doing a deep dive into, like, blues records leading up to the album, recording the album. For about two months, all I listened to was blues albums just to kind of get that sound in my head.”
“The entire album was recorded in two days,” Rodriguez said. “On the second day, when we were doing a soundcheck, Jesse was like, ‘Oh, okay, let’s just do something kind of like this in G.’ And then he wrote ‘Barbeque Smoke’ right then, and we recorded it right then.”
Beyond the talents of Rodriguez and Heier, Christen had additional support for his project.
“I got a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council to help fund this project, which is greatly appreciated, and here we are,” Christen said. “We have a product, bringing art to the people of South Dakota.”
The three Sioux Falls men don’t just play the blues together; they’re friends, too.
“We’re able to improvise a lot, and we listen to each other, and it’s just a good time,” Christen said.
“In this group, we listen so well to each other,” Heier said. “And so, like, we’re able to pick up the synergy really quickly. And it gelled really fast in the studio, and yeah, and we just have a blast doing it. And I think that comes out in the music.”
“We’d been playing together quite a bit for probably four or five years leading up to this, and I figured we’d better document something,” Christen said.
All three contribute their skills to the album, but Christen is the bandleader on the project.
Santella: If someone hears you play for the first time, let’s say you’re feeling pretty good, you’re ripping it, what do you want them to take away from your music, Jesse?
“Oh, hopefully, they can enjoy it and get an escape from the everyday stresses of life in our sometimes nasty world,” Christen said.
The blues are often recognizable thanks to a familiar chord progression, but perhaps more than that, it’s a feel; you’ll know it when you hear it. And as a fan of the genre might explain, the music has a way of uplifting the listener as well as the band on stage.
Listeners can check out “Don’t Forget to Tip the Band” on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify. It is also available on Christen’s website.
