Fans of Sevendust have been down this road before; 2004’s “Southside Double-wide,” which won critical acclaim, was a huge success with their doggedly loyal base and something, which no doubt, played a part in the band’s latest release and marketing strategy, as “Time Travelers & Bonfires,” their second acoustic effort, is about to hit the shelves on April 15.
This disc, their tenth studio album, is the first “fan funded” CD the band has ever done. Utilizing a funding site along the lines of the popular “Kickstarter” called “Pledge Music,” the band relied on their faithful to be not only the financial backers but actually more informed and somewhat involved in the recording. “We decided to do it this way,” explained Lowery, “Well; it’s an interesting time in music right now. Making music isn’t done the same way and neither is the way we pay for it. We have such a diehard fan base and we talked about wanting to involve them more, pay them back for their support; after we talked with Rich at “Pledge Music” we decided that’s the way we wanted to go. “Pledge Music” is so different from other starter campaigns, they allowed us total access to the process and we can involve the fans and they get updates; it was just a great way to go about it.”
Involve the fans may be a bit of an understatement, as their legions (which the band considers “family”) not only allowed the group to hit their established goal in the first weekend of the campaign but were involved in the song selection as well. “Time Travelers & Bonfires” is a collection of half acoustically redone selections from their catalog and half new material. The “family” was asked for their opinions and they responded in a big way; helping new versions of “Black,” “Gone,” “Denial,” “Karma,” “Trust” and “Crucified” come back to the forefront.
The recording process took the band back to a familiar place, Architekt Music Studios in Butler, NJ; rather far from their Georgia home but where they felt that they needed to be after the previous success of “Black Out the Sun;” also recorded at Architekt. “It’s a long story how we found those guys,” says Lowery. “We randomly sent out a tweet asking about studio monitors, we kept messaging back and forth and we became fast friends. We began exchanging ideas for some recording and sending tracks to each other, to the point where we had done enough for a second EP, yet we had never met. As our relationship developed, we started letting them do our production work and eventually we went and did the album there. We like it there so we decided to go back and record this one there too.”
Coming off the heels and success of “Black Out the Sun,” one may wonder as to why the group decided to switch gears and go for this acoustic disc now; according to Lowery it was time. “Well, we did a small run before; around fifteen dates I think it was and it was a success. There was a DVD and our fans really liked what we did. People think of us as a heavy band and probably rightfully so but we can also be very melodic. There are really two versions of our band; heavy and light. This is our first full on acoustic tour and a nice switch of pace; we are happy with this record and ready to get out on the road and support it.” “For me, on an acoustic, I’m able to showcase my vocals more. This is just a little something different, you know, we get off the beaten path every now and then,” said vocalist Lajon Witherspoon in a recent press release. Clint and Lajon are not alone in their sentiments as their band mates are just as raring to go. “We wanted to do an acoustic run,” “This will be cool for us, to kind of go in and just focus on just the acoustic side of the band” and “I hope our fans dig it. We play the heavy stuff all the time. It’s good to throw something different in there and change it up a little bit,” are all recent quotes attributed to the remaining members.
One thing is certain, the boys of Sevendust will be well received no matter where they go. With the tour launching on April 1 in Athens, GA and scheduled to complete at the end of June in Kent, CT, they are confident that their fans will not be disappointed. “You know,” said Lowery, “It’s so hard to say if we have a favorite city or if our fans are any better in one city more than the next. I mean, we’ve been doing this for a long time and we’ve had great experiences; had some really crappy ones too (laughs) but we play our hardest for our fans in all of the cities that we go to. We’ve had up and we’ve had down shows; recently, Chicago has been really hot for us and performing in our hometown is always a good time but overall, we just love getting out and playing for them.”
So what does the future hold? “I guess it’s more of the same,” stated Lowery. “There’s no change in what we do. Every time we put out a record, we tour eighteen months to support it, then take some time off and start all over again.”
Eighteen months of touring to support “Time Travelers & Bonfires,” revisiting and trying to recreate past acoustic successes. From the sounds of things, it’s not just “An Evening With Sevendust” but a big long “family” reunion!
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That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Joga Jungle
Sun. 9 p.m. Princeton Area Blue Grass Jam
Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night Hosted by Eric Puliti
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant & Bar
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd Lawrenciville
(609) 912-1599
Sat. 8 p.m. The Aldrich Brothers
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-714
Thurs. (6:30 p.m.)Pizza Night w/Scott Gager & Debbie (7:30 p.m.) Texas Hold'em
Fri. 8 p.m. Rick & Kenny
Sat. 8 p.m. Living The dream
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em
Blend
911 Rte. 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Thurs. 6 p.m. Patron Tequila Tasting
Fri. 9 p.m. Jamie Alexis
Sat. 9 p.m. Some Assembly Required
Sun. 3 p.m. Video Premier Kim Yarson "Barefoot and Braless"
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Jam
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Tommy Grice & James Stewart Tenor Duo. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995
Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
(609) 394-7437
Fri. 7 p.m. Black Out Brandy, Drake City, (TBA). All ages, $8/$10.
Sat. 5 p.m. Aim Down Sight, Finding Foster, Vine Street, We Remain So, Circus Fiction, Out Of The Fire, (TBA). All ages, $8/$10
Sun. 10 p.m. Frankie James, A Mankind Complex, Mr. Mooch, Liz Cisco, Dinz. Ages 21+, $5
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Erini Restaurant & Bar
1140 River Rd. Ewing
(609) 882-0303
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Mike Matisa & Karly Coleman w/ Bob Orlowski
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215)862-5539
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Night
Sat. 8 p.m. Charles Laurita & The Mischief
Sun. 3 p.m. Jimmy Pritcher
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. River of Dreams (Billy Joel Tribute)
Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Naturals
Sun. (1 p.m.) Midnight Sun Orchestra (6 p.m.) JB Kline
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridge
Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran & Friends
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Gyrl Band
Sat. 10 p.m. Blind Lemmon Pie
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Chris Padgett (Of the Stereofidelics)
Fri. 8 p.m. North By Northeest
Sat. 12 p.m - 1 a.m. North By Northeest
Sun. 12pm - 1 a.m. North By Northeest
Mon. Open Mic.
Wed. The Invitational (Featuring John & Peter's House Band)
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Sat. 10 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Millhill Basement
300 South Broad St. Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Mon. 7 p.m. the Penske file
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9:30 p.m. No Way Out
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Sensei Juan and the Black Belts
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Kevin Toft & His All Star Band
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Radio Fiction
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Infinite Bandwidth
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night w/ DJ Jeff Scott Gould
Fri. (4:30 p.m.) Karaoke w/ Jilly Sentino (8 p.m.) Rheminis (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmie Palumbo
All Shows 21+
Spigola Ristorante
3817 Crosswicks Hamilton Square Rd. Hamilton
Fri. 8:30 p.m. DJ Frank Oliveti
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Tony Malandro
Sunsets at Cream Ridge
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-2500
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Joe Kaplow
Fri. (6 p.m.) Rob Silvers Duo (9 p.m.) Drew's Farm
Sat. 9:30 p.m. The Psycho Misfits
Mon. 7 p.m. Open Mic. and Karaoke w/ Rich Barry
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Night
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Rose
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket
216 4th St. Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Run For Cover
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius
Sat. 10 p.m. Root Glen
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Dean Friedman and the South Street Fusion Project. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $25 (advance).
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Monzter Zero
Sat. 9:30 p.m. D*Luxe, the band
All shows 21+
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Sat. 7 p.m. Trenton Freedom vs. Richmond Raiders
Wed. 8 p.m. "The Verge Campus Tour" feat. Krewella w/ Special Guests Logic & Radical Something. Doors 7 p.m., $30, $43, $48, $53
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher
Sat. 9 p.m. John Patrick Bastiani
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays
Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Tues. 9 p.m. LiveMusic/Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 10 p.m. Christian Lee Hutson
Fri. 10 p.m. The Lawsuits. $5 (coverage)
Sat. 10 p.m. Mike Miz Trio $5 (cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
Mon. 9 p.m. Xtra Ticket (Grateful Dead tribute) w/ Steal Your Face
All shows 21+
Villa Romanza
429 Rte. 156 Hamilton
(609) 585-1717
Fri. 6 p.m. Arturo Romay
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
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