INTERVIEW: Refreshments
- Al Muzer
'You steer the wheel and I'll roll the bones', moans Refreshments singer/songwriter Roger Clyne midway through "Fonder And Blonder," one of the best on-the-road-to-anywhere-(but-here) songs ever written.
Just one of the beer-, pot- and tequila-soaked bar-stool stories that color the Tempe, Arizona-based four-piece's second Mercury Records release, The Bottle & Fresh Horses ; the song, as is the case with most of the group's free-wheelin' lyrics, has more to do with beer, bad relationships, Mexico, fear, more beer, escape and lazy afternoons fishing than it does with changing the world or changing your mind.
Kicking the new disc off with "Tributary Otis," a potential hit single brimming with shimmering pop hooks and a propulsive, steering wheel-pounding beat; Clyne, guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Brian Blush, drummer Paul Naffah and bassist Arthur "Buddy" Edwards III hook you early and hook you often with 13 rootsy, rollicking, reflective tales that range from the exuberant bar band bluster of "Buy American," to a "Banditos"-meets-"La Bamba" rave-up called "Wanted," to the Cheap Trick-in-overdrive roar of "Good Year." Focusing on far-off horizons and that sad-eyed girl in the rear-view mirror, the songs on The Bottle & Fresh Horses are some of the finest examples of story-telling escapism to come along since Creedence Clearwater floated down John Fogerty's imaginary bayou way back when.
A consistently first-rate effort and an outstanding followup to last year's Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy ; Brian Blush was more than enthusiastic about the group's latest release when we caught up with him recently:
C: My compliments to you and the band. You've side-stepped the old sophomore jinx and've come up with a strong second album. Was there pressure on the group when you went into the studio to record the album?
Brian: Thanks! We're really proud of the record - although it is a bit of a departure from where we were before. We were a little worried about how this album would be received. It's a little closer look at the band as people.
Despite a lot of things that didn't exist when we recorded the first album, we were lucky and got to make the second record we wanted to make. The sophomore release is supposed to be a difficult record. But, it's especially difficult if the first album actually enjoyed a little success. People seem to be looking for a degree of growth and maturity from the band but, at the same time, I don't think they want too much of a departure from the 'formula' that made the band a success in the first place. It's a really fine line to have to balance.
We spent so much time out on the road after we released the first album that we had no choice but to be a better band on this one.
C: You actually spent most of last year on tour, did life on the bus bring the group closer together?
B: I've found that you really do tend to develop a sense of ESP between band members after you've spent time together on tour. There's always been a really strong chemistry between the four of us that, for whatever reason, has worked from the git-go. We all sort'a wound up in the same basement on the same night and things just 'clicked' for us.
C: There's a certain crispness and openness to your songs; do the band's Arizona roots factor heavily in your sound?
B: I really don't know exactly what it is about the geographic location of this place that has such an effect on the bands [Meat Puppets, Gin Blossoms] who call the state home. I really don't know why, or how, the area influences us the way it does - but, there really does seem to be something unexplainable about this area of the world that translates into a certain sound.
I dunno, though - maybe it's just that our brains are totally baked from all that heat.
