Columbia, Missouri's Hooten Hallers released their 15th anniversary album on September 9th of last year. Now, we all know that the shelf life of music is pathetic in this day and age. Most albums are forgotten within a week after their release. But, despite the inertia of listener's fleeting attention spans, I think this one is worth returning to as it's got posterity on its side. Like a good whisky, they are a band that only improves with age. Hooten Hallers have a classic, even timeless, boogie-down country blues style that captures an eternal spirit of simple living, striving, and scrapping, three key ingredients of the American ethos- a stubborn comingling of compulsions that is as enduring as it is asinine. Back In Business Again is no exception to this proven lineage. In fact, it's a mighty extension of it! So how does a band come out of the cellar time and time again still sounding fresh and with a potable offering in hand? Below is my assessment of what makes a good comeback record like theirs...
1. First things firstBefore a band can truly start the process of making a record, they need to make sure that they have all the proper ingredients and equipment. Here’s a list of what the Hooten Hallers assembled to perfect their most recent batch of new 'merican standards:
Ingredients
10 pounds (4.5kg) of choice blues riffs
4 (1.8kg) pounds of sweet country shine
5 gallons (19 liters) of whisky
4 (1.8kg) pounds of sweet country shine
5 gallons (19 liters) of whisky
10 figures of sultry jazz melodies
10,000 lemons
1 hot cup of ambition
1 gill of delusion de grandeur (for flavor)
Equipment
2. Choice of subject matter, ie "What's in da mash?"
Choosing what to write about is crucial for relating to one's audience. If you can't write about something they can draw a parallel to within their own lives, you might as well fold your message up into a little square, stick it under your pillow, and hope you get a nickel for it in the morning. Back In Business Again succeeds because it speaks to the values that live in each of our hearts- time-honored traditions we all hold dear, like fighting, fucking, and fried chicken. But that's just a starting point! What a really great record should do is uplift people's spirits and make them feel like their lives are just about to turn a corner. The winning streak described on the title track is perfect in this regard. That track will make everyone feel like their next scratch-off ticket is going to set them up to be rolling in dough like a Pentecostal baker. It's also good to have a track that causes the listener's passions to flare and gets their blood piping hot! It can come in the form of either indignity, or pride, or somewhere in between. In any case, this gambit is covered by the depictions of the down bad and dirty of this land of ours on the singular slushy-stomp of "The Cobbler's Children." And then you need the love songs. No country record can roll off the presses without a number that sounds like it was written on the author's knees, begging like a dog to have their feelings reciprocated tucked into its grooves. A soppy exigency, constitutionally required of any and all country records, and one in which the staggering sway of "Show Me" and the ripped-up rag-time of "Heal it" fit the bill. It's also important to consider a balance of sweet and spicy as well, which is why it's essential for a record to contain tracks like the boogie-by-the-bushel-full of "Now That I Know" and the surly, scratch and scuffle fever of "Cat Scrap." With all materials accounted for and dumped into the mix, it's now time to move on to step three.
3. Crushing doubts
When you've been gone for a while, it's natural that people might wonder if you still have what it takes to put out a half-decent record. This is where the grain grinder comes in... crush all doubts into a coarse gris– not enough to break, mind you, but enough to get the job done. Those fuckers need to be shown whose boss! Leave no survivors!
4. Heating the listener
When there is a record coming out, it's important to prime people's expectations. This can be done via the internet- telling people about the record, how the recording process is going, and when they can hear the finished product are all good information. Information is like an open flame. You expose people to it enough and they will literally boil with anticipation. A couple of updates to the web here and there and scheduled out in advance should get the job done. You'll want to get folk's attention up to a steady temperature of engagement, around 65C to 68C, which is best for enzymatic conversion, by which I mean, reminding people the record is coming out and that they should be excited about it. I'm guessing Hooten Hallers did all this. I know about their record because I got an email about it. Emails are delivered via the internet. Therefore, I am vindicated.
7. Mash-out and sparge
8. Checking the gravity
9. Yeast, everyone needs it
Guitars (Bass and other)
Drum kit
Sax
Amplifiers
Mics
A laptop used exclusively to receive spam and vague, unappealing job postings
Grain grinder
Hydrometer
Fermenter
Fermenter
A reliable heat source
IPad that a sibling signed in on last Thanksgiving and which you can access their HMO+ account from
Fully loaded S&W Classic 6 1/2" Blue
Fully loaded S&W Classic 6 1/2" Blue
Spare chicken wire
A picture of a beloved family dog that is the right size to fit in a standard leather wallet
Snake-skin boots with freshly polished spurs
A live opossum
A pair of denim overall with a missing button
2. Choice of subject matter, ie "What's in da mash?"
Choosing what to write about is crucial for relating to one's audience. If you can't write about something they can draw a parallel to within their own lives, you might as well fold your message up into a little square, stick it under your pillow, and hope you get a nickel for it in the morning. Back In Business Again succeeds because it speaks to the values that live in each of our hearts- time-honored traditions we all hold dear, like fighting, fucking, and fried chicken. But that's just a starting point! What a really great record should do is uplift people's spirits and make them feel like their lives are just about to turn a corner. The winning streak described on the title track is perfect in this regard. That track will make everyone feel like their next scratch-off ticket is going to set them up to be rolling in dough like a Pentecostal baker. It's also good to have a track that causes the listener's passions to flare and gets their blood piping hot! It can come in the form of either indignity, or pride, or somewhere in between. In any case, this gambit is covered by the depictions of the down bad and dirty of this land of ours on the singular slushy-stomp of "The Cobbler's Children." And then you need the love songs. No country record can roll off the presses without a number that sounds like it was written on the author's knees, begging like a dog to have their feelings reciprocated tucked into its grooves. A soppy exigency, constitutionally required of any and all country records, and one in which the staggering sway of "Show Me" and the ripped-up rag-time of "Heal it" fit the bill. It's also important to consider a balance of sweet and spicy as well, which is why it's essential for a record to contain tracks like the boogie-by-the-bushel-full of "Now That I Know" and the surly, scratch and scuffle fever of "Cat Scrap." With all materials accounted for and dumped into the mix, it's now time to move on to step three.
3. Crushing doubts
When you've been gone for a while, it's natural that people might wonder if you still have what it takes to put out a half-decent record. This is where the grain grinder comes in... crush all doubts into a coarse gris– not enough to break, mind you, but enough to get the job done. Those fuckers need to be shown whose boss! Leave no survivors!
4. Heating the listener
When there is a record coming out, it's important to prime people's expectations. This can be done via the internet- telling people about the record, how the recording process is going, and when they can hear the finished product are all good information. Information is like an open flame. You expose people to it enough and they will literally boil with anticipation. A couple of updates to the web here and there and scheduled out in advance should get the job done. You'll want to get folk's attention up to a steady temperature of engagement, around 65C to 68C, which is best for enzymatic conversion, by which I mean, reminding people the record is coming out and that they should be excited about it. I'm guessing Hooten Hallers did all this. I know about their record because I got an email about it. Emails are delivered via the internet. Therefore, I am vindicated.
5. Mashing the mix
When you've got the right ingredients, and equipment, have pulverized all doubts and heated up people's expectations, the next important step is to get a professional involved. For Back in Business Again the team... well, they leaned on their bassist Dominic Davis who has also done work with Jack White. He added the right amount of flourish to these tracks, converting any residual starchiness to delectable sugary notes, and in the process, strained out any impurities. They really have this mixing, mastering, producing thing down. The record really tastes... erh... sounds great!
When you've got the right ingredients, and equipment, have pulverized all doubts and heated up people's expectations, the next important step is to get a professional involved. For Back in Business Again the team... well, they leaned on their bassist Dominic Davis who has also done work with Jack White. He added the right amount of flourish to these tracks, converting any residual starchiness to delectable sugary notes, and in the process, strained out any impurities. They really have this mixing, mastering, producing thing down. The record really tastes... erh... sounds great!
7. Mash-out and sparge
This is self-explanatory.
8. Checking the gravity
With records, it's vital to make sure that everything is flowing in the right direction. Good vibes in, bad vibes out. If a band ever has an issue with this step, they might want to invest in a hydrometer.
9. Yeast, everyone needs it
Yeast helps dough rise. Bands need to make dough to survive. Therefore they need to make sure that they have enough yeast. Yeast, in this section, is a metaphor for talent and the ability to deploy it. At the very least (yeast?), Hooten Hallers have this covered. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing about them.
10. Fermentation
You can't rush it. If it takes a year, or two, or three, or five, that's how long it's going to be. Good shit takes time.
11. Clarifying the wash
Clarifying is the process of removing any spent grains that might threaten to scorch the mix during distillation. As with #7, this step is self-explanatory.
12. The spirit run
Disambiguated from Chicken Run, staring Mel Gibson. This is a complicated process of making sure that a record is able to raise folk's spirits and call them to do things they never thought they could and accomplish the impossible for themselves and their progeny... Ok, maybe it's not that different from Chicken Run after all.
13. Making Cuts
At some point in every record-making process, a band's got to decide what ideas make the cut and which land on the editing room's floor. I'm convinced that only the best, most cogent ideas remained when Back In Business Again was shipped for pressing. These are professionals, who would never do something so full hearty as to attempt to transform a whisky recipe they stumbled upon into an album review. They've got more brains than that. I recommend others follow their example over mine.
Clarifying is the process of removing any spent grains that might threaten to scorch the mix during distillation. As with #7, this step is self-explanatory.
12. The spirit run
Disambiguated from Chicken Run, staring Mel Gibson. This is a complicated process of making sure that a record is able to raise folk's spirits and call them to do things they never thought they could and accomplish the impossible for themselves and their progeny... Ok, maybe it's not that different from Chicken Run after all.
13. Making Cuts
At some point in every record-making process, a band's got to decide what ideas make the cut and which land on the editing room's floor. I'm convinced that only the best, most cogent ideas remained when Back In Business Again was shipped for pressing. These are professionals, who would never do something so full hearty as to attempt to transform a whisky recipe they stumbled upon into an album review. They've got more brains than that. I recommend others follow their example over mine.
14. Aging and oaking
Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to the aging and oaking of a record, but to me, Hooten Hallers' choices in this regard are beyond reproach. Back In Business Again is a paragon of artistry that defines itself through an unparalleled dedication to the timelessness of hometown Americana and the simple act of letting shit take as long as it needs. Aged for at least 4 years in select ranges of American backcountry and in the dens of the mythical Mizzou Tiger, its spirit has evolved into a masterpiece combining the textures of denim overalls, twisted checked-wire mesh, and bar stools that have absorbed decades of spilled draft beer, the smoke from multiple three-pack a day habits, and countless satisfied BBQ farts. The result is a rich, gravely elixir with a perfectly balanced interplay of bad attitude and good intentions. Back In Business Again exemplifies the pinnacle of American pragmatism in many ways, delivering a sensory experience that showcases the gut-deep wisdom of getting something done when it needs to get done, but not rushing it out the door until you know it can be done right.
.. and that's it! That's everything that I think gives a record like Back in Business Again staying power. You can sample it below for yourselves and let me know if you agree. I also encourage you to take what you've read here and make your own record to compare results. If I'm still writing this blog in 15+ years, drop me a line and let me know how it went- no need to cut me in on the residuals.
