BOURBON HOUSE – ARTIST SPOTLIGHT & INTERVIEW
Bourbon House is a hard rocking blues ensemble that just released a new single, “I Got Trouble” with an accompanying music video. The new song is off their fantastic recent album, Into The Red on Pacgroove Records. The band was founded by guitarist Jason Clark and vocalist Lacey Crowe in 2017. In 2018 Bourbon House welcomed permanent drummer, Ryan Sargent. The bass duties have been handled by a series of players.
Bourbon House musters an explosive sound that combines a powerful mixture of vibrant blues and propulsive rock and roll. Their songs are exceptionally colorful with abundant musical textures. Crowe’s vocals are full of fervor and carry a large pallet of musical prowess. Clark’s guitar delivers an intricate layer of infectious riffs while Sargent’s percussions add excitement and depth. Bourbon House is fiery, brazen and intense.
The new record, Into The Red, is a true testament to dominant songwriting and sublime production. Every track has its own flavor yet the record has an incredibly cohesive flow. Opening with the killer tune, “Dead in the Water”, the entire album is huge. Crowe’s voice hit you with tenacious determination. The guitar is crunchy and atomic. “Devil on My Heels” is super muscular with a kaleidoscope of sound. The current single, “I Got Trouble” bristles with bluesy passion and edgy spirit.
Speaking about the album the band states:
“Into The Red is a real blood, sweat and tears album for us. It took us three years to complete, we used three different bassists and recorded at three different studios. Because we released singles and music videos we didn’t even really notice how long it had been until we set a release date”.
Lacey Crowe was kind enough to answer a few questions for the AMP readers.
AMP: The band has a huge sound. How would you describe your music?
LACEY: Thanks! It’s so hard for artists to describe themselves because we all feel like we’re so dynamic. Ultimately, we’re a rock band with a bluesy sound. Some of our songs are heavier than others, some are groovier and some are softer, but they all fit in the rock/blues rock genre.
AMP: Do you feel your new album Into the Red is an evolution in musical style from your previous records?
LACEY: I do! But not really because our writing or style has changed. If you listen to our 2017 EP, most of the songs on there would hold up on any Bourbon House album today if they were remastered. But they would sound better today if they were re-recorded by us. First and foremost because of our drummer, Ryan. He has a very distinctive style, a little John Bonham-like but also unique to him. We didn’t have him with us for the first two albums so I think that’s how we’ve evolved the most in our musical style.
AMP: How does the Bourbon House songwriting process work?
LACEY: Typically with me and Jason in the living room with an acoustic guitar about a month before we go to the studio. Jason has a backlog of amazing riffs so he’ll just play and I’ll hum something over it until it evolves into something. Sometimes, I write a melody and Jason has to come up with something for it. Usually when we have a weak skeleton of a song, that’s when we will introduce it to the rhythm section. And then it will change one million times from there up until and even while we’re in the studio.
AMP: What kind of reception has Into the Red received?
LACEY: So far, great! One thing I think we did right this time around was release some of the songs as singles beforehand, so people already knew they liked at least four of the songs before they got the album. We’ve been hearing positive feedback on the whole album so far, but surprisingly the songs that are getting the most love are “I Got Trouble” and “Slow Burn” which are our two ballads.
AMP: Who are the band’s major influences?
LACEY: Well, I think it’s obvious we’re very into the 70s rock giants like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, etc. and as a band I’d say we’re influenced by that era of rock music the most. I think that those are the influences people hear. But each of us individually have our influences that show up in our music as well. Even if they’re not immediately as noticeable, they’re definitely there. Sometimes when I’m listening to our recordings I’ll hear a little run I did and think, “That was very Chris Cornell of you, Lacey.” But I’m not sure how many others would hear it unless it was pointed out to them.
AMP: How has the internet impacted the music business for you?
LACEY: You know, I feel like people like to hate on the internet for how it changed the music industry and I feel that sometimes too. But honestly, we’re from a small town in Wisconsin. This wouldn’t be possible without the internet. It has made it easier for us to acquire fans and network and we’re embracing it. We like to focus on how things (like the internet) can serve us rather than how they can defeat us. Glass half full over here.
AMP: Your new single, “I Got Trouble” is a kick ass blues and r&b triumph. How did you capture that divine sound?
LACEY: Well, thank you! I would say that staying in a minor key helped with the feel of the song and getting the right tempo. I think there’s a sweet spot that we hit that maybe would’ve changed the entire feel if it was even a hair slower or a hair faster. Also, we should give props to our engineer here, Eric LaBrosse at Cherry Pit Studios. He got us the right tones for this song to really have that sad, sultry kind of sound.
AMP: Any extensive tours on the horizon?
LACEY: Yes! We have a few things in the works right now. I can announce for sure that a headlining Southern USA tour is being booked for March 2022. Dates for that will be announced soon.
AMP: What’s next for the band?
LACEY: More music! We are back in the studio in February to record more songs for our fourth album.
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To learn more about Bourbon House, check out their Website
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