February 26, 2021 @ Not to say there was no energy during the livestreams from the Tabernacle and Ryman Auditorium where there was no audience. I suspect theyre playing to a click, and its holding them back. All Credits Composer Director I got a lot of quirky, different types of tunings I've learned over the years from different people and records. April 8, 2021 @ When we were done, everybody started thinking it might be something people want to have. Dawg Fan Soularcat), who is Benjis biggest musical influence. The foundation is still there. If you were going on an extended vacation and could only take one, which guitar would you choose? Cant wait to hear the rest. Aug 17, 2022. Ginger Haycox On November 12, 2014, they appeared among many others Jamey Johnson, Trace Adkins, Warren Haynes, Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman, etc. 2.4K views 3 years ago I sat down recently with the one and only Benji Shanks, who is currently on tour with Blackberry Smoke as a guest guitarist. It's not heavy metal, but it's got this aggressive sound and every element was just so stellar. "Blackberry Smoke Little Piece of Dixie:: Blogs:: Andy Whitman on Music:: Paste", "Blackberry Smoke The Whippoorwill (2012)", "Blackberry Smoke Goes #1 in Album Sales with "You Hear Georgia", "Watch Blackberry Smoke's new video & check out live pics! Advertisement Benjis rig rundown gets underway with a look at his pedalboard ArtsATL: You were once quoted as saying, I cant be grown up on the road. Do you think you did any growing up being off the road? It was a lot of fun just to be able to make music. And doing them really reminded me of how much I love playing music in this band because the enjoyment really comes from playing the songs. I'm not pretty. We like the records we make and we dont feel like we sacrifice our integrity to try and step a rung higher on the ladder. February 26, 2021 @ He started playing percussion on the new album and Britt (Turner, On May 28, 2021, their album You Hear Georgia was released. Widespread Panics guitar player, Jimmy Herring, caught wind of Benjis rising success and invited him for a few guest appearances with the band. Their debut album, Bad Luck Ain't No Crime, was released in 2003. Aug 2, 2022. I dont mean it that way. We started sending little voice memos back and forth, then we got on the phone and hashed it out. Wed love to stay in touch, sign up for The Pick team to contact you with great news, content and offers. And it made me smile. There's been an evolution of my playing and our music over the life of the band, but I don't think it's drastic, Starr says. Following Soularcat on the road in 2005, was some of the best memories of music Ive ever had, said band groupie Lonnie Robinson. You recently added Benji Shanks as a third guitarist. !Really stole the show at the Billy Gibbons Guitar Show deal, I thought. I write songs based on the way I feel about writing a song. My buddy Dave Lizmi from The Four Horsemen and I started banging these riffs back and forth, and it evolved from that. That was the same tour I was talking about. That first song sounds great. He just put a lot more energy into the show than they did. Since their last full-length album, 2018s Find a Light, Blackberry Smoke have put out a live album and concert film, Homecoming: Live in Atlanta; a six-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions; and Live from Capricorn Sound Studios, an EP of six covers recorded live. A P90 is really responsive as to where you put your volume knob, especially if you're playing through a really loud amplifier, when you come down with it, you can get really into Tele territory. I wonder how that went down with current longtime member/guitar/vocalist - Paul Jackson? This album marks the bands 20th anniversary. May 31, 2021 @ [16] In 2021 the band released its seventh studio album, You Hear Georgia.[17]. Some people go to college, I joined bands [laughs]. Artist. Were really enjoying it. The band spent much of the summer of 2016 on tour with Gov't Mule. January 28, 2023 @ Shawn tackett Most days So having him join us was sort of inevitable. Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to Its been refinished, the head has broken and its got replacement parts. I think every guitar player has that one guitar that is the one.. I don't know if I could play the music I play without any of those records. We like the records we make and we dont feel like we sacrifice our integrity to try and step a rung higher on the ladder. When I saw he would be doing acoustic I immediately thought it can only get better. [5] On August 26, 2012, they performed at a charity benefit called the Boot Ride with the cast of Sons of Anarchy, partnered with The Boot Campaign at the Happy Ending Bar and Grill in Hollywood, California.[6][7]. I was thinking about the things that are good about Southern culture the things I love, like the good stories I grew up on, the music I was taught, the love I experienced with friends and family and being comforted by their goodness. Tom Waits said, 'You eventually secrete what you have absorbed.' Hadn't seen it. Benjis been playing with us a long time, off and on. "Duane played with such ferocity at such a young age. February 28, 2021 @ If you're uncertain which one you're looking for, take a wild guess. BBS Rock! We still appreciated being able to hear them say, Thank you. Even though it seemed quite a bit downhill and far away. He was talking with a really, really thick Southern accent. The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. Blackberry Smoke has a new album it recorded during the pandemic and is about to begin its first tour since COVID-19 hit. But at that point, we werent even able to get in the same room together. WebNancy Shanks (c. 19562019) was an American singer . About a week later, I went in his dressing room and he had one! Well, I had the kind of grandmother books are written about. Nicolas Racine When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. WebCharlie and Benji never disappoint! Starr: Weve never worked with a major record label. ", "Zac Brown Launches Southern Ground Artists Label Southern Ground", "Blackberry Smoke The Whippoorwill (2012) Something Else! Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr: "Everybody wishes they could So having him join us was sort of inevitable. With pandemic restrictions easing, Blackberry Smoke begins a robust summer tour this weekend that will bring it to Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta on August 21. It covers so much ground: blues and gospel and country and even a little bit of reggae feeling, with Sweet Black Angel and then just rock and roll and it sounds dirty and dangerous, not safe and happy. Web4,340 Followers, 1,308 Following, 458 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Benji Shanks (@shanksforeverything) Its an appropriate title for the Atlanta-based group, whose sound evokes their home states rich heritage, with echoes of the Allman Brothers Band and country music mixed in lots of crunchy Rolling Stones- and Tom Petty-esque rock swagger. The three have done a News This was the first time a non-mainstream supported artist or band was able to achieve this feat in the modern era. He knows what to play and not to play, but with three guitars, we do talk about the parts quite a bit, about staying out of each other's lane. Shanks Unfortunately, you can find that mentality almost anywhere you go in the world, but the image sometimes gets directed toward the South which I think is incorrect and unfair. "Thanks, man. He said, Absolutely. Of course, we also did some Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, as well as paid homage to Little Richard. Lyrically, the song is about the South being misunderstood, says lead singer and primary songwriter Charlie Starr. Benji (Shanks) said to me one night, That guitar hits every note of the rainbow. I think that describes it. Benji and I have been playing together as a duo for about 15 years and are just kindred spirits. Kip Zartman It was one of the remaining opportunities to see Starr and Shanks before they hit the road along with the rest of Blackberry Smoke as they head out on a U.S./Canada tour starting in mid-June that will carry them all the way to late October this year. And she was quick to chastise me or any others for doing such. "I've never really been adept at playing slide with only my fingers on my picking hands, which is obviously what Duane did. Were you tuned in from the start that songwriting was going to be really important? How has Blackberry Smoke been able to stay true to itself over the course of 20 years? Love their studio stuff but wondering if I just caught them on an off night or are they not great live? Your email address will not be published. First concert in over a year and Im giddy like a kid before Christmas! Hes a sweetener, who adds so much to what is already there. 4:47 am. I have a real hard time finding a better contemporary rock band. Jerry Shanks was married to Billie J. How is this living in this man's brain? All Over the Road (Charlie Starr) 10. They are the first independently-released artist to hit No. During the relaxed jam session, both Starr and Shanks interacted and shared road stories both past and present. 7:43 am. I prefer the P90 to a humbucker, really. Their debut album, Bad Luck Ain't No Crime, was released in 2003. ArtsATL: I heard you explain the new albums title song, You Hear Georgia, as being lyrically about those of us from the South sometimes being misunderstood and then it expanded to discord among folks in general. I think I already knew that, but it got fully confirmed. I owned a vintage one in the '90s, which had a badly repaired headstock break so I sold it, but it was so cool. 3 in all of music. Charlie Starr serves as a founding member, frontman and lead guitarist for Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke, and last year the band added guitar virtuoso [1] Shanks was a television sports anchor at WBSG in Brunswick, Georgia and WGXA in He started playing percussion on the new album and Britt (Turner, drummer) said, Id love to hear Preston playing percussion live with us, not just have the percussion as an overdub as you often hear with recordings. Dickey scratches a whole different itch for me from that era of the band. 1 on the Billboard Country Album charts in modern history. like the music, but would actually like to hear the singer through the WHOLE SONG and not just part of it. We didn't even talk about what we were writing for, but I played it for Dave Cobb, when we were doing pre-production over the phone. mark How did you start working together now? Heres how it works. It sounds like they were doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the band and re-establish their Southern roots, Georgia-based Southern rock badasses Blackberry Smoke will be releasing their latest record called You Hear Georgia on May 28th. Charlie Starr: Well, there was really nothing we could do. Love the new song already and ABSOLUTELY stoked to see track 5 is featuring Jamey Johnson! Starr: It was really an easy decision. Benji Shanks Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More "Yeah. Blackberry Smoke added Benji Shanks and Preston Holcomb as permanent members this year. Jun 20, 2022. Well, there was really nothing we could do. Sailing with the Roger Pirates since he was an infant, Shanks would begin his pirate career on their ship as an apprentice alongside Buggy, before forming his own crew following Roger's death. Pedals Down Their second album released in 2009, Little Piece of Dixie. I was watching television one morning, drinking a cup of coffee, and I heard a fellow on the news being interviewed. Starr: No, I dont think so not other than planting my vegetables, which I think is pretty grown-up (chuckles). setlist Glenn Langley The Southern rock group has continued to make music despite COVID-19, including a new studio album, You Hear Georgia, which is out today. Also fantastic live. What would you say the world needs a little more of right now? , which is out today. [4] The album was released under the Southern Ground record label. Without a doubt. eve never worked with a major record label. I'm definitely not just a collector and I don't have a whole lot of mint-condition guitars. one problem with the songwriting, and, the band in general, tunes are indistinguishable, and its really charley starr with backing band. Its been on every one of our records. To watch him construct a solo is mind blowing.