Rusted Root’s Michael Glabicki on 20 years of musical success

Rusted Root, the Pittsburgh band that has gained critical acclaim and legions of fans around the world, continues to pump out new music, new tours and new sounds. Pulling together many different influences and styles, the band has scored a number of hits over its 20-year history, everything from “Send Me On My Way” to “Ecstasy” to “Martyr”.

For lead singer and founding member Michael Glabicki, 2012 promises to be a big year. Rusted Root will release a new album in the fall and the nonstop tour dates keep on coming. Recently Hollywood Soapbox talked with Glabicki about the band and its journey throughout the last two decades. Questions and answers have been slightly edited.

Can you believe the band is going strong more than 20 years after forming?

It is amazing. I don’t really think about it that much. So yeah, it is surprising to me because the number 20 pops up and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty amazing.’

Is there hopes of a new album soon?

Right after the Stone Pony (concert on July 26 in Asbury Park, N.J.), I’m going to Phili to finish the mixes on our new record. It should be out late September or first week of October.

Could you preview the album? Have you been playing these songs on the road already?

Yeah, we’ve been performing about six or seven of the songs. They’re going over really good. There’s already people just singing along with all the lyrics. We’ve sold some of the songs as a live download, so fans are already kind of getting worked up about the record. And people that have heard the actual record … they are just really flipping out over it. I think it’s going to be our best record yet.

What do you think it is about Rusted Root that keeps the band going strong?

I think it’s a number of things, but I think maybe having a little pulse on what’s going in the world and not only a pop sense or an industry sense, but like in a spiritual sense. I think as a songwriter I try to tap into that, the deeper flowings that go on. I see people relate to that in a very significant way.

I think it’s also the chemistry of the band. It’s always changing and evolving. I think people like to be a part of that and can grow with it. … We’ve never gotten lazy and just tried doing the same thing. I think we’re constantly pushing our own limits and boundaries, and sometimes we go too far and sometimes we hit it just right.

Could you talk about that chemistry of the band?

Yeah, everybody knows what to expect and also our limitations and where people might need a suggestion or a little bit of help or a little bit of support. Yeah, it’s definitely a musical relationship and something that’s evolved significantly. It’s great having the new people that just bring a lot.

How do you develop that set list for fans who’ve been fans for a while?

We put about six or seven new songs in there. And, I think first and foremost it’s more bringing what’s real that night and not overthinking it too much. In that way, bringing what’s naturally in the room that night with the crowd, with the crowd’s energy, sort of with the group energy that’s going on. I think, if you don’t think about it too much, and you play off that, the set’s going to be different no matter what. Because it’s sort of a group ritual at that point. I think people feel a part of it and they’ve also been moved a lot more.

Do you ever get that feeling that you’re playing music that’s educating audiences on different styles?

Yeah, I definitely get that. I think there’s an honesty about what we do. I think part of it is the chemistry of the band and not settling for anything that sounds like anything else. As the leader of the band, or the producer of the albums, I kind of look for what’s unique in everybody in the room and also what’s unique about the song, and try to bring that out. I always hate whenever I like something because it’s familiar or it’s comfortable. I try to stay away from that. I think there’s more available, and why settle for that? With such an amazing group of individuals in the room, we should be able to create something new, that people feel like they haven’t heard before. Even if it is similar (laughs). There’s a subtlety to its originality.

Do you ever think about how the music industry has changed in 20 years, or do you keep making the music?

I think we’re aware of it, but our focus is sort of more profoundly the same — of making albums, of being primarily focused as a live band. In the sense that when we do an album, we try to develop it live first and get the fans’ energy really involved in it before going in the studio. There’s been a couple songs on this record that we weren’t able to do that with, and I think those fed off the energy of the other songs.

Anybody can go out there and make a record nowadays and auto-pitch their voices and get a pretty good marketing campaign online and all that. But what is going to make anybody stand out is if they can put on a live show that just blows people away and expands people’s ideas.

Are the live performances what got Rusted Root’s fan base going in those early days in Pittsburgh?

Definitely. We’re primarily just going out and playing shows. We kept getting a bigger circle added on, another layer going outward. And we would pick up these small towns or cities as we just kept going outward.

As time progressed, we sold 30,000 copies just out of our truck, and … it kind of took off from there like wildfire. Even nowadays we’re doing that same thing. We’re bringing the new music out and the new show and the new energy of the set and the music. Even the old music we’ve changed up. Once again, we’re bringing that out and circling that out to the country. In the same exact way, we want to get in front of people.

We are doing a fan-funding campaign for the record. We’ve had fans show up and come to sound check and play “Send Me On My Way” with us, and they get a video of it. … We have all these packages that people can buy into, and that’s been fun. That’s just more of a community vibe. You’re not doing anything uncomfortable or something that doesn’t relate to the music or the live performance or anything like that. … We’ve been doing a lot on Facebook, which is new for us. It’s kind of fun, but also kind of a hassle. I like resting in between shows and not having to always get on the computer.

Do you see a large age difference among your fans?

Yeah, because of having our songs in movies like Ice Age and Matilda, there’s a lot of kids from 9 through college coming out now. Then we have people that have been around that were 20 years older than us when we started. So they’re still coming out, too. It’s nice. It actually feels great. It actually feels like an actual real community of people, elders and all.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Click here for more information on Rusted Root. Catch the band tonight, July 26 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J. Future dates include stops in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.