On a tour bus somewhere between the Canadian border and Maine, members of The Slip talked a bit about extremes.
First, the trio?s music can be extreme, causing critics to call it contemporary avant rock. Also, the band went from seemingly constant touring to more of a lull. The list goes on, but the extremes have paid off, said Andrew Barr, the group?s drummer.
“We all spent a lot of time figuring out who we were,” Barr said. “We knew we had been on the road so much, we had to get off the road. We are all in relationships now and experiencing that kind of love. I guess we grew up a little bit.”
The group formed in 1996, when Andrew; his brother, Brad; and bassist Marc Friedman moved to Boston after graduating from high school, where they had met and first played together. The trio established a solid fan base throughout the Northeast and toured almost constantly.
But despite a margin of regional success, the group took a step back to try to add sophistication to their music. The trick, said Barr, was to delve into the recording process.
“We took a couple years to work on the recording process … and tried to become comfortable with it so we weren?t so tense,” he said. “We also spent more time focusing on … content. Now our work is a bit more abstract. It all tells a little more of a tale.”
Take, for example, “Children of December,” the first song on the new CD “Eisenhower.” It has solid vocals, punchy chords, a well-woven tale that can relate to a holiday ? or not.
But what does that mean for the show and fans of the pre-“Eisenhower” music? No fears, Barr said. He noted that about half the show will be songs from the new CD, with the rest divided between early music and the group?s latest sound.
Friedman says the mix of music works with the group?s audience.
“I had a really good experience last night talking to a bunch of people after the show. There were people who?d seen us a bunch of times and first-time listeners, because [“Eisenhower”] has a long reach. It felt great,” he said.
IF YOU GO
The Slip with Arizona and Earl Greyhound
» Venue: Recher Theatre, 512 York Road, Towson
» Times: 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, today
» Tickets: 410-227-7178 (Recher Box Office); or www.ticketmaster.com, 410-547-SEAT
