Blues Traveler

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BLUES TRAVELER

Formed: 1987; Princeton, New Jersey

Members: Brendan Hill, drums (born London, England, 27 March 1970); Chandler "Chan" Kinchla, guitar (born Hamilton, Ontario, 29 May 1969); Tad Kinchla, bass (born Princeton, New Jersey, 21 February 1973); John Popper, vocals, harmonica (born Cleveland, Ohio, 29 March 1967); Ben Wilson, keyboards (born Chicago, Illinois, 17 November 1967). Former members: Bobby Sheehan, bass (died New Orleans, Louisiana, 20 August 1999).

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: four (1994)

Hit songs since 1990: "Run-Around," "Hook," "But Anyway"

Blues Traveler took chances by updating steeped-in-tradition blues. But the group gradually won respect for its original way of incorporating R&B, jazz, and flower-power influences to create a spicy, danceable fusion, and it became one of America's top touring groups.

Tough Beginnings

Vocalist John Popper, one of seven children, made no secret of his upper-middle-class background. His father was an information technology consultant and his mother was a lawyer. Despite the comforts of a middle-class lifestyle, he did experience his share of misery growing up. Obese since childhood, Popper referred to food as his "drug." Naturally, he endured his share of bullying. To deal with the teasing, he considered becoming a comedian. He enjoyed John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's Blues Brothers sketches on Saturday Night Live. He did not feel like he had enough material to do stand-up every night, though his love for the medium would show up in his witty lyrics later on. As it turned out, watching the Blues Brothers gave him a love for blues and harmonica. Purists did not think much of the way young Popper was introduced to the venerable American genre, but he pursued it with admirable gusto and sincere appreciation.

In high school and immediately after, he began jamming with drummer Brendan Hill, guitarist Chan Kinchla, and bass player Bobby Sheehan. Popper, Hill, and Sheehan studied at the New School of Jazz in New York. They jelled through their mutual love of blues and relocated to Brooklyn, New York, performing in blues and R&B clubs. Blandly christened the Blues Band at first, the band wisely adopted its better-known moniker after Gozer the Traveler, a character in the film Ghostbusters (1984). Fusing blues with hippie rock and alternative rock, the band found itself unwelcome in a few traditional clubs.

The group got a major boost when legendary rock promoter Bill Graham became a fan and took the group under his wing. Noticing the group's propensity for extended jams, he gave it an opening slot for the Jerry Garcia Band. By 1990 the group was one of New York's top club attractions and inked a deal with A&M Records.

The band's debut album, Blues Traveler (1990), does not capture the mesmerizing energy of the group's gigs, but it does show some fine songwriting and intergenerational rock eclecticism. It leads off with "But Anyway," an up-tempo number that highlights many of the strengths that would lead the group to bigger and better things. In the forefront are Popper's forceful but intricate harmonica riffs, his raspy blues-man singing, and Hill's funky backbeat. "Gina" alludes to the group's bar-band roots with earthy guitar and pleading lyrics. The bleak ballad "100 Years" mulls over the evanescent nature of human existence. The instrumental "Mulling It Over" is pure 1960s narcissism, with a noodling harmonica solo and a quasi-psychedelic, cymbal-overloaded drum solo. There is plenty of variety, especially in the first half of the album, proving that the group has songwriting talent and is more than just a jam band.

The band wasted no time in releasing sophomore set Travelers and Thieves (1991), which features guest keyboardist/vocalist Gregg Allman on "Mountain Cry." The whole band pitches in on songwriting, with Popper taking most of the load. The word "travelers" took on a new meaning in the band's context, referring to fans who follow the group around from gig to gig, much like Deadheads followed the Grateful Dead. In 1992 the band founded the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) Tour to give exposure to other jam bands. The tour ran every summer for five years.

With Save His Soul (1993), Blues Traveler began to finally break out of its regional box, earning a modest rock-radio hit with "Conquer Me." Mindful that a label like A&M would not put up with modest-selling efforts forever, the band keeps its jamming tendencies under control for the most part, though two of fourteen tracks clock in at over seven minutes.

For Blues Traveler, the fourth time was a charm. The band's four (1994) received scant attention upon its early fall release, but after the new year the irresistibility of first single "Run-Around" worked its magic first on alternative-rock radio, then on Top 40. In a departure from the group's sometimes complex music, "Run-Around" is based on a facile two-bar, four-chord motif. What keeps the tune from seeming boring is the way Popper works himself into a frenzy of indignation over a girlfriend's behavior, and his cathartic "yeeeah" at the beginning of each chorus. Popper furiously blasts away at his harmonica as the single fades out. The song reached number eight on the Hot 100 and spent forty-nine weeks on the chart. The midtempo "Hook," whose title describes its Top 40 appeal, is notable for its funky, silver-tongued breakdown. It spent over eight months on the Hot 100.

Captured Live

In an attempt to lessen the inevitable pressure of following up a major success with another hit-filled studio collection, the group released its double album Live from the Fall (1996), recorded over six months of touring. This set finds the group in its solo-happy element; six tracks last over eight minutes. "But Anyway," from the debut album, reappears and became a middling hit on alternative-rock radio.

For Straight on Till Morning (1997), a title full of suggestive meanings, the group tries to capture its improvisational vibe, worrying less about keeping songs hook-filled and radio-friendly. However, by the end of the sessions Popper felt like he had nearly run out of songs. Popper attempts a confessional, Barenaked Ladies–style story-song with "Canadian Rose," and adds a Latin feel to the flirtatious boogie "Felicia." Though the playing is excellent as usual, the album was a commercial and critical disappointment, lacking the energy and hunger of four.

A dream gig presented itself later in 1997—the group got the opening slot for part of the Rolling Stones's tour. It would have been a perfect opportunity to win stadiums full of new, if older, fans. Unfortunately, Sheehan almost caused the band to lose the gig when he was arrested for cocaine possession in Canada. Fortunately for the band, his detention was brief. However, it foreshadowed tragic events. In August 1999 Sheehan, thirty-one, died of a drug overdose. After mourning his death and doing some soul searching, Blues Traveler decided to carry on. Chan Kinchla's younger brother Tad joined as bass player in November 1999.

The group slowly got back on its feet in 2000, adding a new member, keyboardist Ben Wilson. The move was designed to take some of the emphasis off Popper's harmonica and create a more varied sound. Popper lost a significant amount of weight during that time, and on Bridge (2001) it is obvious that his new physique changed his voice as well, making it sound a little more mellow and less angst-ridden. The group brings the funk, with Wilson conjuring soul legend Stevie Wonder on "You Reach Me" and coloring "Rage" with electric piano. "Pretty Angry" uncompromisingly expresses the band's grief over Sheehan's death. While the album explores promising new horizons, it was not a hit and the band redoubled its focus on its strength—live performances.

While never attaining the heady mix of cult status and mainstream acceptance of groups like the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler became an important band among hippies young and old, blues fans, alternative rockers, and others who enjoyed sunny grooves and a communal atmosphere.