Rusted Root

views updated

RUSTED ROOT

Formed: 1990, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Members: Michael Glabicki, lead vocals/guitar; Jenn Wertz, vocals, guitars, percussion; Liz Berlin, vocals, guitars, percussion; Jim Donovan, drums, percussion, vocals; Patrick Norman, bass, guitar, baritone, vocals, percussion; John Buynak, electric guitar, percussion, flute.

Genre: Rock, Pop

Best-selling album since 1990: When I Woke (1994)

Hit songs since 1990: "Send Me on My Way"

Rusted Root may be known to most pop-music fans as the one-hit wonder behind "Send Me on My Way," but the neo-hippie sextet enjoys a secure following among jam-band connoisseurs. Michael Glabicki was inspired to form a world-beat group after a 1988 trip to South America. The group has kept a constant lineup except for Jenn Wertz, who went solo from 1994 to 2001. While the group's all-white lineup caused some to complain that it was ripping off African and Latin rhythms, Rusted Root was actually following in the footsteps of generations of fusionists who believe that music has no boundaries.

The group gained local notoriety with their 1990 debut album Cruel Sun, which contains "Send Me on My Way." The opening track, "Primal Scream," sets the newagey stage with mandolin and tribal drumming. Glabicki and Wertz sing co-ed melodies, like a young Fleetwood Mac. Clocking in at seven minutes and fifty-six seconds, "Tree" signals the group's tendency to jam on and on like the Grateful Dead. Meanwhile, Rusted Root honed its live chemistry, gaining experience around Pittsburgh at several 1990–1991 anti–Gulf War rallies.

Cruel Sun 's regional success got the band a deal with a major label, Polygram, which released the group's 1994 follow-up When I Woke. The album also contained "Send Me on My Way," which the label believed had potential as an out-of-left-field hit single. With its sunny flute line and "I want to hold my little hand" lyrical hook, the tune quickly became a radio favorite with teenagers. The single made number seventy-two on the Hot 100 and was used in kids' movies Matilda and Ice Age. But the album starts off with the rousing "Drum Trip," featuring the polyrhythmic virtuosity of Donovan, a respected African percussion expert who gives workshops around the country. Much of the rest of the album is composed of folk rock, featuring the harmonies of Glabicki, Berlin, and Wertz. A typical example is "Ecstasy," a fiery jam whose lyrics denounce capitalism and the military.

The follow-up album, Remember (1996), was produced by Jerry Harrison, who worked with Live and the Crash Test Dummies. The album lacked a hit single, but it is full of melodic album tracks thanks to Glabicki's improving songwriting. The album Rusted Root (1998) gels only sporadically, with the band lacking their usual chemistry and Glabicki taking center stage. However, they return to their past glory on a hip-shaking cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Welcome to My Party (2002) is an improvement, marking the return of Wertz and When I Woke producer Bill Bottrell. The group adopts a funkier, more guitar-based sound with standouts including "Union 7" and the folksy, romantic ballad "Blue Diamonds."

By making high-quality music that's just a little too quirky for Top 40, Rusted Root may have unintentionally hit on a perfect formula. Their moderate success and loyal, long-term fan base allow them to tour regularly and do what they love without the surreal pressures of superstardom.