Rusted Root came together in Pittsburgh, Pa., in the early 1990s when front man Michael Glabicki dropped out of college to start a band. Their 1992 indie release "Cruel Sun" became their opening salvo into the music scene, combining an acoustic jam band style with socially conscious world music.
From 1994 to 2009 the band released another five albums, opting not to fix what wasn't broken. Their sound remained stylistically similar, with Glabicki's plaintive wail adding a haunting melancholy to even the happiest tunes.
"The Movement" (2012) brought back the multi-layered percussion and is easily their best record since "When I Woke." Glabicki's voice soars through the record, finding joy and hope in some very dark places.
We spoke to Glabicki recently about touring, spirituality and Oneness:
Source Weekly: How has the tour been so far? Do you find much difference between the East Coast/West Coast legs of the tour in regard to the audience?
Michael Glabicki: The tour has been going great! The audience is loving our new songs. The crowds feel the same to me from east to west. We have reached a high level of spiritual connectedness with our music and with the audience. At this point it is all about what makes us all one.
SW: Do you like the big festivals, or do you prefer small venues?
MG: I like them both but the more intimate the better for me
SW: What kind of experience is it for people to see Rusted Root live who have never been to a show before?
MG: I guess a great and perhaps life altering experience. Other than that they should expect that it's going to be different than any other show of ours. We change up the music and go with the energy of the audience, so it is more of a communal experience. Anything can happen at that point.
SW: What makes music so important to you?
MG: I think music speaks in the realms of the spiritual landscapes. One of the ways that we can experience that true reality is through music. We can truly understand our oneness.
Rusted Root
Friday, July 22, 8pm
Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend
$43
