No place like BG for Red Wanting Blue

Red Wanting Blue has been slowing cultivating its fan base since it started 15 years ago in Athens.
Howard’s Club H in Bowling Green has been one of the cornerstones for building that career.
Now the rock ‘n’ roll quintet is poised to boost its national profile with a new record out, the first
recorded for a record label.
It’s not surprising that two days after the official release of the band’s ninth recording "From the
Vanishing Point" the Red Wanting Blue will again take the stage at the BG night spot on Jan. 12.

"It doesn’t get more rock ‘n’ roll than that place," said frontman and founder Scott Terry, in
a recent telephone interview. Such clubs devoted to presenting live, often original music are getting
rarer. "There’s not a lot of them out there," Terry said.
While many venues come and go, there are clubs that "are mainstays," he said "They become
almost an historical places, especially for us. . . We love playing there."
The energy of the fans, Terry said, invigorates the band, and reminds them why they keep at it.
"Of course you get tired of certain things," Terry said. Given the band plays as many as 200
shows a year, they are well acquainted with the rigors of the road. Playing a club like Howard’s
rejuvenates the band, and reminds them that the worst day on their job beats just about any other career
path they could have taken.
"From The Vanishing Point" will be released by Fanatic Records, with distribution by EMI,
Tuesday.
"It’s about time," Terry said of the release. After years of producing its own recordings, the
band had to adjust to the company’s timetable.
The first product of the Fanatic deal was a re-release of "These Magnificent Miles," Red
Wanting Blues’ reflection on life on the road. The band went out for a second tour supporting that
album, before producing "From The Vanishing Point." That was hard because the band was ready
to start playing new songs, and the band’s rabid fans wanted new material.
And then the company wanted to hold the release of the new album until the first of the year.
"We’ve been biting at the bit," Terry said. Still they made accommodations. Streaming the album
for fans, and even, though the company kept it quiet, getting the CD to fans for Christmas if they
pre-ordered it.
"They were very cool," Terry said of Fanatic.
The band was anxious to get new music out to fans who have been craving it. Those fans, Terry said, are
part of the band’s family. When Red Wanting Blues plays Howard’s, it’s "almost like a private
party."
Red Wanting Blue also gave fans a Christmas gift in the form of a cover of "You’re a Mean One, Mr.
Grinch." The song proved to be a perfect vehicle for Terry’s distinctive baritone, and the band’s
colorful instrumentation.
That festive tidbit is a change from the Terry-penned songs that form the core of the band’s setlists.

Red Wanting Blues boasts a classic rock sound. Its groove is rooted in the insistent thump of bass drum
and snap of the high hat provided by drummer Dean Anshutz. Bass lines from Mark McCullough fill out the
harmonies and provide propulsive countermelodies. Eric Hall on guitar, mandolin and banjo provides a web
of jangling strings and pianist Greg Rahm lays down a harmonic cushion for Terry’s declarative vocals.
The songs melodies rise jubilant above band and Terry enunciates the lyrics with the precision of a poet
and the clarity of a storyteller.
Over the years, he said, the songs have grown more honest. At first he wrote about dreaming about living
the life of a rock musician,. Now that dream is a reality and he can see "the other side of the
pipe dream."
"Pour It Out" addresses that need not just to dream, but work to make that dream a reality.
"You’ve got to write it down and tell people about that song. That’s the only way to do it,"
he said. "The only way to make a long-lasting fan base with music is to go there."
The songs are crafted to play live, Terry said.
"As you make albums you find yourself doing you need to do," he said. If that means adding a
glockenspiel, or maybe some synthesizer is needed to fill out the sound.
"Then you go to play the songs live and you realize you don’t have enough hands," Terry said.
It’s a balancing act. "You don’t want to create something in the studio you can’t perform
live."
Red Wanting Blues typically works new songs slowly into the repertoire, and with "From The Vanishing
Point," some of the material took hold with fans right away.
The hardcore fans were calling out requests for the new songs which the more casual fan didn’t know
about.
Then in October, the band did a show introducing the album, playing all 13 songs. "It was a lot of
work," Terry admitted. "We thought we had months to work on these things, and perfect them for
live performance."
Now the band is poised to hit the road to promote the new album, Terry said. The tour has them trucking
through the Midwest and Southeast before heading west to Nebraska and on to Mexico where they’ll embark
on an ocean-going gig.
As Terry sings on "Walking Shoes": "We were born with walking shoes, so I guess we’ll be
seeing you. America we’ll be seeing you."