Fairfield Theatre Company’s newest venue The Warehouse will kick off its fall season with a sold-out performance of the Rusted Root on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Known for their mega-hits including “Send Me On My Way” and “Ecstasy,” this acoustic rock group from Pittsburgh has been going strong for the past 30 years and shows no indication of slowing down.
Since 1988, Rusted Root has been responsible for establishing some of the deepest grooves of the ‘90s.
To catch a full glimpse of their organic complexity, one simply needs to spin their 1994 debut “When I Awoke,” which blends African beats with a Latin American fusion that isn’t afraid to explore the realms of Indian spiritual themes.
A personal favorite of mine is the song “Back on Earth,” which evolves from the spiritual essence of the sitar playing from the previous track “Infinite Tambora.”
While their work during the ‘90s is what has established Rusted Root as a household name, their albums in the 2000s essentially capture the history of their almost 30-year-old band, especially 2012’s “The Movement,” which describes the band’s new work ethic and a shift to a new spiritual age of music.
Coming off a hugely successful tour with The Wailers (Bob Marley’s backing band) and the Adam Ezra Group, Rusted Root continues to push sonic boundaries with an extended fall tour as well as a new album in the works slated for 2016.
Michael Glabicki, lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter for Rusted Root, was thrilled with the great turnout for the shows, which spanned down the East Coast through June.
“It was amazing that this other energy was created out of us and The Wailers and people really came out for that show. It was a huge success and just a great vibe,” said Glabicki.
“We have toured with Santana, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and the Allman Brothers and a lot of [other] bands and we’ve always learned a lot from everybody. The Wailers are no exception.”
Starting on Sept. 10, Rusted Root took the road again for a fall tour of the ages with plans that extend until December and bring the band from San Diego, Calif. to Fall River, Mass.
But perhaps the most interesting show on the itinerary is the show at The Warehouse in Fairfield, Conn., which is set to be the first show to premiere at the newly built venue.
“We actually started out renting out warehouses in Pittsburgh and we would put on our own show, we would go on and build a stage and a sound system,” said Glabicki regarding the symbolism between their roots and establishing new roots with The Warehouse. “I’m sure it will bring back those memories.”
Glabicki also described that there is always a draw to playing shows in the Northeast since he and the band have always considered it “our backyard, you know, it’s our second home.”
According to the Glabicki, they were contacted approximately three months before the official announcement in August that they would usher in The Warehouse.
As of now, FTC released that the concert is now sold out, setting a precedent to the type of ethic we can expect over at FTC and The Warehouse.
With the establishment of this new live experience comes the continuation of another that has been in the works for the past 30 years.
The band continues to expand their sound to this day and always try to renew themselves for the legions of new fans that seamlessly continue to attach themselves to the band.
“We are doing a little more improvising from the older tunes in a different way and fans are picking up on the energy from the creativity,” said Glabicki.
“We get surprised each night and there are five or six times where we are doing something that we haven’t done before and we all kind of go ‘Wow, did you hear that?’”
While Rusted Root continues to tour deep into the year, Glabicki relayed that the playing field is tougher than it was in the ‘90s because of the generation of new bands due to the advancement of technology.
So what’s their edge? They continue to write music that reflects on their past history while still varying their sets from night to night.
“When I first started writing music, I sort of would picture locking myself in a room, which is kind of what I did and just play music until you feel something come through you that is bigger than what you know of yourself,” said Glabicki.
“It’s a different landscape out there and for us, it’s great to see a lot of new bands come out but at the same time, there are legitimate bands out there and it is great to be able to access those bands easily.”
Now, Rusted Root is coming back to show these newer bands how live music is supposed to be performed and to provide a new work ethic that should be copied by most upcoming bands.
When reflecting on the new album, set to release in early 2016, Glabicki exclaimed, “Each song is a foundation piece for the next 25 years of our career.”
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