Audio: The Relatives – Bad Trip

If you’re looking for this year’s feel-good musical comeback story akin to Rodriguez, than look no further than The Relatives, who will release their full-length debut The Electric Word tomorrow via Yep Roc. Formed in Dallas in the 1970’s by Rev. Gean West and his brother Tommie, the band fused psychedelic-rock with gospel, funk and soul – arriving at a powerful mix that was influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone and The Temptations’ Psychedelic Soul record. The Relatives, who toured nationally throughout the ’70s, recorded three singles that didn’t find much success other than regionally and recorded an unreleased session in 1975.

Fast forward some three decades later and the band, who broke up in 1980, got a second chance thanks in part to the 2009 release of Don’t Let Me Fall, an anthology of those “lost sessions” by Heavy Light Records. Since then, the band has toured with the likes of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears and played a number of major music festivals including Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. Tomorrow, the band will release their first album of new material in 30+ years, which is currently streaming at Texas Monthly and should finally get The Relatives widespread acclaim. Let’s take a listen to Bad Trip…

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The Relatives – Bad Trip

The Relatives have a handful of live dates scheduled on the West Coast this March and are also set to appear at the third installment of Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival this June.