For being such a notoriously dark and dreary city, Seattle puts out some remarkably upbeat music. Mid-century Seattle was responsible for Ray Charles’ first recording, Loretta Lynn’s rise to fame, and even—for reasons completely unknown—the first surf guitar, à la The Ventures. Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints understand this eclectic musical landscape well. The Gin Joints, based in the Pacific Northwest, got their footing playing music from the 1930s to 1950s, a lost era of what would become the death rattle of big band swing and the birth song of rock n’ roll. However, in what music history remembers as a void, Birch Pereira found a treasure trove. He reaches back in time to pull forward the elements that the Pacific Northwest has forgotten—the timber-darkened soul music, the Black & Tan underground jazz, the improbable surf music—and in his hands, they become Western Soul, a blend of west coast sounds and early Americana.
On March 9th the band will release their new album Western Soul. True to its title, the album captures the band’s ability to seamlessly intertwine a range of influences to create a sound that may in fact be best described as Western Soul. Today Glide is excited to premiere their live take on a the New Orleans jazz classic “St. James Infirmary”. Filmed live at the historic Columbia City Theatre in Seattle, the band’s rendition leans a bit more on the jazz than the blues with a haunting and moody tone that does the original song proper justice. Being able to tackle such a legendary song with prowess is a badge of honor for any act that can pull it off, and Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints most certainly do that while also adding their own stylistic flare.
Lead vocalist and bassist Birch Pereira shares the tale of how the band came to cover this song:
“I’ve always wanted to do this song, but hadn’t quite figured out how to do it differently from the jazz and blues versions i was used to hearing. One day I was playing around on piano with the Stevie Wonder tune “They Won’t Go When I Go” and i started working the melody of St. James into it. I liked how it brought out the mournful elements of the song and so I slowed it down, added some dirge-like horn harmonies and adjusted the lyrics to focus on the death of the narrator’s lover rather than the more jocular verses often sung with the song. When I recorded the tune with the band, Jason Goessl laid out a killer surf guitar solo while Adrian Van Batenburg on drums gave a wonderfully dynamic performance. Lastly, I had Jimmie Herrod, an amazing vocalist with a huge range added some operatic wails and give it a spooky conclusion.”
WATCH:
Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints release Western Soul on March 9th. For more music and info visit theginjointsband.com.
