The ben Reddell Band - ¡LA Baby!

Summer is finally here and, if your wild spirit survived the interminable months of lockdowns unfettered, you may well be dreaming of endless open spaces, big sky and a wide horizon. If there’s one thing that’s certain in this life, it’s that every road trip needs a soundtrack, preferably one that will evoke memories in years to come. We’re not talking nostalgia. This is about brand-new memories that will echo down the years.

Let me introduce you to the Ben Reddell Band and the album that should be top and tailing your soundtrack this summer, the music of your future nostalgia. A five-piece from Los Angeles, the Ben Reddell Band consists of frontman Reddell, Travis Popichak on drums, Michael Whiteside on keys, Joe Bourdet on guitar and Elijah Ocean on bass. If you’re a regular listener to the Whiskey Preachin Radio Show, Ocean’s name may be familiar to you, as we have played several of his own songs over the last few years, as well as other artists he has produced, such as Lasers Lasers Birmingham. The name Joe Bourdet may also be familiar, as we recently played the song El Capitan from his beautiful Meadow Rock album. Reddell himself is a well-known figure on the L.A. music scene, working his day job as studio manager at Bedrock Studios and booking bands for the Grand Ole Echo, a Sunday afternoon roots music session that has been known to attract members of Wilco and The Black Crowes onto its stage.

So, what does the Ben Reddell Band sound like? Well, it’s a melting pot of rootsy rock and cosmic American music that makes you want to hit the road. ¡LA Baby! is exactly the kind on album that demands a road trip. Kicking off with the hopeful, warm chords of My Baby, a song that quickly develops into a buoyant, insistent slice of Californian country-rock, the urge to jump behind the wheel and head west is soon apparent. Soon we’re moving on down the line, but beware, there may be diesel smoke, dangerous curves, white line fever. Track two, Cocaine, brings the party that My Babe invited you to, but try not to make a wreck of yourself, we’ve got a way to go yet.

Tumbleweed eases off the peddle, time to relax, take in the vista, listen to the hum of the wheels rolling the miles away. Pull into a motel, find somewhere for some Bar Blues and let the weariness wash away. Then it’s time to up and at ’em, and we’re heading south-west for some Tex-Mex spice, so If You Love Her and You Need Her, make sure you’ve got a Good Thing, because hey, we’ve arrived. The sun is rising as we crest the mountains and start our descent, it’s been a long night but we’re rolling easy now, ragged but right. Clocking in at just 30 minutes, ¡LA Baby! is not a long album, a seven-song cycle that deserves many replays, building familiarity and the ability to frame memories.

After repeated listening, I was hooked, so I got in touch with Ben Reddell to find out more.

I have been listening to ¡LA Baby! on repeat recently, mainly because it’s a great listen, but partly because it is very short for an album, clocking in at just over half an hour. What was your reason for this? Do you view ¡LA Baby! as an album or an EP, or do you feel such distinctions are no longer necessary in the digital age?

“Thank you for listening and I so happy you like it. The real reason for its length, or lack thereof, was more born out of the record just being my bands live set. I just try to hit a crowd with my best songs, and that’s what this record is for me.” 

Are there any plans to release ¡LA Baby! on vinyl?

“I would love to. It’s more of a financial thing really. I will if it takes off.”

The seven songs that make up ¡LA Baby! explore a diversity of styles, from the dancefloor-burning 21st century country-rock of Cocaine to the singer-songwriter country of Tumbleweed and the Tex-Mex sounds of If You Love Her and You Need Her. Is this a reflection of the music scene in LA today, or just what it is like to be you?

“It absolutely reflects what’s happening in L.A. country right now. I’m not the only one that’s exploring these avenues, but my Texas upbringing for sure plays a role in my sound.”

You grew up in Kerrville, Texas, home to the world-famous Kerrville Folk Festival. How much influence has this had on you as a musician?

“Kerrville was the first place I did mushrooms! Hahaha! But seriously, it had a major early impression on me. I began to see song-writing as a real craft there, and I fell in love with writing as a means of escape and freedom that I hadn’t realize before. It’s a beautiful place and I hope to play there one day.”

Your day job keeps you at the centre of the LA music scene, working as the general manager of Bedrock Studios in Echo Park. That looks like a great place to work, even boasting a collection of vintage pinball machines. What is your favourite story from working at Bedrock (or is everyone very well behaved?).

“Good behaviour is subjective, but for the most part everybody is great. Basically, for the last decade, I have run a clubhouse for some of the most talented people I have ever known. I have celebrity friends now that have honoured our halls. But, more importantly, I have met and known so many amazing talents and I am beyond honoured to have lived this life.”

When not working the day job or recording, you keep busy booking bands for The Grand Ole Echo. Tell us about that? When did you start, who has performed, how has Covid affected you and what plans are there for the future?

“I’ve been helping with The Grand Ole Echo since 2012, and started booking bands around 2014. I started running the thing around 2015 or so. We’ve had every tier of performance you can imagine, from Wanda Jackson to your up-and-comer. What that show is about is a community party, day-drinking, hugging folks etc.. So yeah, COVID fucked that up pretty bad. I don’t know what the future is, but I’m an altruist, so I will be the first to help where I can, to rebuild where I can.”

In the hope that one day we will all be able to take a holiday again, what bars and clubs in L.A. would you recommend to a visitor who was into the same music as you?

“Well, I’m biased, of course, but The Echo, La Cuevita, The Zebeulon. Who knows where country music lands when the world gets back to normal.”

Listening to ¡LA Baby¡, I would expect your record collection to include a rollcall of Whiskey Preachin favourites, new and old. Who are your biggest influences from the past, and which of today’s artists do you enjoy?

“I basically took a non-stop course in 70s country in my twenties and never looked back, Gary Stewart, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt. With regards to new stuff, I’m a sucker for my fellow Texans, Croy and the boys, Garrett T. Capps and, of course, my cousin Noel McKay and Brennen Leigh.”

Bar Blues makes me think of Mike and the Moonpies. What modern music from Texas do you enjoy?

“I love Mike and the Moonpies, absolutely. The aforementioned, Jonathan Tyler and Nikki Lane. Oh, and Rod Melancon.”  

The artwork for ¡LA Baby! is unashamedly psychedelic and the music certainly fits with our conception of Cosmic American Music. What are your favourite cosmic country albums?

“I mean all of them.  New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, they are all in the DNA of ¡LA Baby!.”

If you were able to book anyone, dead or alive, for a fantasy Grand Ole Echo night, who would be in the line-up?

“Hank Williams in all honesty.  For our benefit and his.  Imagine pulling out your phone and getting an Uber in front of him, then getting to the bar and the stage has monitors and everyone has their phones out.  Jesus, he would love it.”

So, there you have it. If you’re planning a road trip this summer, or fell the need to let some California warmth into your life, do your self a favour and check out ¡LA Baby! by the ben Reddell Band, you won’t regret it.

Tony Sexton