Defying
expectations is nothing new for Cracker.
Core members David Lowery and Johnny
Hickman grew up in Redlands, Calif. (the former attended the U of R’s Johnston College
for a year) and came to prominence during the height of the 1990s grunge era.
Mixing roots,
rock elements and more with front man Lowery’s raspy vocals and wry
lyrics, the band was a precursor to what later became known as alt-country
music.
Cracker sounded
like nothing else around at the time and notched half a dozen rock radio hits,
including “Low,” “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now),” “Get Off This” and
“Happy Birthday to Me,” plus a platinum sophomore disc (Kerosene Hat).
Lowery also ran
a Virginia studio, where he produced other artists (Counting Crows, Joan
Osborne) between Cracker albums. Then the singer/guitarist reunited with
Eighties alternative cult fave Camper Van Beethoven. From the 2000s onward, he has
pulled double duty, regularly touring and releasing albums by both acts.
Now Lowery splits
his time between playing music, teaching music business finance near home at
the University of Georgia, Athens and championing musicians’ digital rights via
well-regarded community blog www.thetrichordist.com and elsewhere.
On Cracker’s fine double album Berkeley to Bakersfield (Savoy Records),
Lowery and singer/guitarist Hickman reconvened the Kerosene Hat-era lineup
of bassist Davey Faragher (a fellow Redlands native) and drummer Michael
Urbano.
They recorded the aggressive, politically-minded first half quickly
live, while various musicians handled the traditional California country sound
on the second. Lowery’s vivid lyrics touch upon various NoCal locations; Hickman
brings things down further south for the whimsical “San Bernardino Boy.”
We caught up
with Lowery, 54, to talk about his Inland Empire days and Cracker’s latest tunes.
Question: How
did living in Redlands from age nine influence your music?
Answer: There
wasn’t a whole lot to do there as a teenager, so you had to create your own
fun. I started playing in bands when I was 16. We did house parties. There were
a lot of great players in Redlands. All the Faragher brothers went on to be
session players. I went to Redlands High School, which was definitely quirky. I
was around a lot of creative people that went onto do really interesting
things. I had a lot of creative mentors and teachers.
Q: What were
some of your hangouts and places to catch live music back then?
A: There
weren’t really any in Redlands. We went to Riverside to see shows at The Barn
and Raincross Square. For a while, The Ritz - a Hispanic dance nightclub -
would do punk rock/new wave nights on Mondays. That was actually really
important. Great shows there. All the classic early ‘80s punk rock bands from
Southern California all played that place. There was also a place briefly in
San Bernardino called The Beat. It didn’t survive, but it tried to be a punk
rock/new wave live venue.
Q: Johnny has
said the IE music scene had a certain attitude and style. Do you think those
elements have always been present in Cracker?
A: I first
started playing guitar at 14 because my sister was learning banjo. A lot of
people around the Inland Empire and the desert were playing hippie country and
bluegrass in the ‘70s. They had the Calico Bluegrass Festival. There was a big
country movement there which is largely forgotten.
Q: Two years
ago, Cracker played Hangar 24’s Fourth Anniversary party. How was that
experience?
A: It was a
great homecoming show. We’d love to do that again. There’s not really [another]
venue in Redlands for us to play. Hangar 24 is pretty interesting.
Q: Your bands
marked the 10th annual Campout Festival in Joshua Tree in 2014 and it is happening again this year. What was the original inspiration?
A: We recorded Kerosene Hat up there in Pioneertown and hung out when I lived in
LA. It was like my getaway. I’d always go out there with my friends.
Q: Were you
surprised to find a Cracker fan base in China since you performed live out
there for the first time last year?
A: That had
to do with “Low” being in a key scene in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” It
was a very popular movie there. We were in Shanghai and Beijing, which are not
that different than a lot of Western cities. We were playing to the kids of the
solid global middle class. I suppose it would’ve been different if we’d gone to
Western China or a more rural region. They were enthusiastic.
Q: How has the
reaction been to the two sides of Cracker on Berkeley to Bakersfield?
A: It’s been
a really good thing. It’s got a good story to it and a lot of people are talking.
Every summer, there’s a procession of ‘90s bands touring together. We’re going
to be one of the few that’s still exploring new territory and doing new stuff.
Q: Was using the
California lyrical theme on the new albums a conscience decision?
A: It turned
out that way after I had written ‘King of Bakersfield’ and ‘California Country
Boy.’ I was working on these while also working on the two Camper records
[revolving around the Golden State]. At one point I said, ‘I’m just giving in
to this. Guess I’ll have a four-disc set about California between the two
bands. Then I’ll have to move on from there.’
Q: Did you
have a hard time compartmentalizing between the two bands’ California songs?
A: Sort of, but
the two bands have two very different styles of working and the lyrical subject
matter is pretty different between the two bands, so I was able to separate
‘em.
My interview originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Redlands Magazine.
It can be viewed here:
All photos by Bradford Jones.
Upcoming tour dates:
8/30 Nederland, CO
8/31 Pinos Altos, NM
9/1 Albuquerque, NM
9/2 Flagstaff, AZ
9/3 Phoenix, AZ
9/4 Tucson, AZ
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