Rusted Root is a band that is indeed rooted deeply in the independent and main stream music scene. And as one of the more established bands appearing on the 2010 Mile High Music Festival bill they brought to the stage a pureness and maturity that infected those gathered to watch. When frontman Michael Glabicki sat down with me and my colleague Kevin Yeanoplos after his set he relayed that these days when he performs, "I'm much more relaxed and there's a real power in just relaxing your whole body and being there as opposed to being really worried back in the day. I was actually out of my mind; I was so intense about getting it done that I never really enjoyed much of it." Concluding, "So I'm really having a blast now."
In the last year the band has been traveling in support of their 2009 release Stereo Rodeo for the first time in several years. And when we asked Michael what the audiences were like comparative to the 90's and early 2000's he responded, "They're similar but there was a different energy like back in the 90's where there was just a lot of magic and we were able to manifest things pretty easily back then and really get a crowd behind your music." But with the skill and poise the band brings to their performance now they had no difficulty enveloping the Mile High crowd in a musical experience that was infused with folksy rock and feel good rhythms. In part Michael's perspective comes from the fact that he admittedly, "I mean, I still expect a lot of myself and the band. I've taken on more of a leadership role in the band as time has gone on and I'm really focused on that."
And with that same focus and authentic passion Michael writes the music for his band saying, "I'm the type of artist that really has to create the moment. I could never take somebody else's music or style and just incorporate it." Continuing, "I'll go into a room and just lock myself in there until something comes out. You just have to sit there and pound away on the guitar until something comes through me that is so real and kind of has a life of its own." That is precisely the soul of Rusted Root, it is music that takes you on a sincere and soulful journey.
Finally Michael humorously shared with us about some of his most memorable experiences on the road. At one point when they were in Cleveland he said he had gone out to grab dinner to celebrate his brother's birthday before a performance. When he arrived back at the stadium the security thought his artist credentials looked fake and they wouldn't let him back into the arena. Michael said, "I ran around the whole arena probably like 25 times looking in the windows to see if I could find somebody from the band. Finally I found somebody and I was only like five minutes late going on." During the same tour they went to London and played Wimbly as an opener for Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, however the tour promoters didn't advertise there was an opening band. Michael relayed that when they took the stage the crowd was going crazy in anticipation of the headliners until the lights came up saying, "And they saw who it was and they just went dead silent and sat down but by the end we won them over."
It's pretty hard not to be won over by the sweet charisma of Michael Glabicki and the entire Rusted Roots band. The sincerity they pursue in music is something that has continued to keep them relevant over the years and has continued to expand their fan base, the self proclaimed "Rootheads".
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