Between Bluffs is the kind of band whose music can’t be described with just one word. Eclectic. Folky. Rock ‘n’ roll. Country. The crowd at the band’s Nov. 18 Ale and the Witch gig appeared to be just as diverse as their sound.
How would you describe your sound?
“I try not to,” said lead singer, and USF St. Petersburg student, Jerrod Simpson. “What we’ve been trying to do is stay within the range of folk music, but we cram as many genres through that funnel as we can.”
Simpson said the band’s sound is closely tied to Americana and roots. “It’s modern roots music.”
Each song they play seems to surprise and delight their audience—from their country-infused version of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” to their folk-rock cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”
“We are all about contradiction,” Simpson said.
How did you meet?
“Drummer Joe [Russek III] and I are friends from way back. Our dads both worked in construction,” Simpson said.
Justin Davis and Brad Myers are also longtime friends, “pretty much since we were kids,” Myers said. Davis was the best man at Myer’s wedding.
Simpson was hosting open mic night at JolliMon’s Grill in Dunedin, where he met Myers. He mentioned he was looking for a studio. “Justin said he had a studio— M.O.T.H. Studios—and we went from there,” Simpson said.
“When we first got together in Feb. 2010, we were doing indie rock and garage band stuff and it became a fusion of all those sounds,” Simpson said. “And this year, we added Vicki Scuteri because she’s awesome. She plays the violin.”
Who inspires you?
Scuteri originally hails from New York. In addition to the violin, she is a classically trained pianist and saxophonist. She met Simpson a few years back at Bella Brava, where she was performing. He told her he was looking for a fiddle player and thought she would be perfect. They stayed in touch and in January of this year, she joined the band. She also divides her time between seven other bands. Bluegrass, classical, R&B and funk are among her influences.
Simpson’s musical influences run the gamut from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to Iron & Wine, Elvis Perkins and indie-rock band Menomena. Simpson began writing all of the band’s songs and still writes the lyrics. The band has since collectively written more songs together.
Davis plays the stand-up bass, guitar and banjo. His musical inspirations stem from classical, jazz, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and bluegrass.
Drummer Russek always had music in his life. “My dad was a drummer, so I had no choice,” Russek said. His influences include punk rock, ’70s progressive rock and “lots of garage band stuff.” His experience with Between Bluffs has broadened his musical tastes. “It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I got turned on to newer music.”
“What got me into music? Blind Melon and grunge,” Myers, guitarist and mandolin player, said. “I got into jazz music a little later on. I never listened to it when I was younger.”
The band gets together when they can but it can be challenging at times. Russek lives in Ft. Myers and sometimes their gigs become opportunities to debut unrehearsed material.
How many albums have you released?
The band’s debut CD “Mountain Nearing” was recorded and produced at Davis’ M.O.T.H. Recording Studios in Clearwater.
Davis explained M.O.T.H is an acronym for “my own two hands,” and it seems to emulate the band’s frame of mind.
“We are totally self-managed and produced.” Simpson said. “We have a do-it-yourself mentality.”
How did the band name come to be?
Simpson said the name Between Bluffs is a reference to mountain music and a lot of bluegrass bands. “It also represents the ambiguity of our sound,” Simpson said. “Our music isn’t anything specific and is in between everything.”
What’s on the horizon?
Another trip back into the recording studio is in the works. “We are shooting for May,” Simpson said. The goal is to release their new CD before they play the Orange Blossom Jamboree May 17 to May 20—a four-day music festival in Brooksville, Fla.
The band is planning a Florida tour for June 2012—two weeks in north Florida and two weeks in south Florida. “We are going to hit up every major city,” Simpson said.
The band’s next show is slated for Dec. 3 at the Hideaway Café in St. Petersburg.
For more information, visit their website at www.betweenbluffs.com.
Photo by Aimee Alexander
