Dishwashers, unite! Hometown heroes front back-to-back Pine Creek shows
Bozeman-born progressive bluegrass outfit Kitchen Dwellers are returning to their home state ahead of a national tour in support of their anticipated new album, Muir Maid.
In the near decade they’ve been together, the four-piece – comprised of Joe Funk (bass), Shawn Swain (mandolin), Torrin Daniels (banjo) and Max Davies (guitar) – has performed for thousands at Red Rocks, shared bills with the likes of Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters and Twiddle, and graced festival stages from Northwest String Summit to WinterWonderGrass. The group has transcended traditional genre boundaries, blending virtuosic bluegrass wizardry with ecstatic rock and roll energy and adventurous psychedelia. With Muir Maid, the group has come fully into their own, seamlessly blending the past, present and future of string band music to create their most daring and collaborative work yet.
In anticipation of their local performances, the Rolling Zone spoke with Dwellers guitarist Max Davies about the maritime-inspired new album and assorted influences.
Rolling Zone: With the band rooted in Bozeman, Kitchen Dwellers are rightfully kicking off their fall tour right here in Southwest Montana. How do you guys feel about kicking off a national tour from your home base?
Max Davies: We could not be more excited to be doing two nights at Pine Creek. We played Bozeman a handful of times lately, and we’ve done indoors at Pine Creek, but we are very very excited to do two nights outside. That’s the beginning of something like eight or nine weeks [on the road], so it’s going to be a good time.
RZ: The Pine Creek shows are set to feature some guest spots. Those included, what can concertgoers expect to witness?
MD: We’re going to have the Fresh Boys on Friday night, they’re a string band [and] good friends from Bozeman we’ve known for a long time. It’s going to be really a fun, all-acoustic night of a whole bunch of bluegrass. We’ll have the Dusty Pockets on Saturday, also guys we’ve known forever. We’ve been watching them do super cool things around Bozeman lately. More of a rock-electric full band, it’s going to be really fun to have them with us. We’re going to do two of our own sets each night, and on Saturday, the second will be plugged in. We’re going to do a whole set with guys from the Dusty Pockets, and we’ll have Tyler Schultz from Pinky and the Floyd (who used to be in the band). Saturday night’s just going to be a big blowout.
RZ: The fall outing is billed at the “Muir Maid Tour,” which is also the name of the long-gestating follow-up to 2017’s Ghost in the Bottle. There’s also a crowd-funding component. What can you tell us about the project?
MD: It’s been a couple years in the making. We recorded in Denver at Mighty Fine Productions and tapped Chris Pandolfi, who plays banjo for the Infamous Stringdusters, to produce. He was super hands-on the whole time and unbelievable to work with. We’re feeling pretty good about what we’re putting out just because how fun it was working with him in the studio, how he pushed us to get the stuff out. We feel like we’ve improved in a number of ways since the last album, both how we operate and write as a band, and also playing and singing. We’re really excited to put it out and can’t wait for the world to hear it.
RZ: Do you have a definitive release plan?
MD: With this Kickstarter, we’re kind of releasing videos along the way to keep attention on it. We put out an instrumental called “The Living Dread” and some studio footage with that, and I think we’re going to do at least one other song before the Kickstarter is over. We might have the CDs available at a couple shows before, but the actual release date is going to be at the end of October.
RZ: What’s the significance of Muir Maid, the album title?
MD: It comes from John Muir, and there’s also a song on the album called “Muir Maid.” It’s a story from our bass player Joe – his dad moved from Wisconsin to Washington, worked on this boat called the “Muir Maid,” and sailed up to Alaska where he lived. The song is kind of the tale of the boat, some trials and tribulations of being on the boat. And the album cover is an actual picture of the Muir Maid. There are a lot of sea elements to some of the songs on the album.
RZ: As you mentioned, Muir Maid was produced by the Stringdusters’ Chris Pandolfi, who you’ll also be joining for a string of upcoming East Coast shows.
MD: Yeah, we’re opening for them for about two weeks. Chris actually just sat in with us at YarmonyGrass in Colorado, and we did a show with them last summer. Those guys are heroes, so those shows are going to be really really fun.
RZ: Production-wise, how do you think his talents added to the material?
MD: We met with him at his house and did a few days of pre-production, went through all the songs and he gave us some very positive feedback. He would just get more out of us. He wouldn’t necessarily ever critique you and tell you to do anything differently. He would say, ‘Let’s do it again but give me more of that one idea you were going on.’ He really brought the energy level to the studio. You’re in there trying to play perfectly, but he was like, ‘No, just play it as hard as you possibly can,’ which I think came out in the recordings.
RZ: Would you say the sound has evolved with these new Muir Maid tunes?
MD: It was all acoustic before, really stripped down. But now, sonically, we do a lot more effects. Torrin can get some pretty unique effects going on the banjo. After a show, people will come up and [ask] what instrument was making that noise. I’d say that’s how it’s changed, pretty unusual sounds. And overall, the songwriting has improved.
RZ: Kitchen Dwellers did also release Reheated last winter, the first EP in a planned series of tribute material. That one covered four songs by The Band. What was the intention behind that release?
MD: We’ve always loved The Band. They did a really great job of working as a collaborative – they would trade around who was singing lead, trade around who was playing what instrument. We wanted to take their approach and kind of have that come over to us. They’re just a classic Americana band. We love them.
RZ: Do you guys have plans for any additional volumes?
MD: We’ve got some ideas. We wouldn’t want to do another band from the 60s or 70s, but we’ve definitely had some interesting talks. The Clash would be one I’d love to do.
RZ: Circling back to your originals, how do you guys approach the music creatively? Do certain people write the lyrics and others the arrangements?
MD: That’s one of the things we learned so much about doing The Band Reheated. Whoever writes the song doesn’t necessarily have to be the one who sings it. It’s kind of whoever might lend themselves best to that song. So, someone brings an idea to the group, they’ll have written some words and some music, and flesh it out. One song on the new album started more as a slow waltz, but turned into more of a hard-hitting, funky bluegrass song. But each member has written songs on the album.
RZ: You mentioned the album’s sea component, but thematically speaking, what are we in for with Muir Maid?
MD: The music is upbeat, and there are a lot of environmental elements. There are songs about the Rockies. There are definitely some songs about being on the road and away from home so much. How can you not write about that when that’s what you’re doing?
RZ: Noting things like the Kickstarter and Dwellers’ street team, you guys seem to thrive on fan engagement (you call your most loyal “Dishwashers”). Also factoring in working with other musicians and bands on and off stage, does this collaborative approach speak to the greater community of modern Americana-bluegrassers?
MD: It’s huge. You go to all these festivals now and everyone’s playing with each other. They’re going to all the same festivals, seeing all the same people, and everyone just knows each other. That lends itself to being a huge collaboration. And a lot of festivals now have an in-house musician who goes and plays with everybody. The music’s kind of based in that social aspect, people getting together and playing old traditional songs. It’s all about bringing people together.
RZ: Kitchen Dwellers are also boarding Jam Cruise early next year. That sounds pretty insane. How did that come about?
MD: We’ve known about it for years. I’m not sure how recently they’ve been adding bluegrass. The headliner in January is the Claypool Lennon Delirium, and I think there’s a lot of New Orleans funk, Mardi Gras music. So it’s a pretty wide range, but we are very excited to be going.
RZ: You guys have a busy fall of touring and this new album coming out. Do you have a parting message before we see you at the shows?
MD: We love Montana but don’t get to play here very often. One of the things we’re really excited about is incorporating our friends from around here, having them come out and play. And we’re just super excited for Pine Creek.
Kitchen Dwellers come to Paradise Valley’s Pine Creek Lodge with support by The Fresh Boys on Friday, September 6th, and The Dusty Pockets on Saturday, September 7th. The music begins at 7pm each night. Advance tickets to these all-ages shows are $30 at www.pinecreeklodgemontana.com or $50 for two-night passes. Single-night tickets also available in-store at Cactus Records for $34.50. Day of show tickets will also be available for $35 and $60 at the gate, depending on availability. Party Bus Rentals will operate shuttles to and from Bozeman both nights. Reserve your seats at www.partybusaz-mt.com.
Kitchen Dwellers will return to the Treasure State this October with a pair of Northwest Montana shows – the Great Northern in Whitefish on Oct. 18th and Missoula’s Top Hat Lounge the following evening, Oct. 19th. Tickets and additional details available through the band website.
Learn more about the Dwellers at www.kitchendwellers.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram for updated tour details and other announcements.
Their new album, Muir Maid, arrives this fall. Contribute to the project at www.kickstarter.com. •
