If singer/songwriter Rollo White falls into a readymade category, it would be Americana – but he likes to describe his music as “kickass cry-in-your-beer hardcore honky-tonk.”
The downtown crowd had a chance to experience it in person on a recent Saturday afternoon at Baker Falls on the Lower East Side, as White and his band hit the stage to perform numbers from his brand new (and first) solo album, “Highway 81 Revisited” as part of an hours-long record release celebration that he dubbed “Rollopalooza.”
White curated the day, presenting friends and colleagues who complemented his style but provided a varied musical experience.
“At first it was just my gig,” said White. “But then it got to be three acts, then four. … I kinda wanted to make it a mini festival, like the Grand Ole Opry is, very relaxed, with friends coming up on stage and joining in.”
Those friends included Matt Basile, Maynard and the Musties, Girls on Grass, Stephanie M. Hall, Carl Watson, Jenn Dean and Carol Wierzbicki. White had a great time onstage as well as off, as he thoroughly enjoyed the day.
He first heard Basile about a year ago and was floored by his voice, which is, as they say, deep as a river. “When he opened his mouth, I just said, oh my god – I just loved his voice. He’s my favorite living country singer.”
Joe Maynard wasn’t quite the typical bandleader, as he played his set with the Musties ( who White plays with from time to time) leaning against the wall off to the side of the stage, which White had no explanation for.
“Who knows ?” White said. “People call him The Dude – he just doesn’t get uptight.”
Carl Watson, a longtime friend of White’s, is, as White proclaims, “an American original. He’s written twelve novels and hundreds of songs, but he’s only recorded one. His songs always stop the crowd—he’s not like anyone else.”
Carol Wierzbicki chose the comfort of a well-known tune, performing a standard with ukulele accompaniment. We think it’s fair to say that Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” was definitely a crowd pleaser.
Stephanie M. Hall surprised White with her short set of original music, which included two brand-new tunes. “ She was great, she knocked me out!” he said. “I had heard her do covers but didn’t know what a great writer she was”.
Girls on Grass, who were celebrating a new release as well, closed the show with what leader Barbara Endes calls their “alt-country punk.”
We were a bit surprised that White didn’t take the headline spot at his own show, so we inquired as to why. “They are a real rave-up, the least traditional country band,” he explained. “I didn’t want to follow that!”.
Endes commented that “It was cathartic for us. … Our new EP was a long time in coming. So we thank the crowd who came ready to party and helped create the perfect atmosphere. We also have to thank Rollo White, whose new record is just fantastic by the way, for putting together a big, expansive bill and Nick at Baker Falls for creating a cozy and great-sounding room!”
Nick Bodor, Baker Falls’ owner, enjoyed the day so much that he got on the mic to tell everyone that this was exactly the kind of community atmosphere that he envisioned for the club.
For White, the eponymous fest was the continuation of a long musical journey – it’s been 50 years and there’s no sign of stopping. His first love musically was “country, folk, John Prine and all that.”
After studying classical guitar in college, he went as far as he could in the other direction, exploring avant-garde jazz and punk , playing in a “noisy no-wave band in DC” and jamming with all sorts of people, including the Bad Brains.
“The music scene there was incredible”, he recalls.
When he got to NYC, though, he hit a wall.
“It was so hard to play here,” he laments. “I got schooled pretty quick. For one thing, instead of rehearsing in a garage or a basement, you had to pay for rehearsal space. I gave up music for a number of years and spent time writing poetry and making abstract paintings.”
He started writing his own songs ten years ago, and the new album contains the fruits of his efforts, but it didn’t come easily.
“It’s hard, man,” he says of the process. “It’s tough to make it look easy – it should feel natural and not overworked. It’s a balancing act, you don’t want the lyrics to be too clever, you want to keep it real.”
Clever is not in short supply, however. In songs such as “Mozart of Bad Ideas,” “Another Country Song,” and “K-Mart Chandelier,” White throws in some ingenious twists that will likely make you smile while the crack backup band keeps on rocking.
He recorded the album in Nashville (though it was mostly completed in Brooklyn) with session musicians who have played with almost everyone there—a partial list of their combined resume includes Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Vince Gill, Steve Earle, Loretta Lynn, Kacey Musgraves, Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, and Elvis Costello.
“It was the most fun I’ve ever had,” White says of the experience. “These guys are just great musicians, they’re all funny as hell and they’ve got stories about everyone.”
Rollo’s got some stories of his own, and many of them are to be found on “Highway 81 Revisited”, his debut album at 66 years old. The title is a reference to the route that he often travels on when driving from the city to the south and, of course, a nod to a groundbreaking LP by our most famous living songwriter.
Although the East Village has been his home for a while now, he still sometimes feels like “a fish out of water.”
“Even after 38 years in New York City”, he muses, “there’s a piece of me that’s still a southern boy.”
You can hear (and buy) Rollo White’s music at rollowhite.bandcamp.com and follow him on Instagram at @rollowhitesongs.
