Refreshed by its time off, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will unleash a special horn-driven display at The Intersection Saturday as it continues work on a hush-hush new “theme” album. (Radio podcast, video)
The Hippo is Back: Nearly a year after its last show at The Intersection, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will return to the same stage on Saturday. (Photo/Anna Sink)
THE MUSIC: Multi-genre jam band
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 8 p.m. Saturday at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, with Big Dudee Roo opening; $12 advance, $15 day of show
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You just can’t keep a good hippo down.
Lacking inspiration and feeling worn down by the road and the music business in general, members of Grand Rapids jam band Ultraviolet Hippopotamus in late 2014 took “a grand pause” from the stage, playing a final show at The Intersection on Dec. 5 before taking a long hiatus to recharge and write new material.
In Studio X: Brian Samuels and Casey Butts during Local Spins on WYCE. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Well, they’re back, vowing to unleash “one of the most high energy and intense shows” they’ve ever played at The Intersection on Saturday.
“We’re talking about an entire year in between playing in our hometown, so to say we are excited would be an understatement,” says guitarist Russell Olmsted, aka Russell James.
So, UV Hippo plans to up the ante considerably for Friday’s concert – which has psych folk-rock band Big Dudee Roo opening – by playing the entire show with a three-piece horn section.
“One of the things that the time off has allowed us is to see that we love playing with horns,” says Olmsted, noting the addition sparks “a complete reinterpretation” of the band’s songs. “We’ve played some theme shows in the past with horns, but we’ve never done a whole show of our material rearranged for a horn section. I am so excited. It just opens the music up to a whole other level.”
MEMBERS OF UV HIPPO WERE GUESTS THIS WEEK FOR LOCAL SPINS ON WYCE. LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW AND PODCAST HERE, WITH VIDEO FROM AN IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE BELOW.
The 63rd edition of Local Spins on WYCE also featured the debut of new songs from Nordlund & The Nomad Assembly, Fonn Mor, Dick Chiclet, Stylee and The Mines, plus tracks by Dave Hardin, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, I Believe in Julio and Nicholas James Thomasma.
The band’s re-energized attitude can be attributed to the long break from touring (though UV Hippo did play Indiana’s Hyperion Music Festival in August and individual band members have performed with Psychedelic Elephant Machine Gun, The Turnips and Digital Tape Machine).
“You don’t really know how much you get run down on the road. I suppose it’s like any job. You get lost in the work and fail to fully see the things you’ve missed, or how it has affected you emotionally and physically,” Olmsted suggests.
Thrilled About Saturday’s Show: Russell James at WYCE. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“So for us to have the time over this past year see our family, our friends and to recharge some of the emotional batteries that get run down on the road has been great. It’s also allowed us some opportunities to play with other musicians and projects. And those types of experiences always help to inspire new and different musical approaches.”
That new approach is driving the band’s next recording project, an ambitious “theme” album for which a release date hasn’t yet been set. UV Hippo’s most recent album, 2013’s “Translate,” won a WYCE Jammie Award and Local Spins’ Local Spins of the Year honors.
“The idea and scope of this project is like nothing that we’ve attempted before. And while I can’t discuss the exacts of the album, it will be a ‘theme’ album. The artwork, the lyrics, music, etc. will all tell a story,” Olmsted says.
“This approach is one that we’ve not taken before, so I think it’s been a bit of a learning experience for us. In the past we’ve written on a song by song basis, so deciding on a theme, a set story, and then writing music to go to that story has been a new and challenging thing. I don’t think we were prepared for how different this type of process would be.”
For now, the band is focusing on Saturday’s much-ballyhooed return to The Intersection.
“I mean the entire reason why we’ve loved to do this,” Olmsted says, “is because of that intense interaction you get from performing. It’s an experience like no other. And to not have that for a year, it’s damn near unbearable.”
Get details and tickets online at sectionlive.com.
Excited To Be Back: UV Hippo has a fun show planned for its return to the stage where it last played last December. (Photo Anna Sink)
VIDEO: UV Hippo, “Giants” (Acoustic), Local Spins on WYCE
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