Band of Horses raring to ‘blow the doors’ off Kalamazoo State Theatre

The rock band brings its tour to Michigan Saturday. Frontman Ben Bridwell took time for an in-depth chat with writer Enrique Olmos about touring and making the transition from pizza guy to musician.

 

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In 2016, Band of Horses played the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids the day after the Presidential election.
iThe room felt heavy to the band. Tense shoulders. Tired eyes. When the band opened with “The Funeral,” their darkly anthemic, rock ‘n’ roll eulogy, it was as if the audience grieved a world it once knew.

Years later, things are quite different. The Orbit Room became a parking lot. A global pandemic shuttered society.

Still, Band of Horses is making beautiful, smoldering songs that explore the terrain of the soul, straddling rock, folk, pop and alternative vibes.

They perform at The Kalamazoo State Theatre on Saturday (June 15), five months after releasing their “Acoustic at the Ryman, Vol. II” album. Tickets are $39-$69 in advance online here; $44-$74 day of show. Ally Evenson opens the 8 p.m. concert.

Local Spins writer Enrique Olmos joined Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell for a conversation ahead of the band’s Michigan tour stop.

Enrique Olmos: Ben, how are you? What have you been up to today?
Ben Bridwell: I was up at 4:30 this morning. Just got back from taking the kids to school. It’s insanely hot here (in South Carolina) during the summer, so we spend a lot of time where it’s cool. We have a barn on our property. I want to get a good AC working out there. It’s a good place to hide.

Enrique: Sounds like a good time for making sounds with instruments.
Ben: Oh yeah. When I started this band, there was something about being indoors a lot that lent itself well to messing with guitars and stuff and trying to figure out how to play songs. I just found myself going down to practice shit every day that I could. I was working in kitchens and stuff. You know, you kind of worked to build up some time off or have co-workers cover a shift so you could have some free time to work on music.

Enrique: Y’all perform at Kalamazoo State Theatre on June 15. That’s a lovely spot to play, a beautiful old theater.
Ben: We’re looking forward to blowing the doors off the place.

Enrique: Well, they’re old doors. Probably expensive. I’m not sure you want to get that bill in the mail after the tour.
Ben: Good point.

Enrique: Saw that you spent some time in Arizona. The Internet was incredibly vague about that part of your lore. Wikipedia just says “Ben moved to Arizona. Him and his friends sold pizza.”
Ben: Yeah, pizzas. There were so many pizza places that delivered or made pizza, so I got more jobs doing that than anything else. So I do understand the pizza business.

Enrique: And the music business. I’m also familiar with the pizza business and working delivery jobs. It can be adventurous. Even perilous.
Ben: Yeah. I’ve been hit by cars while delivering pizza on bikes. Had a gun pulled on me. I used to deliver to frat houses at the University of Arizona and I would always steal the eight ball off their pool table. I have a collection of f—in’ eight balls.

Enrique: That’s incredible. I once delivered a pizza to an outdoor shooting range. It was tucked way back in the woods. I casually drove down this narrow dirt road while rifle fire went off in every direction. You mentioned being inside all the time and making music. The winters up here are similar for artists. We sort of enter this creative hibernation, cozied up in studios and rehearsal spaces to pass the time.
Ben: Absolutely. It’s perfect for that. It’s getting to be kind of similar down here. It’s just so damn hot much of the year, that now I’m finding myself indoors. Hibernating.

Enrique: Where’d your interest in playing music come from? Did you have friends or family who played growing up?
Ben: It was very much going to be a part of my life somehow. I never saw myself as a musician type of person. So I dabbled in the record label side of things for a while, putting out friends’ bands, hoping they’d get to a bigger label and get some real recognition. Along the way, I would help out with my various projects and play the worst drums you’ve ever heard or the most elementary bass you’ve ever heard. I got kind of used to being on stage with my friends and even going on tours with them while still delivering pizzas when I was home. Eventually, I realized I didn’t want to do that anymore. I didn’t want to work in kitchens my whole life. So I just started writing and dedicating time to it. And being a bit strict with a regimen. With the understanding that this sucks right now, but I kept at it, thinking maybe I’ll piece something together. Somehow, it actually ended up working. I quit my last day job a year-and-a-half after that commitment. It really happened so fast and it seemed impossible that it could actually happen that way, but it really did. I kind of fell into it.

Enrique: Do you think that sort of trajectory is possible these days for young bands?
Ben: If you have enough followers, you can game the algorithm. It’s different now, but at the same time the industry’s always going to evolve. Hopefully, it all kind of fixes itself as it goes. I do believe that the cream rises to the top. There’s gonna be people out there making really good art and cool stuff like, you know, despite the current set of standards. There’s always gonna be folks that break through that shit. It can’t all be AI.

Enrique: As you’ve gotten older, how have you grown alongside your art?
Ben: I can see where I’ve gotten tripped up along the way. I can see the ways that I’ve even sabotaged opportunities for us with the way I’ve treated my body at times and my dedication at times. If anything, I can look back and see where I can do a lot better. I’m still hungry in that way, but at the same time, I’ve always felt like it could be yanked away from me at any second. So I’ve never really taken it for granted. It feels like a dream still. I mean, it seems highly unlikely that I’d be sitting here and talking to you about this at all.

Enrique: You mentioned feeling as though there were certain opportunities that you sabotaged. Any examples?
Ben: Just being influenced by the pressures of it all to the point where I just didn’t want it. I didn’t want attention, I didn’t want to build press junkets or have to answer the same questions all day. I could maybe be a bit of a little brat about it. Things like that where you can bring others down with you with that kind of attitude. And I think at times, I have partied too hard. For one reason or another, whether it was drinking too much or not sleeping enough. I hope that I’ve learned those lessons well and will avoid them in any future situation.

Enrique: Touring can be disorienting and destabilizing. Maybe that’s what makes substances enticing. Sort of an escape from the grind. But not a healthy or sustainable one.
Ben: It is a slippery path. The older you get, the easier it is for that stuff to really grab ahold of you. Even if you feel like you’ve got the magic touch and you can’t be bitten by the bug of addiction. It can manifest later, so you gotta watch for it.

Enrique: Did the band experience any other growing pains when you were coming up?
Ben: Well, there’s the imposter syndrome for sure, especially coming from a place where I’ve never really been a musician. I’ve never felt like I know exactly what I’m doing. But I also think that’s part of our sauce, you know.

Enrique: Even to this day, you don’t consider yourself a musician?
Ben: Yeah, I can’t just get up and jam with people. I don’t know what notes to avoid. I kind of fumble around into things. But I think that’s part of songwriting, and at times, when we’re at our best, because it is a bit shiny and new to me. Playing with weirdly tuned guitars and or finding new chords that you can’t even teach to someone else.

Enrique: How did you handle the band becoming more well-known?
Ben: There’s always been this kind of element of being terrified by the sudden attention. With that first record taking off like it did, I mean, even overseas it was really a shock to the system for a person that didn’t really want it. I wasn’t exactly ever the person to pick up the mic at the wedding or something.

Enrique: What’s the Band of Horses dynamic like these days?
Ben: Oh God, I guess we are getting old. So a bit like you might imagine. We’re not going out after the shows looking for tail or using a parking lot to play bocce ball or to toss a football around. Some of us enjoy a nice joint after the show. But that’s about it. We want to be fit enough to do as good of a job as possible because that’s really the name of the game as you age. I want to be able to operate at the level of those around me. I can’t be the weak link in the chain.

Enrique: How has being a father changed your perception of yourself and the world around you?
Ben: Being a dad has definitely instilled a lot more responsibility. I have four girls. It’s a female village. It’s inspired, I mean, more than I can put into words. It’s absolutely everything to me. It guides every minute of my day. Constantly trying to be the best dad I can be. I’m inspired by them. I’m inspired to live good for them so I can be there for them as they grow up too. So it’s everything, it’s my water, honestly.

Enrique: That’s beautiful.
Ben: Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.

Enrique: You and your family live in Charleston, S.C. I’ve been once, years ago. When I get back down that way, where should I visit?
Ben: I’m afraid they’ll revoke my South Carolinian card if I don’t say Waffle House.

Enrique: A true oasis for the weary breakfast seeker, indeed.
Ben: I do love Waffle House. But I live out in the forest and stuff, so I don’t get to the city very often at all, and when I do, I’m usually not a big food guy as far as restaurants. But one place that’s never steered me wrong when I’ve had fancy people in town or whatever is a place called Fig. I’ve been vegetarian most of my life and they always go out of their way to make something really good, even for vegetarians. It’s just absolutely delicious, and it’s a really nice place, if a bit expensive. That’s why I save those moments for when the suits come to town and let them pay for it.

Enrique: Can you describe what a perfect day off at home looks like?
Ben: That would probably include being on some sort of golf cart, or car-sized go-kart. I don’t have a golf cart yet. But if I see one, I’m sorry, I’m taking it. Yeah, riding go-karts, or mini-bikes, or three-wheelers, or four-wheelers. I love that kind of stuff. And being outside playing horseshoes and other outdoor games is kind of my jam. Anything outside where there’s some competition involved. Those are the best days. When it’s not too hot and you can actually be outdoors. I’ll take that over any other place in the whole world.

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