Speaking to MisplacedStraws, Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson recently shed light on the band’s perspective on using backing tracks during live performances and resembled their stance to AC/DC’s.
Robertson expressed understanding for bands that might need them for specific reasons, such as mimicking a full orchestra sound. However, he stressed the importance of bands being able to perform their songs authentically, resembling their stance to AC/DC and Halestorm:
“We’re more like AC/DC in that regard, where we’d rather play a song 10 beats faster than it is on the album, and it’d be hard to sing than play it one beat slower than it is on the record because it’s slower than the album is just boring as sh*t to me. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, is it over with yet?’
I can promise you if you come to see Black Stone Cherry, anything you hear that is an instrument or vocal, if you’re hearing it during our show, it’s one of us playing it. If it’s bongos, it’s Jeff coming out from behind the drum riser playing the bongos.
We don’t use any kind of backing track whatsoever. We never have and never will. We’re much like Halestorm in that regard. They’re another great friend of ours who did that same thing. They don’t use any kind of backing track, nothing. They just go out there and do their thing.”
Black Stone Cherry’s 8th studio album ‘Screamin’ At The Sky’ is set to hit shelves on September 29, 2023. This album is the band’s first with new bassist Steve Jewell. The recording process for the record took place at The Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky, a venue known for its acoustic quality. It is currently available for pre-order in various formats.
In the interview, Robertson also touched upon their upcoming touring plans and the band’s commitment to their UK fans with scheduled in-store events and performances. According to the singer, the band is actively scheduling shows for the remainder of the year and into the next.
The band has released three singles from the upcoming ‘Screamin’ At The Sky’ album. ‘Out of Pocket‘ was released earlier this year, and the second single, ‘Nervous,‘ was released four months ago, accompanied by a video. The title track was released as a single as well.
You can check out the rest of the interview below.
