Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has just released their seventh studio album titled Specter at the Feast. They recorded the majority of the album at Dave Grohl’s studio in Los Angeles on the same console which is featured in Grohl’s Sound City, the documentary that explores LA’s legendary recording studio of the same name, Sound City.
The new record comes three years to the month since Beat the Devil’s Tattoo. The band wasn’t planning on taking a break, but they were left with an uncertain future following a devastating loss.
Just five months after releasing the record, Robert Levon Been’s father, former Call frontman Michael Been, passed away whilst working as a sound engineer at a BRMC concert in Belgium. The band covered Robert’s father’s song “Let The Day Begin” on their Spectre at The Feast and Been appeared in two concerts with a reunited The Call taking his father’s place on bass and vocals.
BRMC opened up their set with this song and looks to be doing so across the country. A fitting tribute to a rock ‘n roller who left us way too early and was a big part of the band’s live sound.
The rest of the setlist that evening was a perfect mix of both old and new. True standouts were the bluesy but powerful “Ain’t No Easy Way,” and the best song of the band’s career, in my opinion, “Berlin.” BRMC have run the gamut when it comes to expanding upon their original sound, but the gritty, blues based sonic boom is where they shine the best.
Later on in the set the band revisited their eponymous debut album with the classic track “Love Burns,” another example of the band at their finest.
It was interesting to see the mix of fans both old and new at the legendary venue. It seems that BRMC have built a dedicated fan base that spans generations.
It would be even more interesting to learn where this new crop of BRMC fans are discovering the band, now that major labels and radio stations have lost most of their power and influence.
Regardless, it’s refreshing to see great music and a cutting edge band like BRMC thrive after being “dropped” by two major labels several years ago. It looks as if they are doing better than ever.
Were you at the show in San Francisco? What did you think of the bands live performance? Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comment section below.
