The Applebutter Express Set To Release New CD Titled ‘Suitcase’
“It Turned Out Even Better Than You Think”
The Applebutter Express – the ukulele funk/jamgrass band fronted by ukulele player Kyle Biss and his vocalist wife Shannon Biss – are set to release their third full-length studio album Suitcase on Friday, November 25th, at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa.
ABX, as they are affectionately known by their fans, have been touring hard since the 2013 release of their second album One For The Home Team and have a whole new stable of songs to debut. Several of the songs on the new CD are already show favorites, though there will be new surprises in store as well.
The new collection of songs shows how much the lineup has jelled after bringing in new bass player Zach Rogers. Rounding out the recording is long-time member and fiddle player Joe Trivette. The songwriting continues to be top notch with Kyle blending his unique percussive playing style with well-timed lines being sung often back and forth with Shannon.
Applebutter Express are known for fun, danceable songs that often touch on themes that seem made for festival stages: drinking, late nights, playing music and love. This release is no different but starts to show some real growth in the recording process. At their heart, though, ABX are still a band that thrives playing live in front of a crowd.
The album was recorded at the historic Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville, TN. It’s a legendary studio known for warm, high-energy recordings. Shannon even got to sing through the same microphone used by Robert Plant.
The CD opens with “Please Don’t Go,” which has been in live rotation for a couple of years now, and it will surely be welcome to finally have a recording for fans of their live shows. This is one you can always see the crowd singing whenever it’s played live.
One of my favorites, “Suitcase,” is finally on an album. It’s a gorgeous song that is Applebutter’s entry into the ‘Life On The Road’ genre (songs such as “Midnight Rider,” “Turn The Page,” “On The Road Again”) except like most of Applebutter’s songs still leaves you feeling happy at the end. While Joe’s fiddle is fantastic throughout the entire recording, this song more especially shows how he can go from raucous foot-stomping high-energy playing down to incredibly delicate fills that perfectly complement the poignant lyrics of this song.
There are a few studio tricks on some of the tracks, notably some fun backwards ukulele at the beginning of “Tell Me If I’m Crazy,” though the album itself still catches the frenetic energy of a live Applebutter show. This recording more than any other really gives a chance for Kyle’s and Shannon’s harmonies to shine. They have grown vocally over the years, and this may be the best they have sounded together. Listening to “Keep It Together,” they sound every bit as good as any other harmonizing duo I’ve heard. Zach has been playing with the band now for well over a year, and he has settled in nicely. His bass comes through wonderfully all throughout the entire CD. His run through “One More Try” would leave singe marks on most players’ fingers but sounds effortless on this recording.
Following tradition, once again Bean Spence has provided the artwork for this album, which will be a welcome sign to fans of the band and will be familiar to anyone who has attended festivals in the Southeast where Bean can often be found.
Find even more information including sneak peak preview tracks before the official release date on their official website here.
One early release already out is the track “Tell Me If I’m Crazy” which is up on Kyle’s YouTube channel here.