By Peter Lindblad
With Rusted Root shelved for the time being, Michael Glabicki isn’t sitting on his hands.
The much-beloved jam band’s leader has a solo project called Uprooted that he’s bringing to the Oshkosh Waterfest on Thursday, July 9. While retaining many of the elements that made the multi-platinum Rusted Root, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, such a favorite among worldbeat enthusiasts, Uprooted has added more female vocals and expanded and diversified its percussive universe, adding invigorating energy and transcendent vitality to versions of songs fans have come to know and love, like their sunny smash hit “Send Me on My Way.”
New music from Uprooted has been promised, but for now, Glabicki and company are content to keep growing and transforming as a live act and as a studio entity, all while entertaining old and new devotees alike in venues like the Leach Amphitheatre. Wisconsin’s own Steely Dan tribute band Steely Dane is opening.
If I’m not mistaken, Rusted Root has played the Oshkosh Waterfest multiple times over the years. What is it about the event that keeps you coming back?
Michael Glabicki: The fans really. It’s a musical crowd. It feels connected and grounded … kind of spiritual in a way. Being on the Fox River creates such a beautiful experience.
How do you think Uprooted has been received by fans of Rusted Root?
MG: Great … I think people are really open to it!
In what ways has Uprooted injected new life into older Rusted Root material as a live entity?
MG: Is it more improvisational? The material itself is very open to interpretation so the new players can really create a world out of it all their own and we’ve done just that. The band members are very technically skilled and are able to go anywhere at any time with the music, but it’s not just that.It’s that there’s a real connection between the us and it feels very much like a family.
What are some elements that fans can expect to carry over from the Rusted Root days and what do you think will be surprising about hearing Uprooted?
MG: The general framework is the same, and you have my energy in the center of it all, so that can definitely be relatable. Over time, we have changed some of the structures in some pretty cool ways that might surprise some people and get them excited. But we don’t really play a lot of it the same each time, so each night surprises are there to be had for everyone including us.
When you first started playing out as Uprooted, what were your hopes for the project and what felt right about it?
MG: Did everything click immediately? It’s been a long process, especially for the recording end of it. I wanted to see what the band could do in the studio and, also, explore other ways of being creative with the new material. Sometimes that’s bringing in some other musicians, sometimes it’s just working it out myself. I also wanted to master the engineering and producing side of it, too, so that’s taking some time, but we are finishing it up soon. It did click immediately and it kind of shocked me, especially on the personal side of things like enjoying each other’s company. My hopes were to work on the process of the music and recording and get it to a point where it was undeniable, and I feel like we are achieving that.
Why do you feel this band is perfect for realizing your vision for keeping this music alive and taking it to new places?
MG: It just is …that’s all I can really say. It kind of came together kind of magically, so I don’t ask too many questions. I feel like it was put together for a reason.
Why was Peter Gabriel’s So album such an influence, and how did it point the way for what you wanted to do with Rusted Root?
MG: By the time I heard that album I had already been playing and fooling around with worldbeat rhythms for my own writing process. By that point I already had a clear picture of what I wanted to do with Rusted Root. So, when I heard So I kind of didn’t like it. I was so focused on what I wanted to do with the energy of the rhythms and the instrumentation that when I heard it irritated me. I love listening to So now though. Obviously, it’s ingenious.
What are some of your memories of the early days and then hitting it big with the When I Woke album?
MG: Did “Send Me on My Way” really encapsulate what the band was all about? In the early days, we were a band that would rent out warehouses and set up our own stage and have dinner with our fans before our shows. It was a very individualistic experience for us and for the fans. When we hit it big, it was exciting but a lot of it I wasn’t enjoying because that magic that we had with our small group of fans kind of went away or got lost in the shuffle. You start to have these business types that are snakes hanging around trying to control the situation and eventually they siphon off what they can from you.
What are your hopes for Uprooted and the group’s debut record?
MG: I want it to be something that I am proud of and excited about. That is really the goal.
What can fans expect from the album?
MG: You will know it came from me, but you also be very surprised that came for me. I want every song to blow people away in some simple and unique way. I think we are getting there.