Rusted Root vocalist Michael Glabicki performs as a duo at River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains on Aug. 6
From a press release:
With Rusted Root on hiatus, the frontman of the multi-platinum Pittsburgh jam band, Michael Glabicki, has been touring as a duo with Rusted Root’s longtime guitar player and backing vocalist Dirk Miller, including a 2019 stop in Scranton.
The pair will return to Northeastern Pennsylvania to perform at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains on Friday, Aug. 6. Scranton singer/songwriters American Buffalo Ghost and Drew Kelly will open the 21+ show.
Doors at the Jazz Cafe (667 N. River St., Plains) open at 8 p.m., and the music starts at 9 p.m. Tickets, which are $17 in advance, are on sale now and can be purchased online via Prekindle.
“A song is an organism that has a history and has different meanings to many different people,” says Rusted Root lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Michael Glabicki. “Those people attach themselves to this organism and, because of that, it’s a ritual, a way to jointly go places.”
It was 31 years ago that Glabicki dropped out of college to start a band. At that time, he had no idea what he was going to do or how to get there. He spent two years learning how to write songs and create a vision. Rusted Root was then born in Pittsburgh.
The multi-platinum band evolved around the frontman’s distinct sound and grew into a musical entity that has thrived in a non-genre-specific category all its own. Rusted Root built their career around dramatic performances; their polyrhythmic, multicultural rock and soul picked up fans like a junkyard magnet as they swept across the nation on tour. Their latest album, 2012’s “The Movement,” continues to maintain a strong foothold in world/jam/rock music.
In many ways, Glabicki is starting this process all over again. He is challenging himself to write in completely new and different ways to create an entirely new soundscape as a solo artist. He takes all the new songs and old favorites Rusted Root has been performing and plays re-envisioned versions of them in more intimate settings. He has toured nationally as a solo act and as a duo; although he maintains his roots with Rusted Root, the sound is very different. Live, both Glabicki and Miller play acoustic and electric, and Glabicki often adds rhythm with a kick drum, creating a much fuller sound and energy than a traditional duo.
Additionally, Glabicki formed a new band called Uprooted with Miller and drummer Zil Fessler (both touring members of Rusted Root), bassist Bobby Schneck Jr. (formerly of the Devon Allman Band), singer/keyboardist Daisie Ghost-Flower, and singer/guitarist Emily Victoria, a group he plans to record his first solo record with.
He has always invited the audience to participate in the creation of his music. He frequently tests new songs on the road to see the fan reaction. Constantly writing new material, Glabicki finds that some of it fits his solo sound better than Rusted Root’s.
While not on tour, he runs his own studio, Red Cloud, in Pittsburgh. What started as a place for him to write and record new songs has grown into a full-scale studio where local musicians can rent space to work on their new albums.
A multifaceted musician, producer, and songwriter, Glabicki’s talents are unique and extremely uplifting. His solo tour dates and new music are extensions of his creative talent, and while the show still features many Rusted Roots hits, it also provides a look into his mind through stories and songs yet to be released.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Rusted Root playing at the 2017 Peach Music Festival in Scranton here.
