INTERVIEW: Brian Henneman of the BOTTLE ROCKETS

While the Bottle Rockets aren’t a household name, you can make the argument that it’s a crime that they are not. While acts like Wilco and Ryan Adams are clocking mad dollars and spending time in the mainstream spotlight, St. Louis’ Bottle Rockets have spent the last 15+ years kicking up dust, wearing their blue collar Midwestern roots on their sleeve. Serving as true pioneers of the alt-country / Americana circuit, The Bottle Rockets have definitely paved the way for the bands mentioned above and countless others. This Sunday, The Rockets will be sharing The Pageant’s stage with Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers. InsideSTL recently caught up with principal songwriter, Brian Henneman, to discuss all things Rocket.


Last year, you guys celebrated your 15th anniversary as a band. Looking back on your career, did you guys ever anticipate the influence you would have on the Americana / alt-country scene?
[laughing] We never thought about anything like that. We were just trying to play music and see what the heck happens. Never put much thought into any of that stuff. I’m kinda surprised we’re still around all of these years later, but I’m kinda not surprised too. We always said let’s go play shows, let’s make a record, let’s go play some more shows. We always just waited to see would could happen with it and we’re still kinda waiting.


There’s a little history behind how you guys settled on the name the Bottle Rockets. Would you mind sharing?
Yeah, the guys from Uncle Tupelo actually came up with [Bottle Rockets]. We were down in Athens, Georgia recording our first album and Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar came down to lend a hand. They had this old school notebook, with the spiral binding on the side and it was full of band names. We had told them before they left that we need a name to put on this recording and they had a long list potential names. About halfway down the page was “Bottle Rockets” and we stuck with it. We’re not sure which one came up with it but we liked it and kept it.


You guys used to gig around with Uncle Tupelo quite a bit. Do you ever hear from Farrar or Tweedy anymore?
Not too much. You know, I live about 6 blocks from Jay so I should probably see him more than I do. He’s pretty busy touring and recording [with Son Volt] though. We email too—I think I talked to him through email the other day, actually. Jeff [Tweedy], on the other hand, is pretty hard to get a hold of. I’d be better off picking up a Rolling Stone if I wanted to see what he’s up to.


You guys just spent about a year working on your new album. What fans may find interesting is that you went back to work with producer Eric Ambel, who handled some of your earlier work. What sparked the idea to go back to Brooklyn and work with him?
Actually, we didn’t spend too much time recording it. We put a lot time into the songwriting, but the actual recording only took 2 weeks. That was a big reason why we chose Eric. We knew we wouldn’t have this huge recording budget. Eric Ambel is the best guy on Earth where if you want to get the biggest results in a short amount of time. He is a master arranger of songs; can think on his feet. He can make a record that sounds like it took a year in the studio when you actually only spent 2 weeks in. He works well with us: he gets the guitar sounds; knows the drum sounds; knows what we do… probably better than we know what we do. The whole process is very easy with him.


Your band has worked with quite a few different labels throughout your career. You guys are now on Chicago’s Bloodshot Records. What prompted you guys to work with them again?
You know, we put out a record with them a long time ago and then bounced around for a while. They’re a great label and the thing we love the best about them is that they are a no bullshit operation. They don’t promise to sell millions of your records and tell you you’re going to be the biggest thing around. They are an honest operation that finds music they like and put a lot of energy into getting the album out there. You know, looking back on it, we probably should have never left them in the first place. And I think there’s a lot to be said about the fact that they’re one of the very few labels that are still around after all of these years.


Speaking of labels and the state of the music industry, what’s your take on the current situation? I hear a lot of artists say that labels aren’t what they used to be and the bands don’t need them anymore.
Well, I’m pretty old school when it comes to this subject. I always like iconic aspect of rock n’roll where not just anyone could record and release an album. I think it’s very important to have some sort of gatekeeper. The good thing is that any person out there can now write and record music. But it’s really a catch-22 because not everyone is actually capable of writing and recording good music.

You can get inundated. I mean, we have probably turned down thousands of bands and artists on the myspace page that want to be our “friend” and, who knows? Four of five of them may have been the next Bob Dylan! It’s just too hard to sift through all the bullshit and I like the idea of having gatekeepers.


You guys are set to play The Pageant this Sunday with Jacob Dylan and the Wallflowers. Have you ever met him?
Actually, I haven’t. We are meeting up with them in Minnesota the day before we play with them in St. Louis. I’ve never met him but I’ve heard his band and it’ll be fun to play some shows with them.


Have you ever had any run-ins with Jacob’s father, Bob Dylan?
No, I’ve never met him either.


How would you describe the sound of your upcoming album, Lean Forward (due August 11, Bloodshot Records)?
Man, I’m always the last guy you should ask about how our records sound. It’s definitely rocking. The one, single thing we deliberately did different this time was avoid the Neil Young. We obviously love Neil Young, but that was the one deliberate angle we tried to avoid this time around: no Neil Young.


Speaking of Neil Young, any chance we could see you guys on the same bill as him at this year’s Farm Aid (coming to St. Louis October 4)?
You know what, we’re already working on it. Let’s just say it’s in the works and we’ll see what happens.


Be sure to check out the Bottle Rockets this Sunday, July 26, at the Pageant with the Wallflowers. Also, be sure to pick up their new album, “Lean Forward” - due out August 11 on Bloodshot Records.