Bonnaroo 2014: Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr Shares Sound of Band’s New Album (Video)
Blackberry Smoke, which made its Bonnaroo debut at this year's festival, is working on the follow-up to its 2012 album, "The Whippoorwill," the group's first project for Zac Brown's Southern Ground Artists imprint.
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Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr tells Billboard that the act's new as-yet untitled album isn't a "canyon's difference" from the "The Whippoorwill," which was co-produced by Zac Brown, Clay Cook, Matt Mangano and the band.
"The new record is written pretty much," Starr says. "I guess I could never say, 'I'm not going to write anymore songs,' but I love it. It's got elements of the really rock'n'roll stuff we love and there are some more songs akin to the song called 'Ain't Got The Blues' — some back porch-y, funky, acoustic, laid-back kinda stuff."
Starr also shared the first time he learned about Bonnaroo while passing through Manchester, Tenn., on tour.
"We topped the hill there and there were 5,000 cars on the side of the road of the highway. I thought the world had come to an end," he says, noting that the band pulled off to get some gas. "I go in and the lady's like, 'We have no gas.' And I was like, 'OK, how about some Marlboro Reds?' She's like, 'We have no Marlboro Reds.'"
After questioning the clerk further, Starr learned that Phish was in town playing the massive festival. "I said, 'Oh, I get it,'" he recalls.
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