When Burrito Brothers vocalist Chris P. James says that he can’t relate to modern country music, he’s not alone. We’re almost two weeks removed from Luke Combs drawing 100,000 people over the course of two nights at Highmark Stadium and I’m struggling to cite any rationale other than his crossover success with “Fast Car” for how it happened.
Sure, Combs is talented and my previous defense of his cover of Tracy Chapman against the hive still stands, but the question as to why he was elevated to that spot in place of other genre artists who are just as worthy if not more so lingers on. He happened to have the right song at the right time while bands whose commitment to craft defines their legacy continue to rage against the changing tide.
The Burrito Brothers are one of those bands. Despite influencing a generation of household names, the average person on the street likely doesn’t know anything about them. What they need is a “Stranger Things” moment in which some showrunner/music swami inserts 1969’s “The Gilded Palace of Sin” back into the zeitgeist, but, until then, I’m committed to doing what I can to prevent them from becoming yet another group lost to the passage of time.
I caught up with frontman Chris P. James recently to discuss their most recent album, “Together,” which is a project made by musician’s musicians that deserves a wider audience than what it’s been given.
MNOD: Your latest album, “Together,” came out in Dec. 2023. Describe the recording process and how you feel that it fits into the overall arc of the group.
James: The response hasn’t been massive and of course I’d like to be better, but I think we did a real good job. We were in a state of flux, because our guitarist died in 2021. Bob Hatter was instrumental to this band and the way this album came together emphasized his unavailability as his condition worsened. He wrote a lot of this material, so, when Steve Allen came in to finish the recording, he had the same skill set on the guitar and passed with flying colors. Two or three of these songs were fully conceived while Bob was still alive, so we were able to isolate his guitar parts and keep them in. We’re all veterans of the scene and we’re confident that the music is just as good as anyone. Calling the album ‘Together’ has a deeper meaning, as well, because there was a label out of Los Angeles called Together Records that put out some archival material from The Byrds, which goes back to that Gram Parsons/Chris Hillman lineage.
MNOD: We last spoke in 2020 just before the pandemic shut everything down and affected the band’s ability to really get “The Notorious Burrito Brothers” album out there. Are you more optimistic this time around?
James: I think so. A song like ‘Ms Misery’ came from a time when I was heartbroken and lashing out in a sense, which makes it a great opener. I was never one to point fingers at any specific person, so I sidestepped questions as to who that song is about. It has a Tom Petty vibe that works well. I think this version of The Burrito Brothers stays true to the legacy, but we’re also not just a copy of the past. One of the defining elements of the classic sound was the pedal steel, which we maintain on this album. We come from a place that we’ve always loved and can stretch the boundaries if we want to, so, if people like the old stuff, they should find plenty to like on our more recent albums. We’re always facing an uphill struggle to expand the audience and bring in more casual fans, but we love what we do and saying that being a part of this is a dream come true for me is an understatement.
MNOD: ‘Mr. Customs Man’ is another track that feels like a throwback to the ’60s era. How did that come about?
James: That was a Gram Parsons lyric about the days when customs agents were known to harass musicians on a regular basis, so it was cool to spend a few minutes there. Gram wanted the customs man to leave him alone. Bob and I wrote the music.
MNOD: Is there a song on the album that stands out to you?
James: ‘I Live For Loving You’ is the song that I think is the most universal. It has that timeless quality where I could see any singer making their own version of it.
MNOD: Has there been any discussion about playing live?
James: We’re certainly not against live performance, but it has to be the right situation. I’m sure we’ll put some feelers out to see what the demand is. The band is full of seasoned session guys, so asking them to jump in a van and play clubs wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t be interested in that and the money wouldn’t be worth it for us given all of the costs involved. Our label is based in England, so there could be an opportunity over there for some shows in the future.
MNOD: What has being based in Nashville done for the band’s creative side?
James: We’re a lot older that the bands that are currently playing the Nashville scene, so we might come off as curmudgeons when saying that we don’t really like new country music. I don’t relate to it at all, but it’s also not my duty to listen to modern country radio. It just doesn’t work for me. The lyrics are derivative and about trucks or beer or whatever. It’s doesn’t matter, though, because Nashville is still a gold mine for studios and musicians.
MNOD: How would you market The Burrito Brothers to a younger audience?
James: Well, that’s a tough one, because we don’t have anything in common with the current country scene. We’re focused on making music that is just as good as anyone else out there and the market doesn’t necessarily line up with what we’re about.
“Together” is available now wherever music is disseminated, but do us all a favor and pay for a physical copy.
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