Sometimes it takes a while for the pieces to come together just right.
The brothers at the core of San Antonio quartet Snowbyrd — Chris and Scott Lutz — have kept eyes on the prize for 20 years.
Their specialty? A blend of classic rock and country that's simultaneously both and neither. It's a sunbaked sound that can appeal to fans of anything from Nuggets-era garage rock to mid-period Meat Puppets to '70s outlaw country.
With its latest LP, The Lagerheadz Suite, Snowbyrd has hit on a mix of quirky-but-catchy tunes and studio wizardry that makes for a great intro to the band —because, let's be frank, there are still plenty of folks who have been asleep for the two decades it's been doing its thing.
Snowbyrd will celebrate the release of Lagerheadz with a show at Slab Cinema Arthouse on Friday, July 7. Ahead, of that, we spoke to all four members of the band about the new recording, their studio process and songwriting.
Turns out much of the work on the album took place sporadically over the past year, and the members adopted a spontaneous recording style not far from that of Nashville session players of yore.
Oftentimes, "the day that we learned the song, we recorded it," Chris Lutz said. "[Drummer] Juan [Ramos] and [Bassist] Kris [Zebrowski] came in, and we said, 'This is the song we're gonna record today' and showed them. Six or seven takes, and that's the basic recording."
Both Lutz brothers play guitar, though Scott handles supplemental instruments such as pedal steel and keyboards while Chris holds down lead vocals. The siblings have a long history with San Antonio, in various garage rock projects including Dropouts. Scott also has performed as mariachi.
Ramos may be familiar to SA music fans as the drummer for post-punk stalwarts Glorium and Latin groove outfit Sexto Sol. Both he and Zebrowski are permanent members of the band, though Chris Lutz joked "we had gone through like 18 bass players" before settling on the latter.
Taking a spontaneous recording approach can end up with shambolic results if a band doesn't come armed with strong songs, and fortunately Snowbyrd has catchy songs for days. Lagerheadz's "Ol' Beyonder" is a gem, with a vibe reminiscent of the Todd Rundgren classic "Couldn't I Just Tell You."
"Bachelors Nightcap" boasts a psychedelic country vibe. Its laid-back roots groove lifts the song gently into the stratosphere, courtesy of a swirling synth effect.
How the songs got to that point came down to plenty of advanced tinkering from the brothers.
For Lagerheadz, Chris Lutz sketched out each song, then presented it to Scott, who made changes, such as transposing its key to best fit Chris's vocal range and adding supplemental parts.
Chris Lutz's vocals are assuredly out of step with current pop music trends. No auto-tune here — though he certainly doesn't shy away from multi-tracking vocals, a trick he thanked David Bowie for.
"Whenever I listen to (Lagerheadz), there's parts I haven't heard before," Chris said. "Subtle stuff. Layering."
In many musical acts, one member serves as the spokesperson — the face of the group — while the other is the mad genius behind the curtain.
"Scott is the guru," Chris said. He calls his brother's work at the mixing desk the "the fifth member of Snowbyrd."
To that end, Scott Lutz even rolled in a recording of the buzz of a cicada to compliment the main rhythm of the song on "Bachelors." And, yes, the bug is perfectly in sync with the drum kit.
Scott Lutz works out of his own Mud Creek Studios, also utilized by San Antonio instrumental rockers Nuclear Juarez.
Although the band boasts an abundance of studio chops, it's not into producing music that can't be reproduced live, and the members promise that will be evident during its release gig. Harvey McLaughlin, Kitten Mitten and DJ Terry Lengua will open the show.
"There's a commitment to originality with this band, even though it's challenging," Ramos said.
Suggested $5 donation, 6 p.m. Friday, July 7, Slab Cinema Arthouse, 134 Blue Star, (210) 212-9373, slabcinemaarthouse.com.
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