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The ad-hoc band had plenty of time to nail
the sound Herring was looking for. "We had about a week
before Buddy even got there where we rehearsed every day about
10 to 12 hours. We had arrangements and songs worked out, and
then we worked with him for another week. The sessions were long
and there was a lot of music played. The producer was going to
get the takes he wanted and he made us work for it. He made us
all work for it. And I think it sounds it on the record.
I'm real proud of it."
Interestingly, much of Mathus' album was already
finished when he headed into the Guy recording, but preparations
for Sweet Tea brought a new appreciation for the Fat Possum
style. "I had been listening more and more to T-Model, Junior
Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside. Dennis Herring sent me a CD with
the original versions of the songs, and he wanted me to come
in with a good idea of how to translate them to a band. So it
made me dig in on that material, take the format that they were
working in, but clarify it so it made sense to me and I could
convey that to the band. It got me into the groove even heavier
and got a formula for me that worked. After that record, I said,
'I gotta get a trio together and do this. I'm tired of waiting
on it.' I had the music I was working on already, so I cut some
more stuff like 'Snake Drive,' 'Boogie,' and 'Take a Ride With
Me.' Actually, I have a whole set of music that I lean on now,
and the live show is not even on the CD. It's mostly hard electric
boogie."
Mathus and his Knockdown Society have expanded
their gritty sound along with the set list, deepening the intensity
as they head out to open a month of dates for Buddy Guy. "I
just added a Hammond player," Mathus says. "It's been
a trio for about a year, but I've got a four-piece now and I'm
really happy with that. The response has been great and the band
is really coming together."
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