The Mavericks are back after an eight year hiatus and their newest album, In Time, released in February, has been receiving rave reviews. American Songwriter describes it as “as powerful and timeless as anything they have done” and the LA Times states that In Time “embodies the very best of the melting pot experience that’s the very best of the American character.” That’s right. Because The Mavericks are and have always been true to their name. You could never peg them in one hole or another.

While their sound as a whole embodies country, there’s also some smooth latin in there; some pop, some Tex Mex and more. In Time is the perfect next step to their previous six albums (like From Hell To Paradise and What A Crying Shame) even with the eight year time gap.

When all is said and done, it may seem as if the more things change, the more they remain the same because the band is back out at it on the road again for a huge international tour and are stopping here at House Of Blues Atlantic City TOMORROW at Showboat. We caught up with original member Robert Reynolds yesterday for a bit. See what he has to say about this reunion and more, below!

TAC: We love that you guys are a country-esque band from Miami! And you started off your career in a very different direction (punk alternative). What was the process like of finding the sound that works for you?

Robert Reynolds: There’s nothing like time. Time is a great teacher. If you have the liberty of time you get to try things and with each album you experiment a little and you push the boundaries a little and before you know it, with any luck at all, you begin to arrive at things that are uniquely yours and uniquely work for you and you keep those. You get rid of the things that were part of yesterday and you grasp onto things that are a part of the immediate emotion of the moment. Time is a creative contributor. A band that doesn’t get past a couple of records, how would they ever know what they are going to sound like 24 years later? This is our 24^th year together.

TAC: There have been so many artists as of late in the past couple years that have come back after a hiatus and that’s what you guys did last year after an 8 year break. Do you think there’s a reason for this and why was it right for you guys?

Robert Reynolds: I think there’s a couple of things that happen.  You see some bands coming together in a purely reunion kind of format; grabbing as many original members as possible and going out and doing reunion-like circuits. Sometimes on a summer festival, you’ll see multiple 80’s rock acts together, that kind of thing. I believe that’s a different purpose of reforming. In other cases, some rock acts take years between albums. U2 could go 4 to 6 years between records and in a way, they’re not accused of breaking up, they’re respected for taking deliberate, necessary time. In a weird way, we never broke up. We also never gave anyone any indication that we would be doing anything together again. Not even ourselves. So ours is a unique scenario and I would just say that time was a healer. And of course the album is called In Time which means things happen in time, things heal in time, and things change in time, so I believe that time is once again the theme.

TAC: How will you make sure that that fire you feel when playing together again doesn’t fizzle out like it did around 2003?

Robert Reynolds: One is with a little bit of age, you begin to realize the things that were causing you stress and we might avoid those a little better today. I believe our intention today is to work hard and to also take as many necessary breaks as possible to preserve this good energy that we’re feeling. If we can do this right, it may not take eight year breaks between records. It might be that we take a year break and that would be the equivalent of eight years once you have learned this great healing process and how it works. I think we’re just a little bit more guarded. We’re prepared to approach this sensitively. We were on a hamster wheel back in the ‘90s. They had us working hard because we were generating a lot of money for a lot of people beyond ourselves. So they want to keep you working; that’s the nature of the beast. We finally put our foot down and it cost us our friendships and our band entirely, but fortunately it did not. We’re deep brother-like friends and we have a band that was capable of coming back together and being fruitful.

TAC: How is the group dynamic now different than it was in the beginning?

Robert Reynolds: Older, wiser, kinder, gentler, softer. More musical. All those other things really do apply, but in a weird way, we know how to project our music and not let outside forces get too heavy and dictating what’s right for us. We are learning now and have learned how to guide ourselves. That’s been a big part of it.

TAC: What about touring? How has that been going this time around?

Robert Reynolds: It’s been fabulous. We learned a lot about touring back in the day and of course there was a lot of money being spent and probably a lot of money being wasted. We’re a little bit more frugal but we don’t spare any expense when it comes to presenting the music so we’re out here on a pretty costly endeavor because we think that the audience will get the best show; nine pieces on stage, two tour buses, full production. It’s a pretty big deal, but we are more vigilant. We watch the bottom line a little bit more closely.

TAC: What can fans expect from your show here at House Of Blues on 4/19?

Robert Reynolds: There’s going to see a band that’s genuinely delighted to be together again. Our interpersonal relationships together on stage are generating really inspired music. There’s no going through the motions aspect of it. We bring an incredible amount of energy to the stage. We sort of save it all up so that the show is first. We’re out here for making shows, not any of the other silly nonsense. We are dedicated to bringing the same energy each night. Not having two great nights, an okay night, an off night and another good night. We want every night to be fantastic. We’re genuinely really excited to be together.

TAC: Do you have any fun memories of playing in Atlantic City in previous years?

Robert Reynolds: I enjoy Atlantic City for a number of reasons. I saw it when I was a young guy and I was really just starting to learn to travel and I was hitting those interesting American cities and I was just fascinated with it. I enjoyed it historically and to be honest, specific memories of Atlantic City are not many. But I believe we can correct that now! If I’m answering it honestly, we didn’t play in it enough and I believe that it’s time to get in there and do it right so that we can start building those now.

TAC: In Time has been getting rave reviews. Favorite tracks off the album?

Robert Reynolds: The power of “Come Unto Me” is just undeniable. It was recorded with such energy and it drove that track. When it appears on the stage live, it’s a fabulous energetic performance piece. I love “Fall Apart”. There’s something kind of whimsical and ‘60s nostalgic, Herb Alpert and Tijuana brass sort of thing. I grew up on Herb Alpert’s music and the Tijuana brass because it was part of of mother’s record collection and I feel like we kind of capture some of that. His was more often instrumental and this is obviously not, but there’s just something about the track that has that spirit and the ballad, “In Another’s Arms”, is just remarkably powerful. It works for me still. When I hear it, I still feel like it’s a beautiful recording. Great song to begin with, so I commend Raul for that, but the recording is really, really special sounding. It’s emotional and I love that.

TAC: What are your new favorites to play on stage?

Robert Reynolds: A couple of those that I mentioned are easily favorites on stage. “Come Unto Me” really does immediately resonate with the audience. I believe that “Fall Apart” has the spirit that I find on the record shows up on stage and that’s always nice. For the most part, the album songs that are coming to the live stage, are really integrating well to our old catalogue. It’s not like we have to sprinkle them in gently because no one wants to hear the new stuff. The new stuff literally holds its own and could be the show in and of itself.

TAC: Do you have any plans as a group after this huge international tour ends?

Robert Reynolds: We already have some new music in us so we’re feeling good about perpetuating this energy. I would say that our plan is to really bring this music around the world in a very deliberate process and that will take some time. Somewhere along the way, we are going to begin the process of looking at a new album. It won’t be immediately because we are so busy, but I think it’s indicative of a band that’s ready to work.

Sounds good. These guys are legit musicians. Check out The Mavericks tomorrow at House Of Blues at Showboat Atlantic City at 9 p.m. Get last minute tix here!

Imagine this. You’re in college and you and your buddies get together and form a band covering songs from the best band ever. You start playing local gigs, and they start selling out. Soon all of them sell out, and before you know it, your cover band is the hottest thing since last week’s issue of Playboy…. or Playgirl…whatever floats your boat. In a nutshell, this is the story of Badfish. And they’ve been out on a crazy number of national tours since their first packed show at Ocean Mist in Matunuck, Rhode Island in 2001.

The guys will be making a stop at  House Of Blues Atlantic City at Showboat this Saturday on their current tour, and we’re totally stoked! We recently caught up with original member and bass player, Joel Hanks. See what he has to say about the show, the phenomenon that is Badfish and more, below!

TAC: Did you ever imagine that your love of Sublime and playing local clubs in college would turn into what it has?

Joel Hanks: It would have been pretty hard to imagine that it could have grown to the point that it has.  It was clear though that there was a demand for what we were doing.  We saw it grow pretty fast in our hometown and knew that if it was something that we could do in that one town, that it would be something that we could do in any town.  However, the music business is very difficult and the beginning stages are the hardest.

TAC: What was it about Sublime that made them the “it” band for all of you?

Joel Hanks: I was big into the punk/ska scene, and they were really the one band that molded the ska/punk/reggae/hip hop rhythms together into one unique sound.  Combine that with incredible lyrics and melodies and that is the product that you have.

TAC: At what moment did you realize that this was really taking off?

Joel Hanks: It is hard to pinpoint a particular moment.  There was a lot of hard work and a lot of relationships with many different clubs/agents/promoters that helped pave the way.  One defining moment for sure was the first time that we sold out our home town club, Lupos in Providence, RI (1500 capacity).  The joke was when we sold that club out that we would retire, but it happened well before we ever thought it would have.

TAC: How does it make you feel that you’ve turned into what Sublime is/was to you guys for a younger generation and those that were never able to see them live?

Joel Hanks:  We are honored to do what we do, and the response from fans has been amazing.  They are the reason that we continue to sacrifice any type of a ‘normal’ life and continue to pound the pavement and rack up the miles to bring them the experience.

TAC: We’re sure the past members of Sublime have reached out to you guys before. What have they said to you?

Joel Hanks: We’ve met Bud and he has been amazing to us, and thanked us for doing what we do.

TAC: What are some of the coolest things you have had the opportunity to do because of Badfish?

Joel Hanks: There are so many to name, but just recently we did a couple of very cool and unique things.  On St Paddy’s day, we opened for Snoop Dogg, and in early March we performed on the 311 Cruise.

TAC: Very cool! What can fans expect from your show here on at House Of Blues on 4/20?

Joel Hanks: A raging party.

TAC: Totally all for that. What do you do to get pumped up before a show?

Joel Hanks: Everyone in the band kind of has their own pre show routine.  For the most part, people are very relaxed before we go on.

TAC: Have you ever entertained the idea of making your own music or using this as a platform to dive into other projects as your main focus or will Badfish always take precedence?

Joel Hanks: We have started another project that features our original music.  It is called Scotty Don’t.  For a few years we were doing both sets every night, but we are starting to get away from doing that, as it was a bit taxing on us.  

TAC: Is there anything still on your bucket list left to accomplish?

Joel Hanks: It would be definitely be amazing to get to the level of band that Badfish is at with original music.  With Badfish, we want to bring this show worldwide someday soon.  

We will be looking forward to both of those things, no doubt. Catch Badfish: A Tribute To Sublime at the House Of Blues at Showboat Atlantic City this Saturday at 8 p.m. Stock up on last minute tix, here!