30 Feb 8th–Feb 14th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Rock On Inside the ‘Roadhouse Blues’ collab between local favorites The Black Moods and The Doors’ Robby Krieger. BY JENNIFER GOLDBERG I n the hands of The Doors, “Roadhouse Blues,” released by the classic rock group as the B-side to “You Make Me Real” in 1970, is a gritty, unpredictable number that American Songwriter calls “a rock ‘n’ roll dynamo.” Last fall, popular local power trio The Black Moods took the American classic and put their own spin on it — with a little help from a famous friend. The original track and video of The Black Moods’ cover of “Roadhouse Blues” featuring original Doors guitarist Robby Krieger dropped in October, and it was a dream come true for Black Moods frontman Josh Kennedy. “Every time I’m around him, I’m just grateful to be next to him,” Kennedy says of Krieger. Krieger wrote or co-wrote a number of The Doors’ biggest hits, most notably “Light My Fire,” although the lyrics for “Roadhouse Blues” came from lead singer Jim Morrison. He contributes guitar work (and awe-inspiring rock pedigree) on The Moods’ cover. There’s something notable missing off The Black Moods’ cover; specifically, the song’s iconic harmonica sound. There’s a reason for that, Kennedy explains. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was supposed to appear on the track, but due to some personal issues, he wasn’t able to make it. “Maybe we can still get him on it,” Krieger remarks. “Who knows?” But there’s something the new version has that the original version doesn’t: a searing female voice in the form of Diamante Bovelli, known professionally just as Diamante. The Black Moods invited her to partici- pate because, “she’s a great singer for one, but we played a few shows with her and we thought it would be cool to bring a female vocal style into it,” Kennedy says. “We love her to death. We played with her at a couple festivals. She was just down to earth. We knew she wouldn’t fangirl out. We knew she’d keep her composure when Robby walked in the room.” He laughs, “I failed miserably, though.” The studio session for “Roadhouse Blues” wasn’t the first time Krieger and The Black Moods had played together or even met. The Moods’ manager, Brandon Freisen, who knows Krieger, suggested the collaboration in part because the band had opened for him on several occasions, including a 2017 gig at Marquee Theatre in Tempe during which Kennedy came to the stage during the Robby Krieger Band’s set to sing “Roadhouse Blues.” The band —including bassist Jordan Hoffman and drummer Chico Diaz — came to Krieger’s studio in Southern California in November 2022 to record the track, and at first, it wasn’t quite clicking for one particular reason. “We were so excited that we were in the room, I had kind of refrained from getting stoned that day,” Kennedy recalls, “and and the first couple takes we did, we were a little stiff.” As he tells it, between takes Hoffman went out for coffee and ran into Krieger on the way back into the studio. Krieger asked him if the band “still smoked grass,” Hoffman said yes, and Krieger responded, “Maybe you could like burn a joint or something before the next take.” “Jordan goes, ‘Robby said we need to smoke some grass,’ so we went out, burned a joint, came back in, and that’s the take we used,” Kennedy says. “Roadhouse Blues” had been in The Black Moods’ repertoire for quite a while, and the band’s comfort with the classic song is evident on the track and in both versions of the video — an extended version with more than an extra minute of music was released a couple of weeks ago. Diaz, Hoffman and Kennedy always look happy to be performing, and their characteristic joy is a nice foil to Krieger’s quiet focus. “It was fun, a fun day,” Krieger says. Krieger’s latest album, “Robby Krieger and the Soul Savages” came out on Jan. 19. The Moods play around town and the country regularly; they opened for Orianthi at Celebrity Theatre on Feb. 4 and recently announced that they’ll open for ZZ Top at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott on April 24. They’ll also appear at SanTan Gardens in Chandler on March 8 and 9 to perform, sign bottles and promote their Black Moods American Whiskey and Bad News Bourbon. Which is to say, all the musicians involved in the latest version of “Roadhouse Blues” are plenty busy, but they’re open to the possibility of making another collaboration happen, maybe sometime in the future. “It was an honor and a pleasure to get to play with Robby, that’s for damn sure,” Kennedy says. Clockwise from top left: Krieger and The Black Moods listen to their cover of “Roadhouse Blues.” The Black Moods inside Robby Krieger’s studio. Black Moods bassist Jordan Hoffman. (Photos by Tracy Hang) ▼ Music
