The Travelin’ Kine releases first new album in seven years

The first two tracks on veteran Charleston sextet The Travelin’ Kine’s new album Ride, released in early September, will feel like home to longtime fans.

These two tracks, “Again” and “Mean It This Time,” are right in the band’s wheelhouse. Singer and guitarist Slaton Glover’s rough-hewn vocals and heartfelt lyrics fit perfectly over the band’s deft mix of Americana roots music and country.

The album’s producer Josh Roberts seems to be everywhere these days; he just finished producing and playing guitar on Columbia folk singer Danielle Howle’s new album Current, and he leads his own popular rock band, Josh Roberts & The Hinges.

The sound Roberts and the band created on Ride definitely has a little more muscle than the 2016 debut album Change In The Wind, but these opening tracks sum up The Travelin’ Kine’s familiar easy-rolling sound.

Then the third track “Girl Like You” hits, leaving listeners with the question, “Wait, does The Travelin’ Kine ROCK now?”

The tune is a Stonesy splash of swagger, rhythm, riffs and a lascivious chorus of “I’ve never seen a girl like you.” It’s a refreshing, unexpected detour that sets the tone for the rest of Ride.

Augmented sound

There are plenty more ragged-but-right country-Americana tunes on the album, but then there are gnarly guitar-rockers like the beautifully named “Hangovers and Regret” waiting in the wings.

You can credit at least a bit of that new sound to the band’s newest member, guitarist Bobby Plexico, who joined the band back in 2017, after the debut album had already been recorded. “Girl Like You” is one of Plexico’s biggest contributions to the new album; he co-wrote it with drummer Jim Donnelly.

“Jim and I spent a lot of time riding to and from shows in different states,” Plexico said, “and at one point, we came up with this idea for a song which ended up being on the album.”

The journey from Change In The Wind to Ride has taken almost seven years, but the way that Plexico breaks down the writing and recording process makes it sound like most of the work was done fairly quickly, thanks in large part to The Travelin’ Kine’s efforts to have the songs and arrangements down-pat when they entered the studio. In fact, the recording process only took four days, give or take.

“We actually did it on Slaton Glover’s farm,” Plexico said. “His family has a farm in Barnwell, S.C., and the whole band went there for a weekend with Josh Roberts and set up all of our gear and decided how we were going to record it. By the time we got into the studio, we knew exactly what the tempos were going to be so that the song wasn’t rushed or too sluggish. We were loaded for bear by the time we got into the studio. We were very well-rehearsed. We knew what the particulars were, and we were ready to do it.”

Plexico added that having Roberts, lead singer and songwriter for Josh Roberts & The Hinges, as the producer was vital to the recording of Ride.

“Josh is a very, very patient person,” Plexico said. “He gives really good feedback. When you get finished with a run through, you look through the window and he’ll come over mic and say, ‘That was 90% it. Go through it again.’ Without sounding silly, it’s like a crew chief for a racecar driver or a football coach telling you, ‘Hey, you’re almost there, but this other 10% is going to make it what you’re going to appreciate in the end.’ ”

As for the band’s more rock-oriented edge in some spots on the album, Plexico said he feels like that’s what the band brought him in for.

“I think they wanted a little bit more of — I wouldn’t say hard rock by any means — but they wanted to step things up a little bit on certain songs. And I felt like that was part of my role.”
Now, with the album finally out after delays due to Covid and other issues, Plexico said he’s thrilled that people are finally hearing it.

“It’s fantastic just to release it into the world so that everybody can pick out what their favorite song is.”