There were a few moments from The Lone Bellow’s last show at the Paradise that are worth getting nostalgic for. The singalong in which Zach Williams, rx vocalist and guitarist, generic split open his head in the crowd with his acoustic guitar. The stirring performance of “Watch Over Us, ampoule ” a track from their new record, Then Came The Morning, which was released last month. Oh, and a cover medley that included “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” and — wait for it — Lion King theme song “Circle Of Life,” fronted by Kanene Pipkin, mandolinist and vocalist.
“If you had told me I would be singing ‘Circle of Life’ at a show, I would politely smile and tell you you’re insane,” Pipkin said in an email. “But, I guess we’re actually the insane ones, so I’d tell anyone planning on coming to shows in the future to brace themselves, and please don’t yell out anything too ridiculous because sometimes we just can’t help it.”
Now, the band is set to return to the Paradise on Feb. 12, kicking off what is bound to be a year of extensive touring in support of the new record. Then Came The Morning builds on the sound of their 2013 self-titled debut, which deftly toes the line of country, folk and rock. There are hints of gospel on the soaring orchestral title track, too.
The ability to create a lush, refined album came with the benefit of added time.
“With our first record, time was a luxury we most assuredly did not have.” Pipkin said. “We all had to ask off work to record, and spent three days laying down basic tracks at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan.”
Then, the band went down to Nashville to hear mixes and record overdubs — they later quit their jobs before heading to Austin to perform at SXSW.
“This time around, our job was to make a record, and we were able to put as much thought into every song and every sound as we wanted,” Pipkin said.
The band also worked with The National’s Aaron Dessner, who served as producer on the record. Dessner’s touch is perhaps most felt on “Take My Love,” which features urgent guitar work reminiscent of The National.
Pipkin spoke of the band’s tour manager reading an interview with Local Natives, where the band talked about its work with Dessner.
“We were already big fans of The National, and after this glimpse into their philosophy we were really hopeful that we’d be able to work together,” Pipkin said. “At the same time, Aaron had several people telling him that he should work with us. We had been hoping to make the record locally, and Aaron lives right across the park from us. From our first meeting with him, we knew we wanted him to produce this record.”
“Aaron brought so much to the table, from his own incredible musicianship, to his many connections in the Brooklyn music community,” Pipkin continued. “He cared about the recording process just as much as we did, and I think his attention to detail and his investment in the music makes this such a great sounding record.”
The trio of Williams, Pipkin and Brian Elmquist (vocals and guitar) came to the project as solo musicians. The first record centered around Williams’ songwriting, borne out of his wife’s accident and recovery. This time around, it is a much more collaborative affair. “Watch Over Us,” for instance, was originally Elmquist’s own song, slightly retooled for the band.
This month’s Paradise show sold out quickly, so the next chance many Boston residents will get to see the band is at Boston Calling.
“Festivals are such wonderful, terrifying wild cards,” Pipkin said. “As unpredictable as they are, I always enjoy festivals. Sometimes it rains, sometimes you can’t hear yourselves, sometimes a drunk person in the crowd hits you in the face repeatedly with a beach ball. You’re not just playing to your own crowd, and you have to be on top of your game. You have no laurels to rest on, and that is an exhilarating challenge for our band.”
Find tour dates for The Lone Bellow here. Watch their electrifying performance at the Paradise from 2013 below.