How Ben Kyle beat Lyme disease, Tony Zaccardi bought a bar, and Romantica made a new album out of old songs.
Frontman Ben Kyle curated and compiled Outlaws from previous recording sessions and live shows over the past 10 years, during his more than two year recovery period from a life-threatening bout with Lyme disease.
Since Kyle formed Romantica in 2002, the Americana/rock/folk band has gained renown for their extraordinarily poignant songs with poetic lyrics and excellent instrumentation, as well as their captivating live shows.
Outlaws features contributions from former Romantica members Luke Jacobs and James Orvis, current members Tony Zaccardi, Danger Dave Strahan, Ryan Lovan, and Aaron Fabbrini, as well as longtime collaborators Jessy Greene, Eric Heywood, Carrie Rodriguez, Joe Savage, Alex Oana, Tom Herbers, and Brad Bivens.
City Pages had the opportunity to meet with Kyle and Zaccardi.
CP: Please tell me about your new album, Outlaws—how it came to be, your inspiration for creating it.
BK: The name comes from the idea that these songs are all outlaws from the Romantica catalog. Over the years, as we made albums, there were tracks that were still favorites by at least some of the band, if not all, but didn’t fit on an album for thematic reasons, or the context.
I had just come out of a two to three year experience of an illness, struggling with Lyme disease. So, awakening out of that and regaining a lot of my ability and cognitive functionality and imagination and creativity and ability to create, I’d had a chance to reflect on some of the work we did. And listening to some of these songs again, I was wowed by how beautiful they are, or what they have to offer or to surprise me, in that I ignored them for a long time, but realizing there was some depth and treasure in what we’d left behind or forgotten.
I thought it was perfect timing to coincide with the celebration of healing and a resurrection feeling I am getting from coming back from this illness, to put together this group of songs that were also outlawed for a time. In my explanation of the illness to fans, I talk about how it felt like being outlawed or exiled from normal life. It got so bad, I couldn’t touch my phone or use my computer. It was really the feeling of being exiled. So there’s a commonality there with the idea of these songs.
CP: Have the songs changed in their meaning or significance to you over time?
BK: Yes! Yeah, they really have. I wrote the song “Give Your Heart a Shelter,” and it was all about not doing what you’re supposed to do, but instead just staying home and taking care of yourself. Basically giving yourself time to heal, and waiting until the words are true and until the light shines through. And at the time I didn’t know I was about to go through this Lyme disease... Read full interview here: http://www.citypages.com/music/how-ben-kyle-beat-lyme-disease-tony-zaccardi-bought-a-bar-and-romantica-made-a-new-album-out-of-old-songs/481698671
