One of the hottest national bands these days is, believe it or not, from Pittsburgh. That's right, the town that has brought you the blues, more blues and the hair thing. Somehow, out of the mess, surfaced a sound described as tribal, earthy, Latin-American, voodoo-like. This sound could only belong to one band, Rusted Root. These guys have gone from The Artery to Graffiti to A. J. Palumbo to Coca Cola Starlake and the Civic Arena. It's been a long time since a local band has held that honor and Rusted Root has earned it. After their last record, "When I Woke," sold over a million copies, tours with Plant/Page, Allman Brothers, The Dead and the H.O.R.D.E. soon followed. Somewhere along the way, Rusted Root headed into the studio to do it all again. The end result is Remember, a record that has shown the maturity of their music. They even brought in ex-Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison to produce it. We caught up with frontman Michael Glabicki, before they head off to play Farm Aid and their own headlining tour. Glabicki let's us in on what Rusted Root has been up to and what to expect from their latest.. Remember.

RRR: With the new album "Remember" shows a new direction for the band, at times it's a little folky.

MG: Definitely, we used different arrangements and instrumentations. We were looking for a more diverse record. We wanted each song to have it's own personality. We even recorded it differently from the last record-- there's more studio trickery. We explored more in the studio. The last record, we went in and played live. I feel that's fine for some things, but to recreate it in the studio, it's hard to find the live energy. You're in a room... (laughs). We went in as "each musician," and used the studio, engineers and effects to their limits, for each members' part. You can't do that live.

RRR: How did you end up using (ex-Talking Heads') Jerry Harrison as the producer and what was he like to work with?

MG: Originally, we were going to work with Bill Bottrell, who produced When I Woke, but Bill had to back out due to some personal problems. At that point, we were going to do the album in Pittsburgh. It ended up following through, because we could get the space at the time we needed it. That day wasn't a good day, he couldn't do it, no studio and our equipment got trashed in the flood. (Laughs) After shuffling through producers, we came up with Jerry, but we didn't think he was available. Then the record company came to us and said they could get him and felt strongly about using him. With us being a band, we got very alarmed by the record company wanting us to do something so badly (laughs). So we ended up fighting with them for awhile, but we realized it was all because it was their idea. We knew in our hearts Jerry was the best for this material. But, sometimes that band thing shines through. (Laughs) He was great to work with, he understands the band's dynamics.

RRR: Did he have some input into the record?

MG: Yeah, we originally went out to San Francisco and rehearsed, we ended up writing 23 songs. After going through each song and worked on it, we ended up with 18. Jerry helped out with some of the structures. We ended up giving him a nickname, Jerry "The Bridge" Harrison. He always wanted to put bridges in the songs. (Laughs) or more bridges.

RRR: Looking back at the record, are you happy with the result?

MG: "Yeah, oh yeah. As albums go, this is the one I'm most happy with. It captures us where we are at now.

RRR: You've added more electric guitar on this record, will this be a problem live?

MG: No, I'm actually practicing with it more. It's been a while, but it also opens more avenues for us. It's just a part of the growth the band has experienced.

RRR: How do you see this record being perceived by your fans and general public?

MG: I think it may be received all different ways, depending on what people are open to. Most people will be really psyched. It's a very strong, charismatic album. Sometimes you just put it out there and see.

RRR: After another successful tour with the H.O.R.D.E. are you guys official members now?

MG: (Laughs) I don't know. This year we got to headline on the tour, which was great. Next year, we are going out and headline our own tour of amphitheaters. It will be fun.

RRR: What did you like most about this year's tour?

MG: I thought Natalie Merchant was great. The best part about the H.O.R.D.E. too, was playing with Taj Mahal. I always liked those guys. Just being able to play with them was an honor. I'll never forget it.

RRR: Rusted Root will be apart of the Farm Aid show this year. How did that come about?

MG: Actually, Willie Nelson picked us for it. I'm not sure where he heard us. We got a call and it said Willie wants you. (Laughs) You got to go when Willie calls. I guess when we finally meet him, we'll find out where he first turned onto us.

RRR: After the Farm Aid show, you head off on a headlining tour. When will you hit back in town?

MG: It's going to be a 3 to 4,000 seater type tour. It kicks off October 15th and goes through to our New Years Eve show here in Pittsburgh. The tour hits the whole country. Then, we head back out in January to hit the places we missed. What's going to be nice is we are using all different bands as openers, so the show will always seem to be changing-- Keeps it fresh.

RRR: Will we see anymore acting in the future?

MG: (Laughs) Yeah, we are going to be doing a video next week for "Sister Contine." We don't have a director yet, but it will all come together. I'm still not sure about doing these videos. It feels strange, but it's part of the business. RRR: Besides the tour and the record, what else do you have going on?

MG: Let's see hmmm; they take up most of the time, but we will be on the Conan O'Brien Show. It will be on October 25th. RRR: How hard is it doing those shows?

MG: T.V. shows? They are kinda rough, because they are real sterile. They usually are places you would never play music at. It's hard to get pumped up. You wait and then you have to be on, like now! So, we always sit back and play for a half hour or so, before we go on, in the dressing room.

RRR: What advice can you give a band starting out or looking for a record deal?

MG: The most important thing is to do it yourself. It's really kinda dangerous to think where we would have been if we didn't have such a following, before we signed with the record label. Just doing it on your own gives you more leverage and freedom to do what it is you do. If you sell a lot of CDs on your own, when the record company comes in, they won't try to turn you into something. Why change something that is working. They just need to expand on a business in a marketing sense. When we first signed, the record company only showed up a few times while recording When I Woke. It's because they just wanted to leave us alone. They knew how we worked and trusted us, instead of coming in and taking over. Just get out there and sell them CDs (laughs). A lot of the time you forget it is a business and don't get me wrong, it's easy to get wrapped up in it. There are things that surprise you and things you won't like. There's no certain thing, but you are always learning. There really isn't a simple plan.

RRR: How is working with the label, now that your last record did so well?

MG: It's definitely better. We have developed a relationship. They kinda slowly evolved with us, now they understand what we are doing. It's always a struggle to stay there.

RRR: Is the label happy with the record?

MG: Oh yeah, they are psyched! They seem to be getting behind us and giving it a big push. This really helps out in a positive way. When we play out in California, people already know us. It's great walking out and a few thousand people are screaming for you. It's not your friends, it's people you never met before and they like you (laughs). What's your favorite track of the record?

RRR: I'd have to say "Who Do You Tell It To." It's a great catchy cut.

MG: Cool man, you will have to stop out New Years Eve and party with us. Tell everyone thanks for all the support and always "Remember," Rusted Root.