Artist Spotlight: Meet C.B. Carlyle & the Desert Angels
What was the creative process like for this particular "The Howling?"
Antonio, Danny, and I do a lot of traveling. Last year we were out in New Orleans, playing shows, eating food, you know, the usual stuff. On our final day, we decided to get away from the tourist traps and drive out into the boonies. See the less frequented parts of the state. We both have pickup trucks that we had brought kayaks in cause we like getting time out on the rivers whenever we can. We found a place to park along the edge of the bayou and paddled out. A few hours later we were completely lost and the sun was makin that inevitable crawl down the western sky. We were in a maze of cypress trees and Spanish moss, going in circles, adrenaline pumpin. The shadows were getting long and we were panicking. Finally, the sun went down and we were in pretty near complete darkness. Then Danny noticed a light through the swamp a few hundred yards to our right. We thought it was the road and paddled toward it but when we got closer we realized it was a little shack on stilts out there in the middle of the bayou. A little john-boat with a trolling motor was tied up along the side.
We didn't want to bother anyone but we were desperate. Antonio pulled himself onto the tilted porch and went to knock on the door but it opened just before his hand met it. The man standing inside was huge, maybe the biggest guy I've ever seen in person. He was barefoot, wearing overalls with mud caked on the knees, like he'd been digging in the dirt. He had a long white beard but he didn't seem old. He invited us in and probably stupidly we accepted. We didn't want to go back to paddling through the bayou all night. He was cooking a huge pot of something and he gave us some bowls. It was one of the best dinners I've ever had. Unlike anything I've ever tasted. There were types of bones in that broth I'd never seen before. Anyway, he set down and told us a story he claimed wasn't true about a French settler he knew when he was a kid. He said this man would change at the full moon and eat livestock and children. He called him the Rougarou. After dinner, he gave us a compass and the direction home and we were back at our trucks in an hour.
The next morning we were in the New Orleans Voodoo Museum and they had this old black and white photo of a Mardi Gras parade dated February 4th, 1913 and I swear to god that man was standing a few rows back, looking exactly the same as when we saw him the night before. I wrote “The Howling” thinking about if that man had decided to follow us back that night.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "The Howling?"
I mean, Antonio is the greatest drummer of all time. Seeing him lay down that drum track flawlessly on the first take always stands out to me, especially listening to how insane it is. Also when I finally cracked the code on getting the wolf howl to last the whole guitar solo was a great feeling.
How does "The Howling" fit into your overall artistic vision?
When we started, we were definitely more of a Western country rock band, but with this new album we wanted to go for a more of haunting blues and rock sound. I drew a lot of inspiration from Howlin Wolf, Skip James, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Chalie Patton, Geeshie Whiley, and of course Robert Johnson.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
In 2020 I wrote and recorded a solo album of sad country ballads. When it came time to play some shows I realized nobody would listen to me if I didn't have a drummer, so I asked Antonio to play with me. Antonio and I have been playing together since we were kids so it was a no-brainer. After one practice with him, I said, "screw these sad slow songs, you're too good to be playing these. I'm gonna write a new album of rock songs so we can blow people's minds. The first song I wrote was 'Sweet Violence' and the rest is history.
Are there any specific artists or musicians you dream of collaborating with?
Without a doubt, my biggest living influence is C.W. Stoneking, an amazing Australian blues musician who captures a sound from the past unlike anyone else I've heard. My other is Timber Timbre, an incredible Canadian songwriter whose music has the most haunting melancholy to it. Then of course legends like Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Chris Isaak. I know those are more of a stretch but hey, you never know!