THE WHEEL WORKERS Release New Single ONE MORE THING TO SAY
Steven Higginbotham revisited and re-recorded material from a scrapped sophomore album two decades later.
THE WHEEL WORKERS, the Houston/Austin indie rock collective, have released the title track and accompanying music video for ONE MORE THING TO SAY, the lead single from an upcoming album that traces back to sessions the band began 20 years ago before it broke up. The song and video are available now.
The Wheel Workers are doing something for album eight, ONE MORE THING TO SAY. The Houston-based collective is finally releasing its sophomore album 20 years after it broke up while making it. Rediscovered and partially re-recorded by the group's current primary creative force, Steven Higginbotham, the album is a crucial missing piece in the band's artistic continuum.
The Wheel Workers have remained active after its 2006 breakup, continuing to release records with an inspired and fluid membership. Yet ONE MORE THING TO SAY always felt like the 'one that got away.' The 16-song album documented halcyon days when the original quintet were twenty-somethings living together, working crummy jobs, and jamming all of the time. That said, ONE MORE THING TO SAY isn't just new old stock. The record's pointed commentary on totalitarian political leaders (then Bush and Iraq War) feels vital today. And the two decades of recording experience Higginbotham has brought to producing One More Thing To Say make it a strong, standalone album eight statement.
'These songs always lingered in my mind, and I felt there was a gap of material important and pivotal in all of our lives,' says Higginbotham, the collective's musical director, producer, singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, and current primary songwriter. 'When I went back to the songs, I realized the magic was still there and they still resonated with me.'
The resurrection of ONE MORE THING TO SAY can be traced back to pandemic self-reflection. During this time, Higginbotham began thinking more intentionally about the material, and he started to reconnect with old bandmates. 'We had some long phone calls,' Higginbotham says. 'There was a little bit of strain between some of us, but we smoothed it out.'
Higginbotham had always been the group's archivist, and had basic recordings of many of the songs. He augmented these basic original performances with new tracks from drummer Nathan Maness and bassist Giuseppe Ponti. At times, Higginbotham redid his lead vocals, and at other times he just added backing vocals, harmonizing with his twenty-something self. Recent Workers also contributed, including Dan Workman (ZZ Top, Lyle Lovett, Destiny's Child) and Craig Wilkins on synthesizers, and Erin Rodgers and Alli Villines adding harmonies.
The album's eponymous single, ONE MORE THING TO SAY, is a political track that speaks to how the people in power that make decisions are never the same people impacted by those decisions. 'This is particularly true in war. The wealthy and powerful make choices that are for them very distant and abstract, and the poor pay the very real price,' shares Higginbotham. He pulls no punches with his lyrics. Higginbotham sings: Man the gates with all your hate/Don't you think or tolerate/Kill for peace and kill for God/Because they'd kill you if they could.
The track has a creepy lurch with an odd-metered bassline that recalls Tool, but rounded out by Doors-esque keyboard filigree and explosive powerchord slashes. This track is seamlessly an old/new hybrid, featuring contributions from the original lineup augmented by Craig Wilkins on synths and Alli Villines on harmony vocals.
ONE MORE THING TO SAY revives a shelved sophomore album that Steven Higginbotham, the band's musical director and primary songwriter, rediscovered and partially re-recorded with original and current members, including drummer Nathan Maness and bassist Giuseppe Ponti, along with contributions from Dan Workman, Craig Wilkins, Erin Rodgers, and Alli Villines.
