Katey Sagal, Bob Thiele Jr. and the Gang Reunite The Forest Rangers
Katey Sagal, Bob Thiele and their band, The Forest Rangers, created the original road-tough sound for the FX TV show “Sons of Anarchy.” The popular motorcycle show gave way to “The Mayans,” which rides the same sonic roads as “Sons of Anarchy.”
The Forest Rangers will bring their reunited band to The Mint on Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30. And Thiele, known for picking a great song or two for “The Mayans,” on which he is the music supervisor, will spin some discs as DJ for a special Hunnypot Live on Monday night, Nov. 25.
Forest Rangers tickets are available at The Mint website.
The Forest Rangers is comprised of Sagal on vocals, guitar and percussion, Thiele on guitar and vocals, Davey Farragher on vocals and bass, Phil Shenale on keyboards, Billy Harvey on guitar and Michael Urbano on drums.
Donna Balancia sat down for a Question-and-Answer session with Thiele, the band leader and music supervisor who created the dynamic sound of The Forest Rangers.
How did The Forest Rangers band originally come together?
Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver) and I were writing the theme song for SoA (“This Life”) and when we recorded it, we thought it sounded like a band. It had the qualities and characteristics of a band, coincidentally, that felt a lot like a group out of northern California, which, coincidentally, is where SoA took place.
When did you realize you should put this band together?
By the end of the first season, Kurt and I had come upon the idea that the music for the show shoulsd have a strong voice. Kurt was really intent on having music serve to advance the narrative rather than have a song to only elicit emotion as most series use music in that capacity. Fr SoA, the music became a character by the end of the first season so it was clear to make the music bearing entity and actual group with consistent themes and motifs.
Are there any new members in The Forest Rangers?
The core of the FR on SoA was myself, Greg Leisz, Davey Faragher, Phil Shenale and a couple of drummers, Brian MacLeod and later Matt Chamberlain. Greg is no longer performing with us as he’s a part of Jackson Browne’s band. Our drummer is Michael Urbano who did in fact play on some of the SoA tracks toward the end of the run. Also, Billy Harvey on guitar is part of the band.
Naturally, Katey Sagal, who was one of the first featured vocalists on SoA, is our lead singer.
How do you manage to rehearse when you all live on different sides of the country?
It’s tough! We can only rehearse when we have gigs and even that can be hard, managing all the various travel arrangements.
What is your favorite song to play as a group?
For me, it always changes. I love When I Paint My Masterpiece b/c it is generally our 2nd song in the set and it sets the tone of the show rather nicely. And it is one of the songs I get to sing. I also love Magnolia Wind because it is so much fun to sing with Davey and Katey. We’ve been together as friends for so long, it really feels like family singing together.
Is this “The End” for The Reluctant Apostles?
In a word, YES!
The Forest Rangers perform at The Mint on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30. Tickets are available at The Mint website.
Related: The Forest Rangers Wrap Sons of Anarchy at the Troubadour.
