Ramblin’ men

Le Trebuchet’s new EP, ‘Without Warning’, is an acid-soaked trip through the Southwest

Miles of land separate the members of Le Trebuchet.

As the crow flies, a sum total of about 538 of them lie between drummer Alec Mayes in Durango, guitarist and singer Jeff Nickell and bassist Alec Tippett in Flagstaff and guitarist Jay Meyer in Bisbee, but despite the growing distance and contraction of time, the four musicians have produced a new EP titled “Without Warning”. Recorded in February 2020 at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe, the album feels like an ode to a ramblin’ man, wandering the Southwest, searching for … something.

In a conversation with Meyer, he admitted that it would be really cool to say that there was a specific story that Le Trebuchet was trying to tell with this new record, but this time, that isn’t the case.

“I think the throughline would just be a reflection of our lives in the Southwest,” Meyer said, “We do spend a lot of time on the road, all of us, traveling for work, and we’re all into the same things. And I think that’s why we come back together and continue playing.”

As a band that manages to meet only three or four times a year, their ability to remain connected and active is unparalleled, but Meyer suggests that their unique lack of time, though challenging, has allowed them to mature as both friends and musicians. The key, he says, is “finding ways to respect each other’s growth, process and creativity in that shared space.”

For Le Trebuchet, this manifests in the rehearsal and touring logistics— meal planning, drive scheduling, nap breaks, etc. Meyer says that this level of focus has allowed them to maximize their time together and grow closer as a result.

“Friends who haven’t seen us play for a long time, they’re like, ‘I don’t know how you guys do it, but you sound tighter and tighter every time you get together,’ and I think that’s a reflection of, like, our personal dynamic. I think that shows on stage in a way that’s a little hard to quantify,” Meyer explained.

It’s this feeling of reunion that drives their high-energy performances, and it’s their ability to allow each other space that put them in the mindset that they needed to create “Without Warning”.

Similar to their previous albums, “Without Warning” has a timeless, rock ‘n’ roll vibe that’s sort of hard to place—each track feels rooted in its own musical history. The opening song, “Stonehouse”, chugs to a strong blues rock rhythm that harkens back to Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Chuck Berry, while the final song, “Turquoise Eyes”, is soaked in a psychedelic, west-coast vibe that feels reminiscent of The Doors.

From front to back, “Without Warning” takes listeners on an acid-soaked trip through the history of rock, transporting them to the dusty Southwest where the sun can be at once refreshing and harsh. The top notch production quality is the icing on the cake, making an already-compelling record into punchy, propulsive and digestible six-track piece.

Every new song that the band releases is an investment in themselves and an affirmation of their commitment to each other and the music.

After performing an electric show at Yucca North in February, Meyer hopes that they will be able to show off their new tracks at some larger venues in the region.

“We’ve been wanting to play some bigger stages,” Meyer said, “and I think the biggest hurdle there for us is just scheduling because everybody gets so busy in the summer. It’s hard to find one that we can all jump in on.”

But despite these challenges, Le Trebuchet isn’t worried. If “Without Warning” proves anything, it’s that challenges offer new opportunities.

“Without Warning” will be released on April 11, but if you’d like to hear more of Le Trebuchet’s music, you can listen to their first two albums “Volume II” and “The Overthrow” wherever you get your music.