To playfully call Bloodkin is one of the best bands from Athens, Ga. that you’ve never heard might not be too awfully much of an understatement.

Though known to diehard roots-rock fans the world over, and to folks who follow the long arc of the Classic City’s music scene, Bloodkin are like the Elijahs of that fabled town’s rock and roll creative class: there’s always been a spot set for them at the table, but most of the time something’s kept them from showing up for dinner.

That something took many forms over the ten albums (if one counts Hutchens’ two solo efforts) they’ve made and released  over the past 15 years, but thankfully, most of those hurdles seem to finally be falling by the wayside for this supremely talented “Americana on eleven” group led by guitarists Danny Hutchens and Eric Carter.

With critics who never even knew they existed till now (including, oddly enough the famously omnivorous Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke) heaping praise on the band’s brand-new CD Baby, The Told Us We Would Rise Again, and a newfound sense of sobriety and dedication coursing through the band-members’ veins, it would seem that if ever there was a time for Bloodkin to make their mark in some bigger way, now’s their chance.

In advance of the group’s live show and CD Release Party this weekend at Locos on Broughton St. (a gig that finds them paired with one of Savannah’s own under-the-radar success stories, Turtle Folk, as an opener), I spoke with Hutchens about the past, present and future of the little band that wouldn’t quit.

As someone who has been a fan of the band and your recorded output for a very long time, this new CD sounds as polished as anything I’ve heard come from the group. Yet in some ways, I can’t help but wish it felt a little rougher around the edges, as weith some of your earlier albums. Was there a lot of discussion or pre-production involved in determining the overall sound and feel Bloodkin wanted for this record before tape ever rolled, or was that an afterthought if at all, and the songs and performances themselves dictated the vibe of the disc?

Danny Hutchens: Everyone has a different perspective, but I guess to me it’s strange to think someone regards this record as “more polished” than past efforts. This new CD was recorded almost entirely “live” in the studio, the whole band sitting around playing together in a room with the tape rolling. And all the pre-recording discussions involved exactly that idea: let’s play live and catch it while it happens.

This album in many ways is a rebirth of sorts for the band — even down to the title. Was it ever a concern that perhaps the group shouldn’t lean too heavily on the “comeback imagery,” for fear that it would as much as a marketing gimmick as the actual reality of the current status of the group?

Danny Hutchens: The “rebirth” image, the title of the record, etc..., all stem from a particular line in the song “Easter Eggs”: “Baby, they told us we would rise again/as I recall they never filled us in about when.” For any record release there’s always some sort of publicity strategy, some hook the whole thing hangs on. In this case, I think that imagery is as good a hook as any, and pretty accurately truthful to our situation.

Naming a record seems like such a big decision for a band or an artist to make. How exactly did you arrive at this title? Was it cast in stone before it was even made, or was it named in response to the finished product? Were there other suggestions that were in the running, and if so, can you share any that almost made the cut?

Danny Hutchens: As I said, the title came from a line in one of the songs. But initially I wanted to call the record Resurrection Cookies, and include said recipe in the liner notes.

I’ve always been intrigued by the name of the band, and wondered if it specifically referred to the bond between you and Eric Carter. What does that name signify to you in relation to the music this group makes?

Danny Hutchens: I had just read a story by William Goyen called “Faces Of Blood Kindred,” and that’s where the name idea came from. But yeah, we did think it kind of applied to the situation with me and Eric: our “brotherly” relationship.

Sometimes, longtime songwriting partners —such as The Posies’ Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow or Cracker’s David Lowery and Johnny Hickman— ARE the band, meaning that if the two of them are involved together, be it as a duo or in a full band situation, then it’s The Posies or Cracker — no matter who else is involved. Since I’ve seen you and Eric Carter play as an acoustic duo under the Bloodkin name, would you describe your partnership in the same terms as the other two bands I mentioned? If so, can you envision a situation where the two of you would be playing together, yet it wouldn’t feel right to bill it as “Bloodkin?”

Danny Hutchens: The history is that whatever other musicians were involved, if Eric and I were playing together, it was called Bloodkin. But present day, it would be tough for me to separate the name from the full band lineup. If just Eric and I were playing, we’d have to call it “Danny & Eric from Bloodkin,” or something (like that).

This is a slightly new lineup from the band compared to some of your earlier records. How would you describe the chemistry between the current band members as opposed to previous incarnations of the group? Are there some particular things this group of guys can accomplish musically or emotionally that perhaps prior lineups could not (and vice versa)?

Danny Hutchens: This is easily the most fun I’ve ever had playing music — stemming from the fact that we’re all true friends within this lineup, and all get along nicely. Which in the past has not always been the case.

Bloodkin has long been championed by other Athens bands —most notably Widespread Panic, who have had success with covers of Bloodkin songs— and that has helped you reach out to a lot of listeners who might otherwise never have been exposed to your indie CDs. While it’s easy to see the benefits of having more famous artists as vocal fans of your work, are there any downsides to that kind of boosterism that might not be obvious to observers?

Danny Hutchens: There are the occasional fans who come to our shows expecting us to “sound like” Widespread Panic, or to perform other Panic songs we didn’t write. But overall, the positives of the situation far outweigh the negatives.

Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers heaps praise on your group in the lengthy liner notes to this new album. It’s obvious his love for your songwriting and for this band is heartfelt. It also comes across as a big push to make some critics (and listeners) stop and take a hard look at this record and at the legacy of your band. How did him lending his name and his support to this project come about?

Danny Hutchens: The Truckers do a lot of work with David Barbe, who is also the producer of our records. Barbe played the new record for Patterson, because knowing his tastes, he just thought Patterson would like it. Which he did. A lot. Things grew from there.

There is a blunt reference in this album’s liner notes to your partner Eric’s battles with substance abuse and the organizations that provided him with the professional care he needed to reclaim his life. Without prying, how serious did things get for Eric, and do you think that without such treatment that we’d even be talking about a new Bloodkin CD?

Danny Hutchens: I already missed Eric, it was like he was already gone, at least the majority of the time. He was hard to reach. He could barely talk or walk half the time. It was a life-or-death situation. Part of the reason we’re publicizing the bad personal stuff so much is that we want to highlight the great work done by Nuci’s Space here in
Athens, and Willingway in Statesboro —among others— who truly saved Eric’s life.

You’ve played many times in Savannah over the years, both in a full band format and as a stripped down duo. What can folks expect from this CD Release Party performance in terms of the setlist and the overall vibe of the
gig? Is it true that ace Athens musicianWilliam Tonks will be appearing with you here?

Danny Hutchens: The full band will be along, including William. Setlists are always written immediately prior to the show, and even then they transform as the set goes along, but I would expect a good mix of old and new material.

Lightning Round: What’s one rock and roll song you’d be thrilled to never have to hear ever again?

Danny Hutchens: “Wango Tango.”

What’s the silliest location for a gig Bloodkin’s ever played?

Danny Hutchens: A guy named Scott’s living room in Edgewater, Co..

If you could wave a magic wand and instantly rectify any one specific career decision that this band ever made, what would it be, and why?

Danny Hutchens: Not to use more of David Hood and Roger Hawkins on our first record.

Dylan or Neil Young?

Danny Hutchens: Dylan.

Cigarettes or carrot juice?

Danny Hutchens: Carrot juice, of course!

What was the first LP you remember buying with your own money?

Danny Hutchens: Some Girls by The Rolling Stones

Who’s got the greatest electric guitar tone you’ve ever heard?

Danny Hutchens: Either Pop Staples or Keith Richards.

I know you used to play bass with the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker. What are the five words which best describe her?

Danny Hutchens: Determined, Sincere, Down To Earth, No Horseshit. Wait, that’s more than five...

What’s the most extravagant thing Bloodkin has ever requested as part of their backstage hospitality?

Danny Hutchens: I’d better not say here, ‘cause I’m pretty sure it’s still illegal.

Who’d you rather be stranded on a desert island with: the members of REM or the members of Drivin-N-Cryin, and why?

Danny Hutchens: Oh, both. All of us, and we’d have a big reality TV show, Survivor-type marathon. I’m pretty sure Pete Buck would win.

Bloodkin (CD Release Party) with opening act Turtle Folk
When: Fri., 11 pm
Where: Locos (downtown)
Cost: TBD
Info: bloodkin.net, myspace.com/turtlefolkmusic