Sturgill Simpson’s classic Sound & Fury album from 2019 was a top ten pick on my annual list of the year’s best albums, but at the time I had no idea that two Michigan musicians had played on it or that most of the tracks had been recorded in a studio at the family-owned McGuire Motor Inn in Waterford, Michigan.
Co-host Scott Baker invited Michigan bassist Chuck Bartels to be a guest on one of our recent MMHP989 podcasts. Not knowing who Chuck was at the time, it was only after I did some research to prepare for show that I discovered that he not only played bass on Sound & Fury but was also listed as a co-producer on Sturgill Simpson’s groundbreaking album. 
Chuck Bartels
The podcast episode gave me the chance to meet him for the first time and ask a few questions about Sound & Fury. That led to a follow-up phone interview with Chuck, included at the end of the article, in which he provided additional details about the recording of the album, how he came to be part of it, and what it was like to work and tour with Sturgill Simpson.
I hadn’t heard any of Simpson’s recordings until I purchased a copy of his third album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth. I loved his unconventional approach to country music, and I selected it as one of my Best Albums of 2016 on the MRRL HOF site. It was around this time that his recording contract was transferred from Atlantic Records to the Elektra label.
Regrettably, Simpson’s album was ignored by the conservative CMA awards even though it was a # 1 hit on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. It was nominated for two Grammys, however, and three months later A Sailor’s Guide To Earth was honored as the Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Album of the Year but lost out to Hello by Adele.
Following the announcement of his Grammy nominations on December 6, 2016, Simpson went on the road to promote the album despite having planned to take a break from touring to spend more time with his family. This included a three-show stint as the opening act for Guns N’ Roses on their ‘Not in this Lifetime’ tour.
Sturgill Simpson
Simpson later revealed that he suffered from a relapse into substance abuse and depression on the tour. He also stated that he was talked into going out (presumably by Elektra) despite his family commitments and suffering from exhaustion. This experience would play a major role in creating his Sound & Fury album.
Released in September 2019, Simpson described Sound & Fury as a sleazy, steamy rock ‘n’ roll record born from "burnout." He claimed the album came as the result of his 2017 tours, as well as the realization that he had become disillusioned with the music industry. Simpson revealed that his lyrics were inspired by Eminem, and that he had been listening to a lot of hip hop, Black Sabbath, The Cars, and old funk records before he went into the studio to produce a record that he called his heaviest and most psychedelic.
The recording features Sturgill Simpson on vocals and lead guitar, Bobby Emmett (also from Michigan) on keyboards, Chuck Bartels on bass, and Miles Miller on drums. All the musicians were listed as co-producers on the album, along with John Hill who also provided some additional synthesizer.
To celebrate the release of the album, the band played numerous club dates, including one at the Stone Pony in New Jersey, to benefit the Special Forces Foundation. The organization was created by retired Green Beret Ignacio Garza to serve U.S. Army Special Forces members and their families. 
Sound & Fury album
Saying that even his most ardent fans were surprised and even shocked by Sound & Fury is probably an understatement. Hal Horowitz in American Songwriter wrote “Sturgill Simpson takes a drastic and potentially fan alienating musical turn with the startling Sound & Fury. This one demolishes and confounds any audience expectations.” Bobby Moore of The Boot described the album as “a collection of dystopian rock songs.” Other critics mentioned Pink Floyd, New Order, Stone Roses, Jack White, and Tangerine Dream as possible influences while trying to describe the songs on the album that debuted at # 3 on the Top County Albums chart.
I’m much more of a rock guy than a country fan, and I thought the most interesting aspects of his previous album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, were the non-county elements that he incorporated. That being said, I never expected Sturgill Simpson’s next release to be a full-on, pedal to the metal rock album.
An additional surprise was the fact that it also served as the soundtrack for the Sound & Fury anime movie, released on the same date as the album. Loosely based on a story by Simpson, the film was produced and directed by a group of mostly well-known Japanese anime artists. Several studios in Japan participated in creating the ten episodes that accompanied the songs on the album.
Set in a dismal, postapocalyptic world where humans live in fear and deprivation, its hero is the daughter of a slain samurai warrior who takes up his sword to battle the two evil opponents who are the sources of all the misery. Full of violence, explosions, and even a little anime nudity, the 41-minute film’s storyline was fascinating to watch but difficult to follow. After only a few theater showings it was placed on Netflix where it still can be viewed today. Watch the anime video for "Sing Along' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpSMoBp8awM
Simpson cut off contact with Elektra and refused to give them any material after the release of Sound & Fury. He claimed that Elektra didn’t know what the to do with him, and that he intentionally created an album that would be difficult to market.
He also left Elektra with a million-dollar debt from costs relating to Sound & Fury's companion anime film, which was similarly hard to promote. In the same interview, Simpson heavily criticized record labels, calling them overly controlling yet noncontributory, and claimed that he was manipulated into signing a record contract by people who were no longer in his life.
While this was going on, Sound & Fury was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. It made Sturgill Simpson the only artist in history to be nominated in both the Best Country Album and Best Rock Album categories. He would also have been the first artist to win in both categories, but Sound & Fury lost out to The New Abnormal by The Strokes. The Grammy ceremony had been originally scheduled for January 31, 2021, but it was postponed until March 14th due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles.
Much like David Bowie, Sturgill Simpson seems to craft his art around confounding his fans by doing the unexpected. As a case in point, he had already released two bluegrass albums prior to the 63rd Grammys ceremony. Both the Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1: The Butcher Shoppe Sessions and Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 2: The Cowboy Arms Sessions albums featured bluegrass renditions of his earlier songs, but none from his Sound & Fury album. The albums were released on Simpson’s own independent label, High Top Mountain Records.
His next album, released in August 2021, was The Ballad of Dood and Juanita. It was a concept album set in Kentucky during the Civil War that focused on traditional country, bluegrass, and mountain music. In yet another about-face, he announced that it would be the last album released under his own name.
Sturgill Simpson’s most recent album is Passage du Deirs, released in July 2024. It was the first album issued under his new moniker, Johnny Blue Skies. The album received universal praise from critics while reaching # 9 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and # 8 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart.
Chuck Bartels started playing bass as a young man growing up in the small town of Lapeer, Michigan. Inspired by a variety of bass players including Motown’s James Jamerson, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, and Jaco Pastorius of Weather Report, he has gone on to be regarded as one of Michigan’s most respected bassists. He had been playing a five string bass until he was recruited to join Sturgill Simpson’s band. The following is a phone interview I did with Chuck Bartels in late April of 2025.
GJ. Sturgill wanted you to play a four string bass. Without getting too technical, what is he difference in sound between a five string and a four string bass?
CB. A five string bass allows you to play lower notes. They are very popular in gospel, R&B, and jazz fusion, along with some heavier rock. Sturgill wanted me to play a Fender Precision because it’s a four string that has the classic sound, a perfect tone. I realized it just sounds better after I started playing it.
GJ How did you come to be part of Sturgill Simpson’s band for the recording of the Sound & Fury album?
CB. I actually joined Sturgill’s band for the tour that supported A Sailor’s Guide To Earth. Bobby Emmett, Sturgill’s keyboard player, recommended me. Bobby’s a Detroit guy who is now with Jack White.
GJ. Do you know why Sturgill decided to record most of the album in Michigan?
CB. Sturgill had heard good things about the studio in Waterford. Pete Townshend had recorded there and McGuire, the guy that owned it, had installed all the vintage gear that Sturgill was looking for.
GJ. What can you tell me about the studio at the McGuire Motor Inn in Waterford?
CB. It had a kind of dark vibe because it was in a motel that wasn’t a dive, but it was definitely not a four-star establishment. The studio was not a separate building. It was the size of roughly two motel rooms with regular doors. You would never guess that there was a studio there.
GJ. Did Sturgill and the band stay there during the recording process?
CB. Some of the band stayed there, especially those like Sturgill who had traveled to Michigan from Nashville. I was only 45 minutes from the studio, so I stayed at my home.
GJ. Did Sturgill ever share what inspired him to make a hard rock album that was such a departure from his previous country albums?
CB. I think Sturgill is a restless muse. He's known as a country guy, but he’s a rocker too. He loves 70s and 80s rock. We got to do some shows with Guns N’ Roses, and he was in 7th heaven. It was the stuff that got him into music – Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana. He was a 90s kid, so once you get to know him, doing a record like Sound & Fury wasn’t that big of a surprise. Sturgill played a Les Paul on the record, and you could almost see shrapnel coming out of the amplifier!
GJ. It was cool that both you and fellow Michigander Bobby Emmett received co-producer credits on the album. What exactly did you do as co-producers?
CB. It was generous of Sturgill to do that. We all got to do our own parts. He didn’t sing to me my bass parts – it was up to me. There was only one time where he said to me, “Think Wu-Tang Clan.” It was collaborative, but Sturgill was definitely steering the ship, and he wrote the songs.
GJ. The anime movie that was part of the album release was unique. Was Japanese director Junpei Mizusaki or any of the other filmmakers at the McGuire Inn for the recording?
CB. The Japanese anime artists who created the film were not around during the recording, but Sturgill had classic samurai films playing on the wall during the sessions. We didn’t meet the anime artists until we went to Japan and played a festival there. Then they came to New York when we were playing there, and we got to hang out with them.
GJ. Why did the sessions move to the Butcher Shoppe studio in Nashville for the songs “Last Man Standing” and “All Said And Done”?
CB. Sturgill moved to the Butcher’s Shoppe after they ran out of time for their booking slot in Waterford. Sturgill had recorded Sailor’s Guide there, and it was a great studio. He knew his way around and was very comfortable there.
GJ. How did audiences react to Sturgill’s new songs when you went on tour?
CB. It was interesting to see the audience reaction to the new songs. I remember when they released the first single, “Sing Along.” That single and when the album was released – some people loved it, and some of his longtime fans hated it. But what was interesting, and I heard this from numerous people, is that a lot of people hated it at first and then it grew on them and became one of their favorite records. If you listen to some of the earlier albums like Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, it’s great, but he’s not going to do that record again. That’s kind of how he rolls. He’s gonna do something different. It’s him still – it’s still Sturgill.
GJ. Tell me about the club tour the band did to benefit the Special Forces Foundation?
CB. The club tour that benefitted the Special Forces Foundation was collaboration between Sturgill and a friend who was a vet that had lost both legs in an explosion. Sturgill was a Navy vet, and these types of benefits had always been close to his heart. Aside from that, it’s great for a band to do those types of small gigs because that’s where you become seasoned. It’s difficult when you’re a bigger name because you usually go straight to larger venues. Those are great too, but anyone who has played in clubs to smaller audiences knows that it’s more intimate, and you really start to get your parts down - the interworking things become so much tighter before you go on to bigger shows. I had a blast on the club tour.
GJ. When did you get to the Sound & Fury anime movie?
CB. We were in Hollywood rehearsing for the club tour when we saw the anime movie in a theater. That whole time was so much fun, both the camaraderie and the music. There was so much about the gig that was surreal, almost like a dream. From the beginning of that run with Sturgill until the end when the pandemic hit, it was great. I will say that the club tours and the weeks we were rehearsing in California were special.
GJ. Did you attend the Grammy Awards when Sound & Fury was nominated for Best Rock Album?
CB. I did not attend the Grammys. It was all so weird with the pandemic, and Sturgill tends to kind of move on to the next adventure. He was already past Sound & Fury. He also might have been a little put off after doing the Grammys for Sailor’s Guide, and his win for Best Country Album was not televised. He might have felt a little disrespected and was basically over the Grammys at that point.
GJ. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. What are you working on these days?
CB. I’m currently rehearsing for a show titled Depeche Mode vs. Nine Inch Nails. It was not music I ever got into, so I’m learning a lot. It’s for the Magic Bag in Ferndale, and I’m playing with a great cover band called The Mega 80s. I’m honored that ask me to do a couple of things with them every year.
