Sometimes it is not about the speed of things as it is about maintaining a steady, balanced approach.







Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have employed that very tactic since hitting the road with their debut album “It’s a Corporate World” in 2011.







The band is on the last leg of their “The Speed of Things” tour which stops at the Rangos Ballroom of Carnegie Mellon on Nov. 17. The show is free and open to the public.







“We agreed that we would never stop writing. The last record was written and then we did the mixtape (“Produce Vol. 1”). We decided to keep working and start making the new record right away,” Joshua Epstein said. “It has actually been pretty great because there has been no stoppage in the workflow. The only time that we are not really writing a ton is when we are on tour.”







Epstein and bandmate Daniel Zott planned strategy was a result of finding it nearly impossible to write on the road.







“It is hard, if not impossible, to write. It is more of a physical space thing. I feel that you need to not be in a place that is moving. Some people are great at it.”







Keeping a constant work pace is paying off for the band.







“I would say that we are about 85% of the way through (the new album). I think it is the best stuff that we have done yet. I’m pretty excited. I think (the songs) are connecting things which I think is really cool.” Epstein said. “We are going to try and get everything done by the holidays. Then mix and master in early January and have it done.”







The band is eyeing a spring 2015 release date. Expect to hear some new material mixed into the band’s setlist as well as some new takes on current material.







“We changed them a little bit, yeah. We are also doing some new songs. If you want to have people come to see you play, you just can’t play the record the way people have already listened to it. It has to be a moment with the people at the show and the performers.”







In a time when album sales are in decline, Epstein know that the live show is all important.







“It is always different. The best shows in the world are when everyone is connected in that moment. We are trying to have a different show. For the most part (the album dictates the live show). There is also some stuff that is always going to be there. The Jr. lights we had built for our first tour and they have come with us ever since. Stuff like that, it stays in. But for the most part, I think we change it up for every album.











The band looks home to Detroit for help getting the live show together.







“We actually have a bunch of friends in Detroit that help us with all of our visuals. All of the ideas come from our brain. And then in terms of content, we trust our friends. They are really talented and we are just curators or editors.”







The band will host a two-night homestand on Nov. 22-23 at the Crofoot Ballroom in Detroit before hitting the studio.







“(The homecoming shows) are something that is just growing. It is nice to have people in our hometown that continue to support and grow with us.”





