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Event
The Harmaleighs w/ Lost Lakes
The Harmaleighs honestly craft poetic, passionate, and powerful songs cut from a pastiche of indie, folk, pop and Americana. In January 2015, The HarmaleighsHaley Grant [lead vocals, guitar] and Kaylee Jasperson [bass, harmonies]embarked on something of a modern odyssey in support of their independent, full-length debut, Pretty Picture, Dirty Brush. The band-mates and partners got rid of their Nashville apartment, put everything they owned in a storage unit, bought a van, equipped it with a bed, and hit the road with their 8-month-old pug Gus sleeping on the dash for the next nine months. The trials, tribulations, and triumphs of this trek would ultimately inspire their upcoming EP, Hiraeth, released on May 5.
Hiraeth is a Welsh word that we stumbled upon while we were on tour, says Kaylee. It basically means, Longing for a home. Its a feeling of rootlessness and homesickness that we started to collectively feel around month six. By the end, we had burned out.
Even when we visited Nashville, we would be staying in a Walmart parking lot, sighs Haley. Thats where the whole concept came from. Its the basis for this body of work.
The lead track from the EP is the ethereal Birds Of A Feather, which is out now via all digital outlets. I wrote the song about a friend who was going through a tough time with a relationship ending, says Haley. She was explaining to me what exactly was happening and said Im just convenient for her. That specific sentence stuck in my head for a couple weeks and sparked the idea for the entire song.
The Harmaleighs debut LP Pretty Picture, Dirty Brush received accolades from American Songwriter, Songwriter UK and more, and Spotify featured I Keep Ticking On on its coveted Folk Pop playlist, amassing millions of streams and counting. The duo spent the bulk of 2016 working regular jobs and saving up money for their next musical chapter. They hit the studio with producer Paul Moak [Mat Kearney, Caitlyn Smith] and recorded the six songs on Hiraeth in just one week. As a result of the previous two years, their signature Indie Americana sound further solidified.
Our last record was very folk-pop, says Kaylee. At that point, we were going through transitions and really trying to figure out what we wanted to be. When we finished that marathon tour and regrouped, we got the chance to decide who we are as a band. We wanted to utilize more electric instruments and go more indie pop with storytelling at the core. All of Pauls productions are different. That was the allure of working with him. He helped us step up and define our style. This is really the first time were being true to ourselves.
On Lady Brain, delicate electric guitars entwine with Haleys hypnotic and heavenly delivery before crashing into an unforgettable refrain. I was watching Orange is The New Black, and in one scene the main character Piper says, Well, Im going to use my lady brain and think really hard, Haley recalls. I thought it was so fucking funny. I kept it in the back of my head. Its a bit of a sarcastic song.
Then, theres Mouthful of Cigarettes which twists and turns through a bluesy lead line until eventually culminating on a powerful proclamation, I am a fire without any wood.
I was sitting at a bar in Portland on month six of our tour, Haley continues. There was an ashtray full of cigarettes, and I was having this moral dilemma in my head. I thought, What if I put all of that in my mouth and swallow the burning cigarettes because there are flames and maybe I wont be burning out anymore? I thought it might spark the flame again.
The flame has been sparked with Hiraeth and their journey really begins now
https://www.theharmaleighs.com
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Lost Lakes is a collaboration between Corey Mathew Hart and Paul Mitch. The two met during a songwriting competition held by a local radio station. It wasn't until they returned for a duets portion of the follow year's competition that Corey saw Paul play bass and singing harmonies. The first time Corey and Paul played together, they clicked musically and personally. The collaboration has grown over the years, developing into a strong songwriting and production team with a focus on well-crafted tunes and tight vocal harmonies. Lost Lakes' self-titled debut record bears witness to their talents and the fact the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.
Recorded over a 9 month period, the recording process was a labor of love. Paul and Corey produced the record and enlisted percussionist Shane Leonard (Field Report, The Stray Birds) along with longtime bandmate Rusty Lee on keyboards to fill out the sound. The project was recorded in a shared warehouse space called the Dojo. Many of the basic tracks were recorded live in 2 separate sessions with overdubs done in small Thursday night sessions. Being fairly porous to the outside elements, the temperature in the Dojo ranged from 41 degrees to well over 100 over the course of the project, adding a sense of adventure to the sessions. Being able to take their time for this project gave Corey and Paul a lot of freedom to try different sounds and arrangements for songs they have been playing live for a couple of years. With no pressure, no deadline, and a giant warehouse space filled with eclectic gear, the two managed to create a record of the highest quality.
When it came time to mix the album, Corey and Paul called on an old acquaintance, Grammy award winning engineer Justin Guip. The two had met Guip years ago when they opened for The Amy Helm (daughter of Levon Helm) at a Barn show in Spring Green, WI. Guip also happened to have just finished a record with the Stray Birds that Shane Leonard played percussion on. The past and present collided, and the timing couldn't have been better. Corey and Paul approached Guip about mixing the record and he was very excited about the songs and tracks that were laid down at the Dojo. Guip's aesthetic greatly aligned with the vision that Paul and Corey had for the record, and the result is a compelling masterpiece.
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LocationCRESCENDO ESPRESSO BAR + MUSIC CAFE (View)
1859 Monroe Street
Madison, WI 53711
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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