Somethin' good was cooked up in Texas and it ain't barbeque. It's Hymns. They use a type of rich and evocative story telling that could only come from the South. The songs have a rollicking, classic sound, rich with instrumentation and full of reflective lyrical vignettes. Lead singer and songwriter, Brian Harding is a singular voice. Hymns released their 2nd album, Travel in Herds on March 11th, 2007, on Texas-based independent label, Blackland Records.
Hymns' story is rooted in childhood friendship and plays out like a scene from Stand By Me. Hymns are elementary school band mates, Brian Harding and Jason Roberts of Harrisburg, North Carolina and Tony Kent and Matt Shaw of Celeste, Texas, whom are now based in New York City. Brian and Jason continued playing together till the end of University; when Jason went on to join Ben Kweller's band as lead guitarist, and Brian relocated to NY to continue to forge forward with the band the two had ... [ Read On... ]
Somethin' good was cooked up in Texas and it ain't barbeque. It's Hymns. They use a type of rich and evocative story telling that could only come from the South. The songs have a rollicking, classic sound, rich with instrumentation and full of reflective lyrical vignettes. Lead singer and songwriter, Brian Harding is a singular voice. Hymns released their 2nd album, Travel in Herds on March 11th, 2007, on Texas-based independent label, Blackland Records.
Hymns' story is rooted in childhood friendship and plays out like a scene from Stand By Me. Hymns are elementary school band mates, Brian Harding and Jason Roberts of Harrisburg, North Carolina and Tony Kent and Matt Shaw of Celeste, Texas, whom are now based in New York City. Brian and Jason continued playing together till the end of University; when Jason went on to join Ben Kweller's band as lead guitarist, and Brian relocated to NY to continue to forge forward with the band the two had originated. During Roberts' stint in Kweller's band, he became close with band-member, John Kent, who went on to form Blackland Records. Jason loved to play John the old songs he had written with Brian while on tour, and before long, John was hooked on the sound.
In 2005, Brian's band was signed to Blackland Records with Jason back at the guitar. Good hospitality in check, John Kent offered Hymns the chance to record in Celeste, TX, population 817, home to the most decorated WWII veteran, Audie L. Murphy, and most importantly, Kent's studio, "The Vault". Their first LP, Brother/Sister garnered them national attention, playing shows with artists like Beck, the Lemonheads, Hot Hot Heat, Ben Kweller, Sam Roberts Band, the Redwalls and Butch Walker, and Celeste, TX allowed them to meet current band members, Tony Kent (brother of John) and Matt Shaw.
Recording in Texas worked like a charm, and so did the new lineup. Travel In Herds was recorded in Palmer, TX at Palmyra Studios located in the middle of a 60-acre ranch. Sleeping on studio couches, entertaining themselves with Coen Brothers movie marathons, and eating every meal inside the studio, an album reminiscent of 70's folk-rock tunes and toe-tapping rhythms was born.
A bevy of traditional and modern instruments are heard on Travel in Herds. Running the gamut from piano to pump organ, trumpet to saxophone, even the pedal steel and banjo to the electric bass and guitar, all give this record the homegrown authenticity which carries the performances from country bars to city stages providing a beautiful dichotomy between the old and new, which Hymns seem to have mastered. From the funky-horn beat of, "I Can't Be What U Want", to the Tom Petty-esque "Blame It On The Mountains", to the modern day Stones' "Rocks Off" entitled "St. Sebastian," Hymns' music falls in line with the songs of America's greatest troubadours, whose lyrics and timeless tunes resonate with fans who crave something much more than the fare offered by flash-in-the-pan bands.
'Travel In Herds' was released in March and the band will be touring throughout 2008 to support it!
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