Sessions Archive

The Henry Clay People are the embodiment of a live studio session. They are sincere, authentic and make no apologies for creating straightforward three-chord American rock music.  They hate wearing headphones in the studio, prefer to record like it’s a rehearsal (they plan to cut their next record like this) and are comfortable with slight imperfections as long as the vibe is right. We were serving up stiff bloody marys with over-sized celery sticks looming out of the cups like redwood trees on this Lollapalooza morn. The vibe was certainly right.

I’ve been a fan of this Orange County, CA band, led by brothers Joey and Andy Siara, since they released For Cheap Or For Free last year.  As I listened to the album, I thought their sound was like Stephen Malkmus fronting The Hold Steady. I got my first glimpse of them live at SxSW at the party we co-hosted then we caught their set at Lollapalooza this year as the rain started falling. They won over the day one Lolla crowd immediately with their energy and addictive party songs.

The following morning we all met up at Shirk’s studio, exchanged pleasantries and started nursing our collective hangovers with the aforementioned hair of the dog and vegetable adornments. The band set up in record time and started tearing through their new material much to our delight. The only old track performed was “Something In The Water” upon request by Shirk.

The Henry Clay People are another one of those bands that are impossible not to love. Secretly, all the HearYans wanted to take the after session party to a local bar and spend the rest of the afternoon tossing back shots and slapping high fives with the band, but like all artists passing through, The Henry Clay People had a full schedule and were busting their asses to make a name for themselves. Here’s to hoping they accomplish that mission.

The Henry Clay People Circus Band Intro

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – End Of Empire (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – The Switch Kids (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Keep Your Eyes Closed (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Randy, Where Is The Rest Of Me (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water (old track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Running On Empty (Jackson Browne Cover)

Download The Henry Clay People Session as a zip.

See all the session videos at our YouTube channel.

Video: The Henry Clay People – Randy, Where Is The Rest Of Me?

We’ve been all over The Deep Dark Woods since we missed their album Hang Me Oh Hang Me as one of the best of 2007. Since then, we’ve became enamored with their Grateful Dead influenced alt-country style and when Winter Hours was released this year, it quickly became a favorite. They joined the lineup at our first ever SxSW party and then The Deep Dark Woods stopped by Shirk’s studio for a live session during their first ever trip to Chicago.

This is probably the most anxious I’ve been to hear a live session and the end result was well worth the wait. I previewed the tracks to a few folks and here were a few comments that came back:

“Heartbreaking.”

“Devastating.”

“Beautiful.”

Few bands can capture all those sentiments with 6 live tracks in a studio, but The Deep Dark Woods bottled up magic on this day. The session starts with an amazing new song called “The Banks Of The Leopold Canal.” It’s a Canadian soldier’s tale of woe as he’s forced to leave his love for battle in WWII. Ryan was inspired to write the song after seeing a special on The Battle of the Scheldt in which an interviewed soldier was quoted saying “thousands were dead in the Leopold Canal.” That line became lyrics in the song.

“Two Time Loser” is an upbeat honkey tonk reprieve before we’re introduced to another new track called “Ballad Of Frank Dupree.” It’s a fictional song about a man who murders his girl and repents as he faces death by hanging at the gallows. It’s hard not to sympathize with this criminal as he blames the liquor and tries to explain his evil sins to his mother and father.

In addition to “Two Time Loser,” you’ll also hear two other tracks from Winter Hours including the title track and “All The Money I Had Is Gone” before they indulged us with a special request in a traditional cover of “River In The Pines,” my favorite track from Hang Me Oh Hang Me. They’ve also added a keyboardist that gives a new dimension to each song. Anyone that follows us on Twitter knows how excited I was to share these tracks. I can’t wait for you to listen.

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – The Banks Of The Leopold Canal

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – Two Time Loser

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – Ballad Of Frank Dupree (video)

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – All The Money I Had Is Gone (video)

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – Winter Hours

Exclusive: The Deep Dark Woods – River In The Pines (video)

Download the session as a zip file.

Video: The Deep Dark Woods – Ballad Of Frank Dupree

More videos:

The Deep Dark Woods – All The Money I Had Is Gone

The Deep Dark Woods – River In The Pines

If I had to choose one band to go on tour with, it would hands down be These United States. Over the course of the nearly 3 years that HearYa has been in existence, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lot of great bands. These United States have that rare combination of incredible musicianship and personality that’s so hard to find in an industry filled with introspective types.

Both lead singer Jesse and drummer Robby had me and the rest of the HearYa crew rolling for the majority of their 4 song session, as evidenced by the purposefully-out-of-tune HearYa/Beer Nuts tag they recorded for us.

They rolled into Chi-town fresh off a gig in Indy, dealt with the traffic from Chicago’s Air and Water show, and made it to the studio just after 2:00. They were quite thirsty, so SafariMan and I headed to the nearest CVS for a case of Miller Lite and a twelver of Coors Light cold-activated bottles that were warm-inactivated. After a few swigs of beer, the guys were off and warming up.

Unfortunately, I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t found the time to listen to their latest album prior to the band coming in. It didn’t take long for me to realize that these guys were the real deal and their latest, Everything Touches Everything, is easily one of the best albums of the year. It will be released tomorrow (9/1) and you should purchase it.

The guys played their hearts out for close to two hours, and by the end of the session they were drenched in sweat. We snapped a couple pics and they took off to Subterranean to open up for Lucero. Helluva set and just great guys. I walked away a huge fan – I guarantee you will too. Great session.

Exclusive: These United States -First Sight

Exclusive: These United States – I Want You To Keep Everything

Exclusive: These United States – The Important Thing

Exclusive: These United States – Study The Moon

Download the entire session as a zip.

Video: These United States – I Want You To Keep Everything

And as a side note, These United States beat music blogger, Dodge from MOKB/LaundroMatinee, at a game of pool during a stop in Indy and took his coveted trophy.  That same trophy is now touring with the band to celebrate said ass whooping.

Rock Plaza Central, one of Canada’s finest exports, happened into our studio during June and knocked out a few new tunes off their excellent release At The Moment Of Our Most Needing. Led by frontman, Chris Eaton, the Canucks displayed their unique look at alt-country with experimental elements of Neutral Milk Hotel.

If you are new to Rock Plaza Central, Eaton’s vocals will be the first thing you’ll notice.  He has a unique sound that, in the context of accompanying arrangements, fits perfectly. While songwriting and vocals may grab your attention, be careful not to miss some outstanding work by Andy (drums), Scott (bass/guitar), Fiona (violin) and Donald (guitar/trumpet). On “Oh I Can”, the drum build-up is slow and hypnotizing and when the band enters with the chorus, it’s as if you are smacked out of a stupor.

As with all live sessions, commentary is secondary. Let’s just enjoy the work of Rock Plaza Central and producer Steve Shirk. And as always, thanks for listening and supporting independent music.

Exclusive: Rock Plaza Central – Oh I Can

Exclusive: Rock Plaza Central – Handsome Men

Exclusive: Rock Plaza Central – Foes

Exclusive: Rock Plaza Central – Gutter Dance

Download the session as a zip.

Video: Rock Plaza Central – Handsome Men

A day or so after The Devil Makes Three stormed through Chicago, a buddy of mine asked how I liked the DM3 session. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully and responded in such fashion:

“DM3 album es bueno”

“DM3 in studio es muy bueno”

DM3 live at Beat Kitchen es muy bueno con queso”

What the hell does that mean? Besides the obvious, 1) everything goes better with cheese and 2) I have a limited use of the English language.

It means that DM3 are one of the better live acts touring the country these days. Individually, Pete, Lucia and Cooper are each immensely talented, but the way they work together is the real treat. With a frantic brand of music that feels like it could easily veer off the tracks at any moment, it’s imperative that the three band mates not step on each other’s toes or the music could get muddled. Luckily, Devil Makes Three has the technical chops to pull each song off flawlessly.

Shirk did a fantastic job of capturing their sound here, but I implore you see them live if you have the chance. They even joked about the studio performance at the show, saying it was tough to play standing still to remain on camera.

The crowd at the show that night was a demographic mixed bag, which is consistent from what I’ve read in press clippings. From one release, I read “The Devil Makes Three has developed an audience that encompasses just about every kind of music fan from punk rockers to Deadheads, bluegrass barflies and rockabilly fanatics to indie rock kids.”

Didn’t matter what they were wearing. Everyone was dancing their ass off and I almost had my ACL torn apart by a girl slipping in her stilettos.

Exclusive: The Devil Makes Three – For Good Again

Exclusive: The Devil Makes Three – Do Wrong Right

Exclusive: The Devil Makes Three – Poison Trees

Exclusive: The Devil Makes Three – Help Yourself

Exclusive: The Devil Makes Three – The Day I Jumped From Uncle Harvey’s Plane

Download the session as a zip.

Video: The Devil Makes Three – Do Wrong Right (see more videos from this session here).

Alabama vets, The Dexateens were to kind enough to stop by our studio earlier this summer. My appreciation for this band has grown over the years and the turning point was when they worked with Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers) on Hardwire Healing. Patterson is one of the icons of the alt-country genre and his influence is ever present in the music of The Dexateens.

Their latest effort, Singlewide, has enjoyed steady play in my rotation this summer. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating – it is the perfect evening album for the summer. It’s easy-going vibe is the perfect transition as day turns into night and the kids head off to bed.

The boys laid down four live tracks during their visit to Chicago. “Granddaddy’s Mouth is a tune that didn’t really stand out  during my countless album spins, but it was the one that knocked my socks off.  It has a nice mid-70s Stone vibe, back when they weren’t trying too hard to be the Stones. Thanks for listening enjoy the downloads.

The Dexateens – Trail

The Dexateens – Can You Whoop It

The Dexateens – Grandaddy’s Mouth

The Dexateens – Down Low

Download The Dexateens Live Session as a zip.

Video: The Dexateens – Grandaddy’s Mouth

Dexateens – “Grandaddy’s Mouth” – HearYa Live Session 5/20/09 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

Our 50th live session! I remember the day in Austin at South By Southwest when Oz and Shirk hatched this plan. And I remember my skepticism. What band is going to stop by the studio for a brand new blog? We invited a few bands to the studio, Shirk worked his magic and we slowly learned a few things. Ha Ha Tonka came in for Live Session #8 and knocked our socks off. I glanced over at Shirk afterward and we both seemed to have the same thought – “Hell, this might really work.”

Things have taken a life of their own since then and it’s fitting that our 50th session is a repeat visit from one of our favorite bands, Ha Ha Tonka. Not only do I love their music, but I also now consider Brian, Brett, Lennon and Luke friends. On their recent visit to Chicago they had a night off, so the scene in the studio was easy going and relaxed. I headed down with my 5 year old, Teddy, picked up a couple of beers and settled in for a good evening of music.

The band worked through a couple of takes before nailing “Close Every Valve Of Your Bleeding Heart,” one of my favorite tunes of the year off of this year’s album Novel Sounds Of The Nouveau South. As the night wore on, Teddy had the chance to sit in with the band for a little jam session. Lennon and Luke kept the beat as Teddy pounded away on the kit. Brian and Brett soon joined and I thought my son’s smile was going to explode off his face. The only thing that would have excited him more was if Luke Skywalker was on the bass instead of Luke Long.

As we drove home listening to Ha Ha, I thought how cool it was that my son just played with one of the best young bands in America. I expected Teddy to be asleep the minute I pulled away, but he was abuzz with excitement. After years of telling me he was going to be a construction worker when he grows up, he’s now decided to be a rock and roll guitarist. Teddy took a real shine to Brett (lead guitar) and wanted to listen to only Brett’s songs on the way home.

It’s difficult to express how much I enjoy Ha Ha Tonka. The band continues to grow and challenge themselves and their warm personalities accent their music like barbecue sauce on a slab of ribs. If you haven’t yet, catch them on tour and make sure to introduce yourself. You’ll see what I mean.

Exclusive: Ha Ha Tonka – Walking On The Devil’s Backbone

Exclusive: Ha Ha Tonka – Close Every Valve To Your Bleeding Heart

Exclusive: Ha Ha Tonka – Hold My Feet To The Fire

Exclusive: Ha Ha Tonka – The Outpouring

Download the session as a zip.

See the rest of the videos over here.

Video: Ha Ha Tonka – Walking On The Devil’s Backbone

Ha Ha Tonka – “Walking On The Devil’s Backbone” – HearYa Live Session 5/3/09 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

I first heard of Horse Feathers when they opened for Blitzen Trapper at Schubas last fall.  The music was stunning and the crowd shut up and listened quietly to the entire set.  Fast forward a few months to a sunny Friday morning at SXSW, and I’m sitting with the HearYa crew in gravel at Homeslice Pizza watching Horse Feathers kick off our day.  Again, the crowd quickly shut up and listened. Fast forward a few more months and I found Horse Feathers at Schubas for the first of two sold out shows with Joe Pug.  Once again, the show was exceptional and the crowd took notice.  After a few too many beers and a couple of shots, I decided to head home because Horse Feathers was coming into my studio at 11am the following morning.

I showed up to the studio with a headache, reminding myself I am no longer in my 20’s.  Justin, Nathan, Catherine, and Sam rolled ina few minutes later, coffee in hand an ready to go.  We positioned the mics and cameras and got rolling.  Their music is awesome and seeing them pull it off in an intimate setting like this was something to behold.  Justin’s voice is smooth as silk and the band delivers an incredible dynamic behind him.  Every time I looked up from the control room, somebody was picking up a new instrument to add to a part, mid-song.  Nathan’s performance on the saw during “Heathen’s Kiss” gives such a dark and haunting texture, while Sam throws the kitchen sink at the music from banjo, mandolin and violin to percussion and glockenspiel.

I had my hands full for this session, covering both audio and camera-switcher duties, so it took me a song to get things under control. I missed a few things in the process.  You’ll notice Justin’s floor tambourine is a bit cutting and loud, especially on “Working Poor.” Like hi-hats in a drum kit, a little goes a long way and this tambourine went ALL the way.  These are live sessions though and you can’t control all the variables. Sometimes you just gotta deal with it.  I was tempted to say something after the first take, but instead I thought twice and did what everyone should do when seeing Horse Feathers. I just shut up and listened.

Exclusive: Horse Feathers – Working Poor

Exclusive: Horse Feathers – Heathen’s Kiss

Exclusive: Horse Feathers – Curs In The Weeds

Exclusive: Horse Feathers – Rude To Rile

Download the entire Horse Feathers Session as a zip.

Video: Horse Feathers – Heathen’s Kiss

See the rest of the videos from our session with Horse Feathers on our the HearYa YouTube Channel.

I have had the privilege of seeing many phenomenal acts roll through the HearYa studio for some intimate personal concerts. I don’t think there has been a session yet that has moved me like this one, featuring Stillwater, Oklahoma band Other Lives. Their arrangements are simply amazing and they have a unique ability to sound like they’ve spent years deliberating over every note while still coming off as natural and spontaneous.

As they were getting ready to start up the Leonard Cohen cover of “The Partisan,” I asked Shirk if he thought the band would mind if I lied down in the middle of the studio while they played. Different music elicits different reactions, but with the Other Lives, I just want the music to wash over me. I am still getting goosebumps listening to this batch of songs and I’m 10 listens deep.

From a more personal standpoint, I don’t have enough good things to say about Jesse, Jenny, Colby, Jonathon and Josh. Shirk and I ended up hanging out with them after their set at Schubas to take in the Elvis Perkins in Dearland set. They were an absolute pleasure to hear in the studio and all around good people to spend time with. We wish them the best on the rest of their tour and look forward to seeing them back in Chicago at Lollapalooza.

Exclusive: Other Lives -AM Theme

Exclusive: Other Lives – Paper Cities

Exclusive: Other Lives – The Partisan (Leonard Cohen Cover)

Exclusive: Other Lives – Precious Air

Exclusive: Other Lives -It Was The Night

Download the Other Lives session as a zip.

Video: Other Lives – Precious Air

You can see more Other Lives session videos over on our YouTube Channel.