Hem (band)
Encyclopedia
Hem is an indie
folk-rock band from New York City
, United States
. Band members include Sally Ellyson (vocals), Dan Messé (piano
, accordion
, glockenspiel
), Gary Maurer (guitar
, mandolin
), Steve Curtis (guitar, mandolin, banjo
, back-up vocals), George Rush (bass guitar
), Mark Brotter (drums
), Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel guitar
), and Heather Zimmerman (violin
).
Dan Messé and producer
Gary Maurer teamed up and decided to produce a record. A mutual friend, Steve Curtis, joined them. None of them knew any potential singing talents for the band, so they placed an advertisement in The Village Voice
. Overwhelmed by an onslaught of bizarre and unlistenable demo tapes, the three friends soon abandoned their quest.
Months later Sally Ellyson called Messé in response to the ad, cautioning that she was not really a "singer". A skeptical Messé asked Ellyson for a demo tape and was greatly surprised when he heard the very spare recording, which featured Ellyson's a cappella renditions of several old-time lullabies that she had recorded for the infant son of a long-time friend. Messé was impressed — and Hem had finally found itself a singer. Ellyson was soon whisked into New York recording studio, Stratosphere sound
, to record vocals on tracks that would later become the album Rabbit Songs.
Several of Ellyson's lullabies have since surfaced on subsequent Hem releases. Rabbit Songs opened with the lullaby "Lord, Blow the Moon Out, Please." from the original demo tape. Eveningland featured "Now the Day is Over" as a hidden track (after the song "Carry Me Home"), and No Word From Tom opened with yet another lullaby, "All the Pretty Horses."
Rabbit Songs was widely acclaimed in the U.S. music press. The album received glowing praise in a feature story on NPR's "All Things Considered
" and garnered an enthusiastic review from Entertainment Weekly
. Allmusic described the album as having an "effortlessly timeless appeal". Including overseas releases, the album has been issued and reissued a total of eight times as of 2006.
Problems at Hem's new label, DreamWorks Records, delayed the release of the band's second album. Finally, in late 2004, Eveningland was released on Rounder Records
. Eveningland capitalized on the success of Rabbit Songs, enjoying positive reviews in the U.S. from the likes of Pitchfork Media
as well as from international media outlets, such as the BBC
.
In early 2006, Hem's third album, No Word From Tom, was released by Nettwerk. In much the same vein as the band's EP
I'm Talking With My Mouth
, No Word From Tom showcased a collection of cover songs, live versions of original songs from prior albums, and some new material.
Later in 2006, Hem received a career boost when the song "Half-Acre", from Rabbit Songs, was featured in a television commercial for Liberty Mutual
insurance, which brought their music to many who might not otherwise have heard it. In May 2007, in a follow-up campaign, Liberty Mutual used Hem's music once again, debuting a new song, "The Part Where You Let Go."
Hem's fourth album, Funnel Cloud, was released on September 5, 2006. Funnel Cloud was recorded with a 21-piece orchestra, and with help from the likes of former The Smashing Pumpkins
guitarist James Iha
and Ollabelle
vocalist Amy Helm (daughter of Levon Helm
). One of the songs from the album, "Not California", was subsequently featured on NPR's "All Songs Considered." Funnel Cloud was dedicated to the memory of Dermot FitzGerald
who helped to finance the band during their early career.
In 2007, the band received another career boost when they played with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall
, for the Boston Pops' annual event Edgefest
.
The band provided the music for the 2009 Public Theatre production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" at the Delacorte Theater
in Central Park
, featuring Anne Hathaway
in the role of Viola
. The band received a nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play for the 2009/2010 Drama Desk Awards.
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
folk-rock band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Band members include Sally Ellyson (vocals), Dan Messé (piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
), Gary Maurer (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
), Steve Curtis (guitar, mandolin, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, back-up vocals), George Rush (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Mark Brotter (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
), and Heather Zimmerman (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
).
Band history
In 1999, songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Dan Messé and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Gary Maurer teamed up and decided to produce a record. A mutual friend, Steve Curtis, joined them. None of them knew any potential singing talents for the band, so they placed an advertisement in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
. Overwhelmed by an onslaught of bizarre and unlistenable demo tapes, the three friends soon abandoned their quest.
Months later Sally Ellyson called Messé in response to the ad, cautioning that she was not really a "singer". A skeptical Messé asked Ellyson for a demo tape and was greatly surprised when he heard the very spare recording, which featured Ellyson's a cappella renditions of several old-time lullabies that she had recorded for the infant son of a long-time friend. Messé was impressed — and Hem had finally found itself a singer. Ellyson was soon whisked into New York recording studio, Stratosphere sound
Stratosphere Sound
Stratosphere Sound is a recording studio located in New York City. Previously known as "The Place", the studio was renamed Stratosphere Sound in 1999....
, to record vocals on tracks that would later become the album Rabbit Songs.
Several of Ellyson's lullabies have since surfaced on subsequent Hem releases. Rabbit Songs opened with the lullaby "Lord, Blow the Moon Out, Please." from the original demo tape. Eveningland featured "Now the Day is Over" as a hidden track (after the song "Carry Me Home"), and No Word From Tom opened with yet another lullaby, "All the Pretty Horses."
Rabbit Songs was widely acclaimed in the U.S. music press. The album received glowing praise in a feature story on NPR's "All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
" and garnered an enthusiastic review from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Allmusic described the album as having an "effortlessly timeless appeal". Including overseas releases, the album has been issued and reissued a total of eight times as of 2006.
Problems at Hem's new label, DreamWorks Records, delayed the release of the band's second album. Finally, in late 2004, Eveningland was released on Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. Eveningland capitalized on the success of Rabbit Songs, enjoying positive reviews in the U.S. from the likes of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
as well as from international media outlets, such as the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In early 2006, Hem's third album, No Word From Tom, was released by Nettwerk. In much the same vein as the band's EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
I'm Talking With My Mouth
I'm Talking With My Mouth
I'm Talking With My Mouth is an EP by indie folk band Hem. It consists of five cover songs and was sometimes included with pressings of their debut album, Rabbit Songs.-Track listing:...
, No Word From Tom showcased a collection of cover songs, live versions of original songs from prior albums, and some new material.
Later in 2006, Hem received a career boost when the song "Half-Acre", from Rabbit Songs, was featured in a television commercial for Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual Group, more commonly known by the name of its primary line of business Liberty Mutual, is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the United States based on 2010 net written premium. It is the 82nd company on the Fortune 500 list for 2011...
insurance, which brought their music to many who might not otherwise have heard it. In May 2007, in a follow-up campaign, Liberty Mutual used Hem's music once again, debuting a new song, "The Part Where You Let Go."
Hem's fourth album, Funnel Cloud, was released on September 5, 2006. Funnel Cloud was recorded with a 21-piece orchestra, and with help from the likes of former The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
guitarist James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
and Ollabelle
Ollabelle
Ollabelle is a New York based folk music group named after the influential Appalachian songwriter Ola Belle Reed. The group is composed of five singing multi-instrumentalists hailing from disparate parts of the United States, Canada and Australia.-History:...
vocalist Amy Helm (daughter of Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm , is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band....
). One of the songs from the album, "Not California", was subsequently featured on NPR's "All Songs Considered." Funnel Cloud was dedicated to the memory of Dermot FitzGerald
Dermot FitzGerald
Dermot FitzGerald was a leading Irish businessman and philanthropist. A descendant of the aristocratic Earls of Desmond, FitzGerald was born in Limerick, Ireland to a southern Irish Protestant family. His father, Gerald FitzGerald, was a bank manager. He attended Wesley College, a prestigious...
who helped to finance the band during their early career.
In 2007, the band received another career boost when they played with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...
, for the Boston Pops' annual event Edgefest
Edgefest
Edgefest, a yearly outdoor rock concert festival that primarily promotes Canadian rock music, began in 1987 as a thank-you gesture to the listeners of Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday, and the coinciding Canada Day...
.
The band provided the music for the 2009 Public Theatre production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" at the Delacorte Theater
Delacorte Theater
The Delacorte Theater, established in 1962, is an open-air theater located in Manhattan's Central Park and has a seating capacity of 1,800. The Delacorte is owned by the City of New York and operated by The Public Theater. It is an open-air amphitheater, with the Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle...
in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, featuring Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
in the role of Viola
Viola (Twelfth Night character)
Viola is a fictional character from the play Twelfth Night, written by William Shakespeare around 1599 or 1600.Viola's actions produce all of the play's momentum. She is a young woman of Messaline, a fictional country invented by Shakespeare, although some believe that this country really did exist...
. The band received a nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play for the 2009/2010 Drama Desk Awards.
Albums
- Rabbit SongsRabbit SongsRabbit Songs is an album by Hem. It was released on June 11, 2002 on DreamWorks Records. The album was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered following its release, and the song "Half Acre" was later used in a Liberty Mutual commercial.-Track listing:...
(CD) - DreamWorksDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
- 2002 - EveninglandEveninglandEveningland is the second album by indie folk group Hem. It was released on Rounder Records after a delay caused by the folding of the Dreamworks music division...
(CD) - Rounder RecordsRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
- 2004 - No Word From TomNo Word From TomNo Word From Tom is the third album from indie folk band Hem. Released on February 7, 2006, it features covers, live songs, and new recordings from the band.-Track listing:# "All the Pretty Horses"# "Rainy Night in Georgia"# "Radiation Vibe"...
(CD) - NettwerkNettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
- 2006 - Funnel CloudFunnel Cloud (album)Funnel Cloud is the fourth album by folk rock band Hem. It was released on Nettwerk on September 5, 2006. Considered the band's most ambitious work to date, they recorded the album accompanied by a 21-piece orchestra, as well as James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins.The concept was conceived on the...
(CD) - NettwerkNettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
- 2006 - Twelfth Night (CD) - Waveland - 2009
EPs and Singles
- I'm Talking with My MouthI'm Talking With My MouthI'm Talking With My Mouth is an EP by indie folk band Hem. It consists of five cover songs and was sometimes included with pressings of their debut album, Rabbit Songs.-Track listing:...
EP (CD) - Waveland Records/Setanta RecordsSetanta RecordsSetanta Records is a UK Independent record label. The label was at the forefront of the indie Irish music scene in the late eighties and nineties as itchampioned young Irish groups.-History:...
- 2002 - Birds, Beasts, & FlowersBirds, Beasts, & Flowers (album)Birds, Beasts, and Flowers is a split EP between indie rock band The Autumn Defense and indie folk band Hem. It was released on September 28, 2004 on the Arena Rock Recording Co. label.-Track listing:# "Half Acre"...
EP (CD) - Arena Rock Recording Co.Arena Rock Recording Co.The Arena Rock Recording Company is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Albums are distributed by Redeye in the United States and Koch in Canada.-History:...
- 2004 - Home Again, Home AgainHome Again, Home AgainHome Again, Home Again is the sixth release by folk rock band Hem. The EP was released on June 26, 2007. A song from the EP, "The Part Where You Let Go," was featured in a 2007 Liberty Mutual commercial.-Track listing:...
EP (CD) - 2007
Compilations
- This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based CompilationThis Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based CompilationThis is Next Year is a compilation album released July 17, 2001 by Arena Rock Recording Co.-Disc 1:#"Radio" – The Walkmen#"I've Got A Fang " – They Might Be Giants#"Wasting In The Sun" – #"Keep Your Feelings To Yourself" – Clem Snide...
(CD) - Arena Rock Recording Co.Arena Rock Recording Co.The Arena Rock Recording Company is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Albums are distributed by Redeye in the United States and Koch in Canada.-History:...
- 2001 - Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello (CD) - Bar None Records - 2003
- Stockings By the FireStockings By the FireStockings By the Fire is a holiday compilation album, released in the United States under Starbucks' Hear Music label on November 1, 2007. The album reached a peak position of #34 on the Billboard 200 on December 15, 2007, and was ranked #10 on the magazine's list of 2008's Top Independent...
(CD) - Hear MusicHear MusicHear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - 2007
External links
- Hem's official website
- All About Hem fansite
- Hem collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Arena Rock Recording Co.