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January 2006 News Archive (Older news link at bottom of page) |
 No Word From Tom Meanings |
 NPR All Songs Considered |
| Yesterday's edition of All Songs Considered on National Public Radio included some kind words about Hem and "Radiation Vibe" off No Word From Tom. Go give it a listen still a couple weeks away from the album's release. (After next week's edition airs this one should be found on ASC's archive page as show #101.) One thing the broadcast doesn't tell you about this song is that Hem's Gary Maurer worked on the original version of it by Fountains of Wayne. Yes, I'll add that and other tidbits about No Word From Tom's songs on the meanings page by or upon the album's release. |
 Join the Street Team |
| If you're going to one of Hem's February shows or have been thinking about going, here's a nice opportunity for you. This request comes straight from the band. |
| Hem is looking for some local "street team" help at their shows as they pass through your hometown on their February tour. If you're interested in helping sell CDs and shirts, your assistance would be 1) greatly appreciated, 2) worth two tickets to the show and some free merch. If you think you might be interested, just email the band at hem@eveningland.com. Thanks! |
 New Wallpapers |
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There are already 3 new wallpapers available at Hem's site. I hope you were quick on the trigger to grab the last 3 there in the art style of the website because they only appeared for a couple days. The new free wallpapers are photographs, including one from the great New York series of pictures like the photo on the left used on the cover of the "Hollow" CD single. While you're there at Hem's site, check out the Hem's Favorites section which has also recently been updated with music, books, and movies currently distracting the band from making their own music (or providing them with inspiration, whichever). |
| Rabbit Songs Images |
| The meanings page now includes photographic illustrations for every song on Rabbit Songs. Each picture symbolized a particular song at Hem's original rabbitsongs.com website, since redesigned. The pictures are similiar to those used in the Rabbit Songs liner notes, but they're all different and all non-instrumental tracks include snippets of lyrics. Seeing the new wallpapers a few days ago reminded me that I've had these pictures waiting in the wings for ages. I'm not sure they best fit on the meanings page, so if I later move them I'll note it here in the news. |
 Special Preorder Offer Reminder |
| Tomorrow is the last day for the special bonus if you preorder No Word From Tom through Hem's Nettwerk store. Order the CD by January 25 and you'll get it autographed by the band and sent to your door for free if you're in the US. (If the store lists a US shipping fee, it won't be charged to you.) This is your final reminder! |
| Ringtones and Wallpapers |
| Hop on over to the extras at Hem's site where you can download new cell phone ringtones of "An Easy One" and (an especially nice selection of) "Half Acre." There are also 3 new wallpapers for your computer desktop in the art style of the website. The wallpapers are free, but the ringtones cost a few dollars each. |
| Rabbit Songs Discography Update |
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The discography page now includes pictures of the first incarnation of Hem's album Rabbit Songs. As you can see, the artwork is completely different on this homemade non-commercial release than on any version sold in stores. To see a larger picture of the cover and the insert artwork, click on the image to the left or visit the discography page. Thank you, Dan! |
 Frequently Asked Questions Update |
| In considerably less interesting news, I updated the FAQ page, now with 100% functional links. If only Hem's site would stop adding new content because then I could be considerably more lazy. |
| New Tunes At MySpace |
| Head on over to Hem's MySpace page where they have a couple more songs from No Word From Tom available for your streaming delight. New on MySpace are "The City And The Traveler" (also available here for free download), "The Golden Day Is Dying" (at Hem's site for download here), and "Tennessee Waltz" (a live version not previously available). It's a good thing that the new album has 18 tracks because even with all this pre-release sharing there are still many more songs, plus the lovely and informative liner notes, to enjoy upon the album's release. |
| Special Preorder Offer Reminder |
| There's one week left for the special bonus if you preorder No Word From Tom through Hem's Nettwerk store. Order the CD by January 25 and you'll get it autographed by the band and sent to your door for free if you're in the US. (If the store lists a US shipping fee, it won't be charged to you.) You know you want the album, so go order it now! |
| February Tour Date In Philly |
| The tour page includes new details for a February 28, 2006 show in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are on sale now. |
| South Central Rain |
| Hello to everybody in Canada who's found their way here thanks at least in part to a Jan. 14 article in the Toronto Star that included Hem's cover of REM's "So. Central Rain" as #3 in a list of 'anti-hit' album-maker songs. This excerpt sums up the song in a lovely way: "the tempo is so dilatory, the band sounds like they're reluctant to reach the end of the song. We share the feeling." You can stream the song at Hem's MySpace page and order the album it's on through the links at the top of the news page. |
| Download "The City And The Traveler" |
| Visit Hem's home page to download "The City And The Traveler" from the upcoming album No Word From Tom (scroll to the bottom of the page). Go get Eveningland's "Cincinnati Traveler" all gussied up with piano and lyrics! |
| Win Tickets to Feb. 9 Lincoln Center Show |
| A reminder: JamBase, a website for live music news and reviews, is giving away 3 pairs of tickets to Hem's February 9, 2006 show in New York at Lincoln Center. Click here for the contest entry page. If you're not already registered with JamBase, you'll need to sign up (it's free) to enter the contest. |
| New Official Site Look |
| Go check out the fine new look at Hem's Official Site. While the content is nearly the same as the previous version, it has an entirely new very brown, very animal friendly design. Two site additions you may particularly enjoy examining are the sound samples of every song on Hem's full length albums on the music page and the new pictures on the gallery page. The new photos aren't identified, but they're the ones from Hem's June 2005 UK Forest Tour that begin at the top of the rightmost column if you scroll all the way over with the left arrow. (FYI, all the other concert pictures plus more are also available through this page here at All About Hem.) It looks like more's to come at the official site, so keep your eyes open. |
 All About Me |
| Today is All About Hem's second birthday. I can't believe it's been two years! The past year was great, and I hope 2006 is even better. Thanks to everyone for visiting and especially to everybody who's sent me news, pictures, and words of encouragement. This site wouldn't be nearly as full of information or as fun to work on without your help. Specific thanks to K. for all the lovely graphics that gave the site new life last summer. The biggest thanks of course go to Dan, Gary, Sally, Steve, and the rest of Hem for their beautiful, inspiring music and for all the kindness and support they've shown me and the site. I'm truly grateful. |
| No Word From Tom Lyrics |
| The lyrics page now includes lyrics for all the songs on No Word From Tom. Since all the songs on the album have been made available in one form or another, by Hem or another band, all the lyrics are here before the album's February 7 release date. You can directly access the new lyrics here. The lyrics not already available with Rabbit Songs or Eveningland will be included with No Word From Tom, so you'll be able to get them there too - which you should of course do because the album looks and sounds beautiful. |
| Small Discography Update |
| The discography page now includes an entry for a European promotional sampler for Eveningland. Only the track listing is there now, but once/if I have a picture of the CD I'll post it, along with any other details I gather related to the disc (like what reissue of Eveningland the CD is promoting). |
| February 2006 Tour Dates |
| The tour page now has the (probably complete) list of February tour dates. Newly added today are shows in Arlington, VA, Louisville, KY, and Birmingham, AL. Keep checking back for more tour dates in the US and the UK. Edited to add: Atlanta, you're now on the list too! |
| Sample No Word From Tom |
| Hem's Nettwerk page now includes sample clips for every song on No Word From Tom. In a bit of a surprising twist, more than excerpts are there for 3 songs, which are there in their entirety: "All The Pretty Horses," "Cincinnati Traveler," and "The City And The Traveler." Go, listen to the teases! As a reminder, you can also hear "So. Central Rain" in its entirety on Hem's MySpace page and all of "The Golden Day Is Dying" by downloading it at Hem's site. |
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| FYI, the page that has the No Word From Tom samples also has RealAudio samples of every song from Rabbit Songs and Eveningland. |
| No Word From Tom Preorder Update |
| In addition to being able to preorder the CD through Hem's (Nettwerk's) store, you can order No Word From Tom for download as a full album or as individual tracks. Presumably you won't get an autographed copy of the album if you order the download instead of the CD, though. |
 August 2005 Radio Show Online |
| You can hear Hem's August 3, 2005 interview and performance on radio station KTBG in Kansas City, MO by visiting this page. Their segment lasts 35 minutes and is pretty funny and informative with 3 interview segments separated by 3 in-studio performances, including a so-called blooper version of "The Fire Thief." You can find a permanent link to this interview at the interview/articles archive. |
| Official Site Address |
| Hem's attempt to fill your browser's bookmarks entirely with their own site continues with the addition of hemmusic.com to the official site collection which already includes 3 other addresses (see the FAQ page). The sites all mirror or redirect to each other, so it doesn't matter which one you visit. Glimpses of the new site design are evident at hemmusic.com if you poke around a bit, so the new design and content will probably be complete soon. Stay tuned! |
| South Central Rain |
| Hem has their cover of REM's "So. Central Rain" from the upcoming No Word From Tom album available for listening in their MySpace player. Go listen now! I'm not kidding - now! I'll be here when you get back, still dying from the chorus! |
| Small Discography Update |
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There's a larger, clearer picture on the discography page for the WYEP compiliation album including a lovely radio performance of "All That I'm Good For." You can also click on the picture to the left to see the larger image. As a reminder, you can order that album from WYEP here. |
| Another February Tour Date |
| Pittsburgh, PA is now on the list. Check the tour page for details, including how to buy tickets starting tomorrow at 10am. |
 Dawn Landes Show Download |
| In news that I've been meaning to mention for ages, Dawn Landes opened for Hem before playing with them in Chicago, IL on January 20, 2005, and you can download her set at eMusic. As a bonus, the last 6 songs each include a Hem guest cameo from Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel), Gary Maurer (mandolin), or John Flaugher (bass). If you're not signed up with eMusic, you can register for a free trial at their site. The 2005 tour archive includes a permanent link to this download. |
| February 25, 2006 Boston Ticket Change |
| FYI, after I posted this tour date yesterday the ticket on-sale date changed. It's now a day earlier, on January 4 at 10am. Full details on the tour page. |
| More February Tour Dates |
| New 2006 tour dates continue to trickle in, this time for Nashville, TN and Boston, MA. Visit the tour page for details, including how and when to buy tickets. Keep checking back for more tour dates. |
| Win Tickets to Feb. 9 Lincoln Center Show |
| JamBase, a website for live music news and reviews, is giving away 3 pairs of tickets to Hem's February 9, 2006 show in New York at Lincoln Center. Click here for the contest entry page. If you're not already registered with JamBase, you'll need to sign up (it's free) to enter the contest. |
All About Hem (c) Copyright 2004-2006
This site is fan run and is not affiliated with Hem in any way. You can visit Hem's Official Website
here. You can contact me at christina@allabouthem.com
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