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August 2006 News Archive (Older news link at bottom of page) |
 Studio Podcast #3 |
| Hem's 3rd Funnel Cloud studio podcast is now available for your listening pleasure. It's free at iTunes. I'm sure something from it will grace the meanings page once I somehow manage to get a copy despite iTunes being wholly and distressingly incompatible with my computer. (Worker elves are on the case, and I should have podcast glee by the end of the day.) |
 New Concert Dates |
| Oakley (Cincinnati), OH and Chicago, IL are the latest cities to hit Hem's list. Visit the tour page for details about the September 26 show in Chicago and October 1 show in Ohio. |
 Pre-order Reminder |
| Remember to pre-order Funnel Cloud by the end of the day tomorrow (9/1) to get a bonus CD or autographed album with your order. Less than a week and Funnel Cloud will swoop into stores nationwide! |
| New Concert Date and a Time Correction |
| Visit the tour page for details about a new show in New York on September 23. Changed on the tour page is the start time for Hem's September 8 show in Vancouver - it's 7:00pm, not 8:00pm like previously listed. I'd hate for anyone to be late and miss a show, much less a free one that comes with bonus refreshments! |
 Meanings Update |
| The No Word From Tom meanings page includes new additions for the songs "Radiation Vibe," "Rainy Night In Georgia," and "South Central Rain." Somewhere along the way a draft meanings page never made it to the site, so these details from an interview Hem did earlier this year with The Drop Online are making a late debut. |
 T-Shirt Design Contest Results |
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The results of Hem's contest are in, and there are two winning designs. There were a lot of lovely entries, and the ones chosen by the band to be made and sold on their fall tour are the ones to the left. Click on them or visit the contest site to view them uncropped and in full size. Congratulations to the winners! |
| August 15 New York Show |
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On August 15 Hem played a show at the SoHo House in New York presented by The Artists Den. I think part or all of the show may turn up sometime in an audio and/or video release, but right now you can see a collection of nice pictures from the concert by clicking on the preview to the left. The photos are also available through the 2006 tour archive and the tour pictures archive. |
| New Concert Dates |
| Details about three new shows are on the tour page: Minneapolis (9/27), Cleveland (9/30), and Nashville (10/6). More tour dates should be on the way, so stay tuned! Check the tour page now to see which dates Hem is playing with Ollabelle, a group with terrific harmonies and a sort of old time folky, gospel feel. One of its members, Amy Helm, sings a bit on Hem's upcoming album Funnel Cloud. |
| Lyrics Update |
| The Funnel Cloud lyrics page now includes words for "He Came To Meet Me," AKA the song I've listened to a thousand times. And that's just today. As a reminder, you can hear the tune through the music player on Hem's MySpace page. |
| New Song Download |
| Visit Hem's MySpace page to download their new song "He Came To Meet Me" through the music player in the top right corner. It will be available September 5 on Funnel Cloud, but it can be yours now for free! Grab it and start marveling at its insane instrumentation weeks early! Update August 17: The download link is now mysteriously not available, but you can still stream the song through the music player as many times as your heart desires. |
| Pre-Order Funnel Cloud |
| There are 3 great ways to pre-order Funnel Cloud, each with its own pre-ordering perks. You know you want the album, so go order one or three copies! Here's how: |
| 1. Order a digital download through Nettmusic. You'll also get a downloadable version of the album's liner notes and by ordering now you can download "Not California" immediately. The pre-order page also includes sample clips of all the songs. |
| 2. Order at amazon.com. If you order here and send your receipt to Nettwerk, you'll get a free tour EP (presumably this one on the discography page). You'll need to send in your receipt (here's how) by September 1. |
| 3. Order at Hem's store. If you order here on/by September 1, you'll get the CD autographed by the band while supplies last. Go on, pain the band's hands and make them sign their whole CD supply. |
| Random Concert |
| If you're in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, August 17, go check out Hem's Steve Curtis play with Erika Simonian at Galapagos Art Space as part of the Jezebel Music series. Showtime is 7:00pm, and it's free! Also, I've mentioned it before but now seems like a good time to mention again that if you're in the NYC area, keep an eye on Bob Hoffnar's blog to see where he'll be with his pedal steel every week. |
| Meanings Update |
| The meanings page includes new information from Hem's studio podcasts about these songs on Funnel Cloud: Curtains, Not California, Old Adam, and Reservoir. Dan, Gary, and Steve talk about the recording of (as opposed to the musical or lyrical meaning of) many more Funnel Cloud songs in the interesting, amusing podcasts, so listen to them if you can. They're like Christmas in August for the meanings page! |
| Funnel Cloud Player |
| If you haven't already noticed the animated banner that's been at the top of the news page for a day or so, click on it now to access a sort of Funnel Cloud interactive radio (or simply click here). You can hear full versions of "Not California" and "The Pills Stopped Working" along with samples of most other songs on the album. |
| Discography Update |
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The discography page includes a new promotional CD with 5 Hem songs. It's a split CD with Over The Rhine from their May 15, 2006 showcase concert in Los Angeles. (Thanks, Steve!) As a reminder, you can see lovely pictures from that show (minimally previewed to the left) through the tour pictures archive or by clicking here. |
| Hem's Official Site |
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Hem's site has a new blue look and a smattering of new content. Additions include a Funnel Cloud biography, gallery pictures from the excellent photo shoot responsible for the image to the left (click on it for a bigger and clearer version than previously available here), Funnel Cloud song clips on the music page, and a front page link to this site (thank you, Hem!). There are also two studio podcasts on the main page, but I have no additional information about them since iTunes is incompatible with Windows ME, the oft-neglected middle child between Windows 2000 and Windows XP, but it's not like I'm horribly bitter about that and casting dreamy wishes that the podcasts will appear outside iTunes in the future. |
| Lyrics Update |
| The Funnel Cloud lyrics page now includes words for We'll Meet Along The Way. The words and attributions for Funnel Cloud songs are often based on live versions, so they may change given the album versions. Of course any future changes will be noted here on the news page along with groveling, earnest apologies to any slighted band members. |
| Still More Tour Dates |
| Canada finally gets a proper Hem show! Two new tour dates: September 8 in Vancouver, BC and September 12 in San Francisco. Now Hem has scheduled shows near all my immediate family members, so it's time for a date near me. Don't let me (and the eastern half of the US) down, Hem! |
| Funnel Cloud Pre-order |
| You can now pre-order a download of Hem's next album Funnel Cloud from Nettwerk. If you place your order now, you can download the great song "Not California" immediately! The pre-order page also includes sample clips of all the songs. |
| T-Shirt Contest |
| Entries are rolling in for Hem's t-shirt design contest, so go check them out and cast some votes. There's still one week left to submit entries, plenty of time to get creative and do Hem proud. |
| Two New Tour Dates |
| Hem visits San Diego, CA on September 15 and Ann Arbor, MI on October 2. Check the tour page for all the details. |
| Tour Videos |
| The 2005 tour archive and 2006 tour archive each have (sort of) new videos. Since I acquired additional website space last month, I can finally replace some videos with ones of higher quality. They're the same as before just with improved sound and picture. The new videos that are actually old are from February 25, 2005 ("Strays" in London) and April 29, 2006 ("Hollow" and "Reservoir" in Boston). |
| Discography Update |
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In never-too-late news, there's now a picture on the discography page for a 2005 UK promotional Eveningland CD sampler. You can also see it by clicking on the preview to the left. |
| Lyrics Update |
| Funnel Cloud now has its own lyrics page. The songs there so far are the same ones that used to be on the miscellaneous lyrics page and can as before be found on the main lyrics page. Sometime in the next month the rest of Funnel Cloud's songs (except the instrumental "The Burnt-Out District") will join "Hotel Fire," "I'll Dream Of You Tonight," "Not California," "Old Adam," "The Pills Stopped Working," and "Reservoir." |
| T-Shirt Contest |
| Design a t-shirt for Hem's fall tour and win terrific prizes! Create a design, submit it online, and maybe it will be the one turned into a shirt to be sold at shows. As if that isn't enough, you can also win tickets to a Hem concert, your shirt signed by the band, and other cool stuff. Click here for all contest details. The contest runs through August 17. |
| Funnel Cloud Song Samples |
| Head over to Hem's Nettwerk discography to hear clips of every song on the upcoming album Funnel Cloud. That's right, all of them! And two songs are full length versions and not just 30 second samples! If you don't mind spoiling a bit of new album surprise, go hear the lovely tunes. (FYI, the complete songs are "Not California" and "He Came To Meet Me.") |
| New September Tour Dates |
| Two more west coast shows are on tap for September. Portland, OR is up on Sep. 9 and Seattle, WA gets a visit on Sep. 10. Find all show details on the tour page. |
| Hillside Review |
| Funnel Cloud Tracklist |
| Finally revealed: the songs and track order on Funnel Cloud. Here are the details, though they're also on the discography page. |
1. We'll Meet Along The Way
2. He Came To Meet Me
3. Not California
4. Funnel Cloud
5. Too Late To Turn Back Now
6. The Pills Stopped Working
7. Hotel Fire
8. Great Houses Of New York
9. Curtains
10. Old Adam
11. The Burnt Over District
12. Reservoir
13. I'll Dream Of You Tonight
14. Almost Home
| New September Tour Date |
| Congratulations, Los Angeles! You're the first city to get a Hem tour date in September! The band is playing at The Troubadour on September 14, and tickets go on sale this Thursday, August 3. Find all the show details on the tour page. |
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