All About Hem

September 2009 News Archive - Older news link at bottom of page

September 18, 2009

Listen to Twelfth Night!

Click here to enjoy a stream of Hem's upcoming album Twelfth Night. I particularly recommend "Full Fathom Five," "O Mistress Mine," "The Wind And The Rain," and "Where Is Fancy Bred?" (my selections of which may possibly be biased since those are the songs Hem worked on the superb day I visited the studio). You can find out more than you'd think possible about the album on the Twelfth Night discography page.

September 9, 2009

Billboard Article

Click here to read an article from today at Billboard.com about Hem's upcoming Twelfth Night album (available October 27 - pre-order your CD now!). Dan talks a bit about the project, and the song he's talking about from "The Tempest" is "Full Fathom Five," which I can attest is awesome. You can find a permanent link to the article at the interview archive and a lot, a lot, a lot about the album on the Twelfth Night discography page.

September 8, 2009

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Now streaming as a super free gift on Hem's Facebook page is an early Hem version of the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want." (Look for the music player down in the left hand column.) As explained by the band: "Buried in the music player, you'll find the boys of Hem working out our arrangement for "You Can't Always Get What You Want". This recording may be of interest to anyone curious as to how we work out our material. It also clearly ...bears witness to Sally's ability to take our ideas and make them soar – wait til you to hear the finished song, complete with badass orchestral arrangement and Sally's beautiful voice..." It's true, everybody will flip when they hear the finished song.

Twelfth Night Album Tracks

The Twelfth Night discography page is updated with the complete 28-song track list with the songs in the order you'll find them on the album. It was mostly right before, but now it's all right. (Thanks, Dan!) No more news for today, so the onslaught of italics is over.

September 6, 2009

Twelfth Night Album Cover

Click on the little preview to the left to see a larger version of the album cover for Hem's Twelfth Night album due out October 27. Looks like someone found amusement in the rain that affected the summer's play performances almost daily. You can also visit the Twelfth Night discography page for that picture and much, much more about the album and the June-July 2009 play that inspired it.

New Q&A Article

Go read a detailed Question & Answer session about the Twelfth Night album with bonus end content regarding Hem's upcoming all-originals album, Departure and Farewell. Although it's titled "Q+A with Hem's Dan Messe," Steve Curtis chimes in too, though with significantly fewer references to "The Big Lebowski" and to flying via high-tech pants than Dan manages to make. Better luck next time, Steve. You can find permanent links to this article at the interview archive, the Departure and Farewell discography page, and the Twelfth Night discography page.

September 3, 2009

Best Voices In Indie Rock

Guess who is on Paste Magazine's new list of the Best Voices in Indie Rock? "Ellyson’s voice is the very essence of pretty." Well, obviously. More about Hem from Paste:
* January 30, 2007 Paste Culture Club podcast with an interview and exclusive live songs
* Paste issue #26 party
* Dan Messe's contribution to Paste's list of the 100 Best Living Songwriters
* No Word From Tom era article
* Eveningland era long article
* Blog about Hem's awesome show with the Boston Pops (there was a 2nd one too)

Click here for older news