All About Hem

March-April 2011 News Archive

April 24, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 7

Day 7 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM adds three new songs to the Departure and Farewell album page (#24-26). Apologies again for delaying Day 7's news, but once I found out that "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was available for streaming starting yesterday, that had to be yesterday's big update.

1. You surely love the song "Half Acre" on Hem's album Rabbit Songs. Get ready to love the song even more with a reworked version of it. And I don't mean some kind of new live version (like any of the different ones available on these albums, or available at archive.org), I mean the familiar words with reworked music. It's so good.

2. "Soft Landing" is a new song by Dan and Steve.

3. "Identical Snowflakes" is a holiday tune by Dan. It is so sweet you will simply have to like it. Hem previously released two holiday songs: the classic song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and the Hem original "Peace At Last," which are both available on the Peace At Last EP. (Both songs were or are available a bunch of other places, but it's easiest to just mention the EP. If you want to find out about the various released, visit the discography page.)

4. Thank you for visiting (and hopefully enjoying) SEVEN DAYS OF HEM! I hope I'll be able to do another days-long news run sooner rather than later.

April 23, 2011

Paint It Black

I'm sorry to delay the last day of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM by one day, but this takes precedence: Hem's cover of the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" will be released on May 17, 2011, on Paint It Black, an Alt-Country tribute album to The Rolling Stones. Everybody can finally hear this song! Yay! Of note:

1. You can stream the song RIGHT NOW thanks to the fine folks at Cover Lay Down.

2. You can stream an early version of this song RIGHT NOW at Hem's Facebook page (the music player is in the Info tab - you may have to log in to Facebook). From the All About Hem archive back on September 8, 2009: "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."

3. All About Hem's discography section now has a Paint It Black album page. That page also has the album's full tracklist.

4. Hem first started talking about this song online back in April 2009: April 25 tweet and April 14, 2009 Facebook entry. I don't know why the Facebook entry is cut off mid-stream, but I'm sure Dan (who wrote that entry) will be thrilled that I have the cut off Rolling Stones bit to share: "We're heading back to Sear Sound to record a few more basic tracks ... there's a Rolling Stones cover (that is NOT going on the album)."

5. This song has been listed on the Departure and Farewell album page since April 2009 (back when it was called the "new album" page). I'm going to keep it there for now even though it's never been in great contention to be on that album (but maybe on the bonus album mentioned earlier this week on Day 2 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM).

6. Hem has a bio page at the official Paint It Black album website. I don't think there's anything new in the bio, but it is a pretty comprehensive recap of the band.

7. This could be the longest news ever, and everybody probably stopped reading at #1 when they found out they could go stream the song.

April 22, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 6

Day 6 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM brings updates to two songs (#6 and #19) on the Departure and Farewell album page:

1. Have you always wanted a Hem song reminiscent of "A Day In The Life" by The Beatles? Then "A Wolf In The Woods" is for you. For you and everybody else because that comparison (which I did not originate) bodes fantastically well.

2. You want to hear "So Long" for so many reasons, but one is for the plentiful amount of horns and brass that it may feature. Hem + horns + brass = ALL GOOD.

April 21, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 5

Day 5 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM brings you news about two songs you know. Stay tuned for more old-song-is-new surprises on Day 6 or 7.

1. The music heard in the Liberty Mutual "Carnival" TV commercial below is "Better Days," and I get asked about it all the time. The song is not available anywhere now, but a full "Better Days" may still find its way into your hot little hands in some way, so hold on tight.

2. "Gently Down The Stream" is heard in the Liberty Mutual "Election" TV commercial below and is available as a full-song download at Hem's website. (Hem's website isn't working right now - it will hopefully be back soon.) It doesn't have a proper lyric in either place, but it very well might next time you hear it.

April 20, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 4

Day 4 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM concerns two things you care about:

1. When will Hem's next album, Departure and Farewell, be released? The big push is on for it to be out by the end of the year.

2. When and where will Hem next play a live show? Will Hem ever play another live show? When: hopefully around the same time the album is released. Where: My living room. Just kidding. I wish. It's unknown where any shows may happen, though they would most likely happen in the US.

April 19, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 3

Day 3 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM brings a new song to the Departure and Farewell page: "Tourniquet." I've had the pleasure of hearing this song with a great title and can assure you that you better study up on your Brooklyn geography to be ready for this song.

April 18, 2011

Seven Days Of Hem: Day 2

Day 2 of SEVEN DAYS OF HEM brings you album news:

1. Hem's new album-in-progress, Departure and Farewell, is shaping up to be quite large, i.e., to be the typical Hem album size of 14-17 songs. Yay! Lots and lots of new music!

2. There is so much new music that it's becoming likely that there will actually be two new Hem albums, hopefully released around the same time. TWO. YOU CANNOT BE SAD. For now I'm going to keep all songs in the running for the album(s) on the Departure and Farewell page but will break that page in two (or should I say tear that page in two?) if/when that second album takes more clear shape.

April 17, 2011

Little Silver + Seven Days Of Hem

Click on the photo to the left to see Hem's Steve Curtis playing as part of Little Silver last Friday, April 15, in New York. I hope some of you got out to see Little Silver on their recent little run of East Coast shows (I know some of you did!). On the heels of me seeing that New York show, today I kick off SEVEN DAYS OF HEM. (As if every day isn't Hem Day here at All About Hem.) Every day this week I'll post some world premiere Hem news, with large thanks to Steve and Dan. Day 1 News:

1. At the New York show, Little Silver played the Hem-slated song "Jackpine." A jack pine is a tree that only seeds when burned. Perhaps you can imagine this idea fitting for Hem. For literal examples, see "The Burnt-Over District" and "Hotel Fire".

2. Hem's recent studio time has mostly focused on vocals.

March 22, 2011

Hem In The Studio

Check out Hem's Facebook today to see Dan and Gary in the studio, where the whole band has been cooped up and working like crazy people for a couple days. What are they laughing about? Does it really matter when Hem is in the studio? Stay tuned for more!

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