Another shoutout to Shazam for helping me find this new band (for me).
While I was out one day I heard a song playing, and thanks to the magic of Shazam, I discovered that the song was Lost in My Mind, by the band The Head and the Heart.
I had never heard of them, but after doing some web searching, I found out about them a bit.
Here is some background, from Wikipedia:
The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band. They were formed in the summer of 2009 by Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion). The band also includes Charity Rose Thielen (violin, guitar, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), and Tyler Williams (drums). The band is signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released four albums. Their fifth studio album, Every Shade of Blue, is scheduled to be released April 29, 2022.
I love how the band came up with its name:
Johnson explained how the name of the band was chosen: “Your head is telling you to be stable and find a good job, you know in your heart that this [the band] is what you’re supposed to do even if it’s crazy.”
Early on, the band had a chance to tour with some prominent names:
The band toured extensively through 2010 and 2011 in both the United States and Europe, and opened for Vampire Weekend, The Walkmen, Dr. Dog, Dave Matthews, The Low Anthem, The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, My Morning Jacket, and Death Cab For Cutie, as well as headlining their own shows. In March 2011, Seattle’s City Arts Magazine named them “Seattle’s Best New Band”, and the band made their network television debut on April 21, 2011 on Conan. The album reached the Billboard 200 Album Charts at #110 and the record stayed on the chart for ten weeks.
The band’s second album Let’s Be Still was released on October 15, 2013, and on November 2, 2013, Let’s Be Still reached number 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Their music has also been featured prominently in a variety of TV shows and in a few films.
I’ve spent the past hour or so listening to a variety of their songs, and my favorite is Down in the Valley.
Here is how one reviewer described it:
It opens with soft guitar picking and the rasp of the lead singer’s voice; then a fiddle beckons like the promise of a warm embrace. Before you know it, soaring harmonies, a relentless drumbeat, and driving piano chords push you forward like a rushing river in the thaw of spring.
I wish I could write like that…
I think what really appealed to me as I watched the video is that it reminded me of one of my sons who had a chance to go on tour with a band as the video guy. The life of an indie band is not an easy one; you are all crammed into a van, sleep in cheap hotels, do all of your own loading and unloading, you are playing in less than ideal music venues, like school auditoriums and old movie theaters, and you never know how many people are going to show up.
But you do it because you believe in yourself and in your music. I wish The Heart and the Head the best of luck and continued success. I am looking forward to their new album.
*image from Kate Wolf Music Festival
I like their cool, mellow sound.
I once thought it would be a lot of fun to be an entertainer who lived on the road. But now that I’m older I’m glad that dream never came true. I imagine the road life must get to be a real drag after awhile.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, I would get tired of road life! Brad wanted to be a musician but he has said the same thing about being on the road all the time. Not ideal when raising a family especially. He has thought about getting with a local band and drumming away sometimes for fun, but haven’t found any yet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That would be a fun side-pursuit, if you could stay local and off the road. Does Brad have a sound-proof basement to practice in?
LikeLiked by 2 people
it must be tough for a drummer to practice…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can imagine the complaints they hear. People probably really drum it into them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am guessing they often become the cymbal of everything that is wrong with rock and roll…
LikeLiked by 2 people
And when they show up with their drum sets, I’ll bet a lot of people tell them to beat it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
probably because of all the drumsticks they consume…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Which makes them easy to run off, since they’re so chicken.
LikeLiked by 2 people
they’d be running on egg shells…
LikeLiked by 1 person
As long as the egg shells came first, before they became chicken.
LikeLiked by 2 people
yes, otherwise it would be quite messy…
LikeLiked by 2 people
GROAN!
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLike
…”smacking my head”! …
LikeLiked by 1 person
does this count as much as the emoji though?
LikeLike
Yes, are you happy? It’s called being at the computer and not my pbone. Easier to do the emoji on my phone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know what you mean 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You all had too much fun with this subject!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It really was fun. Speaking for myself, I was feeling bored from being cooped up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You got enough head smacks today, doolally!
LikeLiked by 2 people
There are never enough. I’m trying to pluck as many as I can, out of you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree; there is no upper limit on the number of hed smacks per day…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pffttt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Although she could get a repetitive motion injury if she does it too much.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ummm…where was that concern last night, doolally?
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLike
It was sleepy and needed a nap.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It gets sleepy a lot, doesn’t it?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Zzzzzzz-hhhuh?! Zzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .
LikeLiked by 2 people
were you watching one of my accounting lectures?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I’m the student who left a hundred dollars in your bottom desk drawer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s good for a C+
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good enough, then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think many of my students would be quite happy to get a C+ in their Intro Accounting class…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heh-heh. In all seriousness, this was a strong subject for me (in high school). I still do double-entry bookkeeping, tracking my personal finances. I know, I’m a nerd.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think there is a certain beauty to accounting. Nothing like a fellow accounting nerd…
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a beauty as long as everything balances out. But be off by just one penny and everything goes to hell, until you can trace it down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
and you can imagine how it must feel when it doesn’t balance, and you’re in the middle of a test…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yikes! I’d be sweating bullets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
but then you just get your breathing pillow out, and you would be ok…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I would be okay. Because answers to the test would be written on the bottom of the pillow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure someone would try that…
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
naps are good…
LikeLiked by 1 person
she might have to sue WordPress…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Technically, WordPress isn’t considered work, but maybe she could apply for Hobbyist’s Compensation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Funnny!’
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLike
she’lll probably be able to get compensated at least what she’s paid in…
LikeLiked by 1 person
After they deny her claim and she appeals several times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
she’s going to be running up some serious legal bills…
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
better than being henpecked…
LikeLiked by 1 person
the joy of blogging… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Oh my gosh! Shaking my head!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dang, still no head smack…
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have a basement, have to work on the sound proofing. LOL!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Save your egg cartons. You can soundproof a room pretty good by tacking them to the walls and ceiling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Egg cartons?? That would take a lot! But we do go through a lot of eggs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I took some broadcasting classes in college, and that’s how our studio was soundproofed. It worked good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip. 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
I want to see a picture of your egg-cartoned basement…
LikeLike
I always like low-cost, clever solutions…
LikeLiked by 1 person
But I always wondered about the fire hazard. I think egg cartons would go up in flames pretty fast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Someone needs to develop fireproof egg cartons…
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are probably a number of carcinogenic chemicals that can be sprayed on them, to make them fire retardant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
are you talking about the eggs or the egg cartons? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The cartons. Boy, you crack me up.
LikeLike
the yolk’s on me…
LikeLiked by 1 person
you can make it a community effort…
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
plus those egg cartons would be a good conversation piece…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great for breaking the ice, or at least cracking the shell.
LikeLiked by 2 people
an eggselent idea…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Groan!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dang, no head smack…
LikeLike
You got one earlier! 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
but there is no limit… 🙂
LikeLike
“Haha!”
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂
LikeLike
just buy some earplugs…
LikeLike
or buy lots of earplugs…
LikeLiked by 1 person
it would be tough to be traveling on the road with a family. I hope Brad finds a band to play with; those guys always seem to have so much fun. And I have heard that drummers are usually the toughest ones to find…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will let you know if hit happens. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍
LikeLike
I think it would be fun to do one cross country trip as an entertainer. To be up on stage and have people applauding you seems like it would be a big ego boost. And I’m guessing that by the time I would be finished, I would have reached my limit of living on the road…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might be fun as a one time thing. Maybe your son missed out on a great adventure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My son did go on the tour, it was across the entire U.S., as well as England. He made a documentary from the trip. He took a semester off from college to go on the tour, and never went back! He’s been working as an independent video editor/creator for the past 18 years…
a great example that not everyone needs to go to college…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow, that’s great for your son. He sounds like a real go-getter.
I think college can easily be more expensive than it’s worth, especially for those with an entrepreneurial mindset. For them it can be a waste of both time and dollars.
LikeLiked by 2 people
my son has managed to support himself for the past 15 plus years. He lived in Hawaii for several years, and last year he moved to Austin and loves it there… so a little bit closer!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ll bet he loves it there. In fact, both places are much warmer than PA.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hawaii for sure. But Austin, unbeknownst to me, does get quite chilly on occasion..
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think it’s like Florida. It’s usually warm in the winter, but on occasion you’d better make sure you have a coat in the closet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
my son moved there in January of 2021 when Texas got hit with ice storms and a lot of the state lost its power. It was quite chilly for several days…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gee! What timing he had. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes, they had no warm clothes, having come from Hawaii…
LikeLike
They probably were thinking, what did we do!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
not likely, knowing my son 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, what an introduction to Texas he got. Talk about your icy receptions. Yeah, I’ll bet that was a big change for him, over Hawaii.
LikeLiked by 1 person
and Texas was made a bit more challenging by the fact that he and his girlfriend had no warm clothes, coming from Hawaii…
LikeLiked by 1 person
They should have planned a stopover in Alaska, to do some clothes shopping.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Juneau, that would have been a good idea…
LikeLiked by 1 person
And they could Ketchikan of salmon while they’re at it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
while looking at Russia from their backyard…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good music. A new band to me as well. Will have to play this for Brad and see if he has heard them before. It can be really hard for a music group in starting out, for there is a lot of tough competition!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, it’s got to be hard to break through. Takes a lot of sacrifice and belief in your self, and then a reality check…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, and the reality check can be painful at times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thing reality checks often are painful…
LikeLike
I’ve never heard the sound or the band. It’s a pretty good sound, but I like the video even more as it gives us a good taste of life on the road. One can see how they have to find the energy for another gig, yet as the time draws nearer, we can see their energy rise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
well said, Pete. that is the sense I got from watching the video. There might be a lot of mundane work involved in touring, but when you get up on stage you forget all that and you are re-energized once again…
LikeLiked by 1 person
A new band to me with a pleasing sound..easy listening 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes, I’d agree that they are pleasant to listen to…
LikeLiked by 1 person
i knew them from ‘lost in my mind’ and it was one of the bands that was recommended by youtube when i discovered and started loving the avett brothers and other bands in that arena. love this video, the music and the story, it shows what it’s like on the road, and not glam but what you have the need to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s funny that you mentioned the Avett Brothers, since that was who they reminded me of.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video, it really does tell a story of life on the road…
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are always finding the most interesting musical acts. This is no exception. I love their music and their personal story. Thanks for bringing them into my view!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Brad. They do have a nice sound to them…
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are great, aren’t they! I have all of their albums in my Apple Music library, including the pre-release of the upcoming one. They haven’t done a thing in the UK charts, which disappoints me. Something of a Lumineers feel about them, I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
dang! I thought I had found one you weren’t familiar with. I even checked your web site, and I never found them mentioned.
But I guess I should have known.
They remind me a bit of the Avett Brothers…
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are many in my Apple Music library that I haven’t played on the blog: so much music, so little time 😉
They remind me of the Avetts too. I found both from YouTube recommendations – the algorithm sometimes does its job well…
LikeLiked by 1 person
there is a lot of music out there – and I’m counting on you to show it all to me! 🙂
I guess I should pay more attention to those YouTube recommendations…
LikeLiked by 1 person
No pressure, then…
Sometimes the recommendations make me think that someone has hacked their computer, but many of the acts I’ve featured have come from them. Worth a look, I’d have thought, if you watch enough on there to give them something to work with…
LikeLiked by 1 person
it would probably just recommend bands from the 70s for me… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Led Zep it is, then…
LikeLiked by 1 person
fine with me… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe I’ll check them out on the way to work this morning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could use a little more guitar. I kind of like the Paper Kites which are kind of in this genre. I have seen them in concert with my daughter twice now and if they ever make it out of Australia again, we may see them again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks for the tip on the Paper Kites. I just listened to Bloom (I picked that one because it had the most views on YouTube). Quite nice. I see what you mean by the guitar. Nice harmonies as well…
LikeLike
My favorites are probably “Give me your fire, give me your rain” or “when it hurts you”. I like a little guitar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see why you liked Give Me Your Fire – some nice video work with beautiful shots of a city at night. And I watched a live performance of When It Hurts – also very nice…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I have not seen their videos. I just listen to Spotify most of the day.
LikeLike
I never think to use Spotify, I always go to YouTube…
LikeLike
Been listening to The Head and The Heart most of the afternoon. Helps to mask the other noise from around the office as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you know more of their music than I do now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My daughter says she likes them. I feel so with it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
there you go – the hip dad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This band has a great sound. I wouldn’t feel too sorry for them. If they have had albums that charted as high as 10 and have had their music in TV shows and films, my guess is they aren’t doing too badly moneywise. Road life must be hard though. I bet getting on each others nerves on the road causes band break ups as much as artistic differences.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope they are doing ok, but I view it as a good thing that they are coming with a new album next month. So something must be working…
and I am sure you get to know each other very well when touring across the country, and there will likely be some disagreements, but that’s all part of the process of accepting each other…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think a new album means their company has faith in them to make money which is a very good thing. There is a financial incentive to get along in a band but people are people. Speaking for myself, being away from family and friends and spending most of my time with professional colleagues would get old fast even if a lot of money was involved. Hat tip to those who pull it off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure in many cases, the band members become like family and friends, so perhaps that makes it more bearable…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the introduction! I like their sound!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! This group is terrific!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought so too; glad you enjoyed it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Saw them years back. They were openers, now they’re headlining. I love their new song “Every Shade of Blue.” Yeah, they’ve aged well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
wow – you knew them early. I will check out their new song – thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person