On the heels of releasing their acclaimed Wildfire EP (2021) in the midst of a global pandemic, The Heavy Hours now return with Gardens, a full-length album that further exemplifies their distinctive strain of warm-hearted, open-armed alternative rock.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based quartet recorded Gardens several years ago, long before the group had management, an agent or a record label in their corner. With money they had collectively saved up, each of the members took a week off of work and set out to record a pocket full of songs at Montrose Recording located on remote farmland in Richmond, Virginia with producer Adrian Olsen (Nate Smith, Foxygen, Futurebirds).
Somehow these early studio recordings found their way into the hands of multi GRAMMY award-winning producer/songwriter and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach who immediately took a shine to the band and in turn led to organizing a writing session in Nashville, TN, which crafted tracks released on the Wildfire EP.
The Heavy Hours are returning to the road, with a hometown stop at The Southgate House Revival on Saturday, May 21st! We got the chance to chat with the band prior to the show!
How does it feel to finally be getting ready to be back on the road?
It feels amazing to finally get to be back playing shows in front of real people again. The last year or so was hard for every band, so being at the point where we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a great feeling. But live shows are our favorite part about being a band. There is no alternative to replace the feeling of being on stage and connecting with a live audience.
Tell us about the new album, Gardens...
Gardens is a really special album for us to release because it was the first album we ever wrote and recorded as a band. It was the culmination of years of writing songs together, so every song on the album truly means something to us. We wanted to write songs that brought people together, and were fun to play live, and two years later I think we accomplished our goal.
What can we expect at The Southgate House Revival?
You can expect us to play all of Gardens. But you can also expect everyone on stage to be giving their all and enjoying the opportunity to play live music again for their hometown friends and families.
What is next for The Heavy Hours?
We are going to try and hit the road and play as many shows as possible this summer. I think the live setting is where we are at our best, and we love talking with new people after shows. So hopefully the summer will be spent in our white Chevy van cruising the interstates making one fan at a time.
