Delta Rae’s Eric Hölljes Talks New ‘The Blackbird Sessions’ EP, Encouragement From Don Henley
Earlier this year, North Carolina natives Delta Rae released their debut The Valory Music Co. EP, A Long And Happy Life, featuring the rich harmonies and swirling melody of the title track.
Today (Dec. 15) the band releases a follow-up with the four-song EP The Blackbird Sessions, recorded when the band returned to same the studio where they recorded A Long and Happy Life, Nashville’s Blackbird Studios.
The group had initially intended to record a rendition of “Silent Night,” as a holiday follow-up to the band’s initial single, “No Peace in Quiet.”
“’No Peace in Quiet’ is a ballad I wrote after going through a personal heartbreak, about not being able to find peace in being by myself,” Eric Hölljes tells MusicRow. “We wanted a song that was a little more hopeful as a counterpoint to the sadness and heartbreak of ‘No Peace in Quiet.’ So we went in to record ‘Silent Night.’”
Once in the studio, the band sailed through the recording, and had enough time to put down additional songs during the session. They opted for a new version of ‘No Peace In Quiet,” along with cover versions of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” and the Eagles’ “Seven Bridges Road.” The self-contained band handled all the musical arrangements for each track during the recording session.
“The music gods were smiling on us that day,” Hölljes says. “In Nashville, everything gets processed and pitched and timed and every note gets scrutinized over. With this record, we just let it fly because we wanted it to be as real as we could be. It was just us being ourselves.”
The cover of the Eagles classic “Seven Bridges Road” is especially fitting, given that Hölljes and his Delta Rae bandmates previously collaborated with Eagles member Don Henley on the song “Tobacco Road.”
“We had put out a song called ‘Bottom of the River,’ and he heard it on SiriusXM,” Eric Hölljes recalls. “He reached out and got us to come add harmonies on his song, so we went into the studio with Don. He knows Garth Brooks and had rented Garth’s studio. Don flew in and we recorded the song there. He’s been so kind to us, and a great mentor. We’ve stayed in touch and he’s helped guide us along the way and gave us his blessing as we’ve ventured to Nashville.
“And, the Eagles are one of the best harmony bands I’ve ever heard and Delta Rae wants to be a great harmony band.”
A full album is in the works.
The Blackbird Sessions EP Track List:
1. Seven Bridges Road (Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville) | Written by Stephen T. Young
Vocals – Brittany Hölljes, Eric Hölljes, Ian Hölljes, Liz Hopkins
Acoustic Guitar – Eric Hölljes, Gideon Klein
Upright Bass – Grant Emerson
Banjo, Mandolin – Gideon Klein
Percussion – Brittany Hölljes, Liz Hopkins
2. No Peace In Quiet (Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville) | Written by Eric Hölljes, Tiffany Goss, Adam Wood
Vocals – Brittany Hölljes, Eric Hölljes, Ian Hölljes, Liz Hopkins
Acoustic Guitar, Piano – Eric Hölljes
Upright Bass – Grant Emerson
Violin – Gideon Klein
3. Silent Night (Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville) | Traditional (Written by Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young) | Arrangement by Delta Rae
Vocals – Brittany Hölljes, Eric Hölljes, Ian Hölljes, Liz Hopkins
Acoustic Guitar – Eric Hölljes
Upright Bass – Grant Emerson
Cello – Gideon Klein
4. Blackbird (Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville) | Written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Vocals – Brittany Hölljes, Eric Hölljes, Ian Hölljes, Liz Hopkins
Acoustic Guitar – Eric Hölljes
Percussion – Brittany Hölljes
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