Natalie Hemby
“For 10 years I had tried to write to be my own artist. I would always hit a wall, or the music format would change,” Natalie Hemby told MusicRow on Friday, Feb. 3 during a visit to the magazine’s offices. “Each year that went by I would be told, ‘She’s kind of too old to be an artist,’ which is kind of hilarious to me.”
The singer-songwriter, who has penned chart-topping hits for artists including Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, and Toby Keith, eventually found the inspiration and courage to release her own music. Through revisiting her roots during the making of her 2015 documentary, Puxico, a collection of music was to emerge by the same title.
Though born and raised in Nashville, Hemby would travel to Puxico, Missouri, each summer to visit her grandfather George Hemby, a longtime sawmill worker who played bluegrass music at VFW halls and churches.
For nearly 70 years, Puxico has held its annual Homecoming festival, originally organized to welcome soldiers home from World War II. During the five-day event, the 1000-person-town would swell to between 8,000-10,000 people each evening, as attendees enjoyed square dancing, music, carnival rides and parades.
“I just noticed one year that the attendance was down, and I thought, ‘I hope this is not dying off, because this is part of my history,” Hemby says. “I want to take my kids here and I want them to take their kids here.’ I told my husband that it would be cool if someone did a documentary about what it takes to keep a tradition alive and a hometown alive.”
Hemby spent two weeks filming the residents in Puxico, and then spent the next five years slowly piecing together a documentary and accompanying music. The resulting documentary would give a voice to numerous small-town citizens, whose stories are often overlooked.
“Small towns get a bad rap sometimes, but I feel they make some of the most amazing people you never hear about,” Hemby says.
People like Wayne, a Puxico resident whose family had lived on a farm for five generations. He would rent silos to store his grain until the time was right for it to be sold. When the silo company went bankrupt, a judge ruled that the soybeans stored in the silos belonged to the bank.
“He had to fight tooth and nail,” Hemby says. “He had fellow farmers come from all over and they cut his grain out of the silos and shipped it off to all these different places. He paid a dear price. He went to jail several times, and tried to get pardoned by President Reagan at the time. Bill Clinton came and visited him in jail. But you would never know that. He was a little town in Puxico when he lost that farm because he stood for civil disobedience. That’s kind of why I wanted to do this whole thing.”
Attendees during the Puxico Screening
In 2009, Hemby’s “White Liar,” which she co-wrote with Miranda Lambert, became a No. 1 song. Other chart-toppers would follow, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” “Drinks After Work” and “Automatic.”
“Around that time, the heavens opened and all the hits rained down. I was firing on all cylinders. So the documentary was on the back burner for a bit,” Hemby recalls. After the passing of her grandmother, she found a new urgency to complete the project.
“Writing music for a documentary is interesting because you cannot be too specific. For any kind of film, you can’t be like, ‘I went down to the store…’ and show the guy walking down to the store,” she says. “You have almost write the feeling of the documentary or the movie.”
She enlisted the help of fellow songwriter Trent Dabbs. The first song she co-wrote for the album, “Return,” became the closing track on the project. Over time, she accumulated an album’s worth of songs to accompany the documentary, including gems like “This Song Still Talks About You,” “Lovers On Display,” and “Cairo, IL.”
Natalie Hemby visits with MusicRow staff and The Press House’s Taylor Esche.
After hosting screenings of the Puxico documentary both in Missouri and in Nashville, Hemby received feedback from her songwriter friends, including Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, encouraging her to release the music as an album.
Though emboldened by the positive feedback, Hemby struggled with what the album presented.
“It was a question of, ‘Is this just a soundtrack or is this my first record?’ It’s my heart and soul wrapped into one. I always thought my first record would be really ballsy music. That’s what I love, too. But at this point in my life, I’m like, ‘I already did that through other people. This is really who I am.’ So I put it out as my first record and so far so good.”
Hemby credits fellow singer-songwriters, such as Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark, who have released their own projects of music to critical acclaim.
“I never would have thought my first album would have come out like this. I remember Brandy sitting at my house and saying, ‘I’m thinking about putting out a record.’ I was like, ‘Cool, let me know how that goes because I’m not making one,’” she laughs. “I think for me, it was so ingrained in me that if you are going to put out a record, you have to have a record deal. But times have changed so quickly as far as the outlets you have to get it out.”
Hemby now has a chance to share those stories from small-town Puxico with larger audiences after the release of the January 13th project and for three acoustic shows she is scheduled to peform in August 2017 as an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul 2017 tour.
“I’m going to be dying, but I’ll put on my ‘I’m so confident’ face and make it happen.” Hemby quips. “I’m glad they are giving us three nights, so when I mess up the first night, the second night I’ll have it all down.”
Natalie Hemby Shines Spotlight On Small Towns, Family On ‘Puxico’
/by Jessica NicholsonNatalie Hemby
“For 10 years I had tried to write to be my own artist. I would always hit a wall, or the music format would change,” Natalie Hemby told MusicRow on Friday, Feb. 3 during a visit to the magazine’s offices. “Each year that went by I would be told, ‘She’s kind of too old to be an artist,’ which is kind of hilarious to me.”
The singer-songwriter, who has penned chart-topping hits for artists including Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, and Toby Keith, eventually found the inspiration and courage to release her own music. Through revisiting her roots during the making of her 2015 documentary, Puxico, a collection of music was to emerge by the same title.
Though born and raised in Nashville, Hemby would travel to Puxico, Missouri, each summer to visit her grandfather George Hemby, a longtime sawmill worker who played bluegrass music at VFW halls and churches.
For nearly 70 years, Puxico has held its annual Homecoming festival, originally organized to welcome soldiers home from World War II. During the five-day event, the 1000-person-town would swell to between 8,000-10,000 people each evening, as attendees enjoyed square dancing, music, carnival rides and parades.
“I just noticed one year that the attendance was down, and I thought, ‘I hope this is not dying off, because this is part of my history,” Hemby says. “I want to take my kids here and I want them to take their kids here.’ I told my husband that it would be cool if someone did a documentary about what it takes to keep a tradition alive and a hometown alive.”
Hemby spent two weeks filming the residents in Puxico, and then spent the next five years slowly piecing together a documentary and accompanying music. The resulting documentary would give a voice to numerous small-town citizens, whose stories are often overlooked.
“Small towns get a bad rap sometimes, but I feel they make some of the most amazing people you never hear about,” Hemby says.
People like Wayne, a Puxico resident whose family had lived on a farm for five generations. He would rent silos to store his grain until the time was right for it to be sold. When the silo company went bankrupt, a judge ruled that the soybeans stored in the silos belonged to the bank.
“He had to fight tooth and nail,” Hemby says. “He had fellow farmers come from all over and they cut his grain out of the silos and shipped it off to all these different places. He paid a dear price. He went to jail several times, and tried to get pardoned by President Reagan at the time. Bill Clinton came and visited him in jail. But you would never know that. He was a little town in Puxico when he lost that farm because he stood for civil disobedience. That’s kind of why I wanted to do this whole thing.”
Attendees during the Puxico Screening
In 2009, Hemby’s “White Liar,” which she co-wrote with Miranda Lambert, became a No. 1 song. Other chart-toppers would follow, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” “Drinks After Work” and “Automatic.”
“Around that time, the heavens opened and all the hits rained down. I was firing on all cylinders. So the documentary was on the back burner for a bit,” Hemby recalls. After the passing of her grandmother, she found a new urgency to complete the project.
“Writing music for a documentary is interesting because you cannot be too specific. For any kind of film, you can’t be like, ‘I went down to the store…’ and show the guy walking down to the store,” she says. “You have almost write the feeling of the documentary or the movie.”
She enlisted the help of fellow songwriter Trent Dabbs. The first song she co-wrote for the album, “Return,” became the closing track on the project. Over time, she accumulated an album’s worth of songs to accompany the documentary, including gems like “This Song Still Talks About You,” “Lovers On Display,” and “Cairo, IL.”
Natalie Hemby visits with MusicRow staff and The Press House’s Taylor Esche.
After hosting screenings of the Puxico documentary both in Missouri and in Nashville, Hemby received feedback from her songwriter friends, including Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, encouraging her to release the music as an album.
Though emboldened by the positive feedback, Hemby struggled with what the album presented.
“It was a question of, ‘Is this just a soundtrack or is this my first record?’ It’s my heart and soul wrapped into one. I always thought my first record would be really ballsy music. That’s what I love, too. But at this point in my life, I’m like, ‘I already did that through other people. This is really who I am.’ So I put it out as my first record and so far so good.”
Hemby credits fellow singer-songwriters, such as Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark, who have released their own projects of music to critical acclaim.
“I never would have thought my first album would have come out like this. I remember Brandy sitting at my house and saying, ‘I’m thinking about putting out a record.’ I was like, ‘Cool, let me know how that goes because I’m not making one,’” she laughs. “I think for me, it was so ingrained in me that if you are going to put out a record, you have to have a record deal. But times have changed so quickly as far as the outlets you have to get it out.”
Hemby now has a chance to share those stories from small-town Puxico with larger audiences after the release of the January 13th project and for three acoustic shows she is scheduled to peform in August 2017 as an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul 2017 tour.
“I’m going to be dying, but I’ll put on my ‘I’m so confident’ face and make it happen.” Hemby quips. “I’m glad they are giving us three nights, so when I mess up the first night, the second night I’ll have it all down.”
Warner/Chappell Nashville Signs Austin Taylor Smith
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (Front row, L-R): Devin Dawson (Atlantic/WMN), Alison Junker, Austin Taylor Smith, Mary Lauren Teague (Loeb & Loeb), Ben Vaughn, Alicia Pruitt. (Back row, L-R): Ryan Beuschel, Will Overton, BJ Hill, Matt Michiels, Phil May
Warner/Chappell Nashville has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Nashville-based songwriter and musician Austin Taylor Smith.
After earning his degree in Commercial Vocal Music from Belmont University in 2012, Smith joined rock band John & Jacob. The band released their debut album in 2014, performed at Bonnaroo, Hangout Festival, and Firefly Festival in addition to touring with Kacey Musgraves.
The Texas native has also worked with Devin Dawson (Atlantic/WMN).
T.J. Martell Gala Adds Kenny Chesney, Tommy Shaw and Clare Bowen
/by Eric T. ParkerGeorge Strait, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels, Kelsea Ballerini and Frankie Ballard have all been previously announced for the event, which will again hosted by Nashville actor Charles Esten.
This year’s honorees are:
Janet Miller – Spirit of Nashville Award
Dr. Joseph Smith – Medical Research Advancement Award
Scott Hamilton – Lifetime Humanitarian Award
Rod Essig – Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award
Louis Messina – Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award
In addition to musical performances, there will be auction packages from Holland America Cruise Line, Lily Pulitzer, Top Golf, Kendra Scott, David Yurman, Colonel Littleton hand-crafted leather, concert packages and music memorabilia.
Honorees are outstanding community leaders, each celebrated with a musical performance and presentation. In total, the event has raised more than $4 million for leukemia, cancer and AIDS research since its inception in 2009. The 9th Annual T.J. Martell Foundation’s Nashville Honors Gala is co-chaired by Ali Harnell and Danielle Bouharoun.
Limited seats remain and may be purchased at tjmartell.org. Tables and journal ads congratulating the honorees are available by contacting 615-256-2002 or tmoffat@tjmartell.org.
Black River Entertainment Signs Abby Anderson As Artist And Writer
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Black River’s Dave Pacula, Rick Froio, Abby Anderson and Black River’s Gordon Kerr
Black River Entertainment has added singer-songwriter Abby Anderson to its artist and publishing roster. Anderson celebrated her signing on Thursday, Feb. 2, during the Dustin Wells Foundation’s Gift of Music concert benefiting the W.O. Smith School of Music, held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
“What a great night at the Ryman!” said Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr. “We were humbled to be a part of the Dustin Wells Foundation’s Gift of Music concert. Surprising Abby with her recording and publishing deal in the historic Ryman Auditorium made the beautiful night of celebrating life and music even sweeter. We can’t wait for the world to get to know Abby.”
Anderson signed her formal contracts on the stage at the historic Ryman Auditorium.
“All of a sudden Storme Warren comes walking out onstage and says Gordon Kerr has a present for you,” said Anderson. “And then here comes Papa G walking out with a big ‘ol present in a Black River box with a big black ribbon and presented me with the record deal. I can’t think of a better place to sign a deal than on stage at the Ryman in front of my family and friends.”
A Texas native, Anderson spent most of her early years at a piano singing the songs of her favorite music artists: Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, and K.T. Oslin. In 2014, her unique arrangement of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” renamed “Let Freedom Ring,” caught the attention of radio journalist/host Glenn Beck who welcomed her to perform the patriotic song on his show, garnering her national attention. With the encouragement of CAA agent Kylen Sharpe Anderson moved to Nashville in February 2015 and began developing her songwriting and refining her sound.
“From the very first moment I walked into the door of Black River, there was just this spirit, this energy,” noted Anderson. “That label is a family. They have the perspective that yes music matters, yes we want to succeed, but at the same time, there’s a bigger picture, and there’s a bigger plan. That for me was the golden ticket. They understand that, I understand that, and when you get a group of people together that understand that, magic happens. I am so excited to be here, this label is incredible, and I’m so blessed to be able to call it my home now.”
Warner/Chappell Production Music Promotes Aaron Gant To Sr. VP, Production
/by Jessica NicholsonAaron Gant
Warner/Chappell Production Music has promoted Aaron Gant to Senior Vice President of Production.
“Aaron’s commitment to the company and creativity in finding and delivering new music and artists to our clients are incredible assets to Warner/Chappell Production Music,” says President and CEO Randy Wachtler. “I appreciate the production team’s dedication to unparalleled quality.”
In the role, Gant oversees new music, custom projects, catalog production and studio operations at the Warner/Chappell Production Music studios in Nashville. He previously served as the Vice President of Production. Gant’s career includes time as a recording engineer at Non-Stop Productions. He transitioned to Nashville in 2000 to work for 615 Music. His role expanded to Producer and then Vice President of Production before 615 Music was acquired by Warner/Chappell in 2010.
“I am excited to continue and further my contributions alongside the outstanding team here at Warner/Chappell Production Music,” says Gant.
Gant can be reached at aaron.gant@warnerchappellpm.com.
Industry Ink: Old Dominion, Ron Wilcox, Aaron Crisler, New Boots
/by Lorie HollabaughOld Dominion Helps Krafts Celebrate Fifth Patriots Win
Pictured (L-R): Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, Patriots’ Jonathan Kraft, Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Patriots’ Robert Kraft and Old Dominion’s Geoff Sprung (Not pictured, Old Dominion’s Whit Sellers). Photo courtesy of Old Dominion
Old Dominion played the official Patriots’ after-party on Sunday (Feb. 5) in Houston following the exciting Super Bowl matchup. The New England Patriots took home their fifth Super Bowl title under the Kraft family on Sunday night.
Ron Wilcox Joins SoundExchange Board
Aaron Crisler Named to Nashville Business Journal‘s 40 Under 40
New Boots Launches Line Dancing Classes
Learn more at newbootslinedancing.com.
NMPA’s S.O.N.G.S. Foundation Gives Endowments To Belmont, MTSU
/by Jessica NicholsonThe National Music Publishers’ Association S.O.N.G.S. (Supporting Our Next Generation of Songwriters) Foundation has given two endowments to Nashville area universities. The Foundation has created a $50,000 songwriting-specific endowment at Belmont University, for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business Songwriting Program. As part of Belmont’s We Believe comprehensive fundraising campaign which launched in 2016, this donation was matched by the University for an endowment totaling $100,000. Additionally, the Foundation has created the first songwriting endowment for Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)’s College of Media and Entertainment, with a gift of $25,000.
The NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation Board includes Steven Tyler, Kara DioGuardi, Jewel, Craig Balsam, Golnar Khosrowshahi, Lee Thomas Miller and NMPA’s David Israelite, Danielle Aguirre and Charlotte Sellmyer.
NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation President David Israelite said regarding the donations, “The S.O.N.G.S. Foundation was created specifically to help aspiring songwriters. We are thrilled to start the foundation’s work by supporting those who want to learn about the craft, and need and deserve financial help to do so. We are grateful for Belmont University’s willingness to match our donation, and we are very excited about being able to launch the inaugural MTSU songwriting-specific scholarship program. These donations will enrich the lives of young creators and exponentially enrich our lives through what they go on to create.”
James I. Elliott, chair of Belmont’s songwriting program, said, “We are thrilled to receive this endowment gift from the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation as it will support the next generation of hit songwriters currently studying at Belmont. In addition, this generous gift is a wonderful way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Songwriting major offered at the Curb College.”
Beverly Keel, chair of MTSU’s Recording Industry Department in the College of Media and Entertainment, added, “I am thrilled that the NMPA’s S.O.N.G.S Foundation has created a new scholarship for our songwriting students. We are so appreciative of their investment in our students’ futures. Their support means so much to our students, who will be encouraged to work even harder at improving their songwriting craft as they continue to be inspired by the work of the Foundation’s board members. Under the guidance of Professor Odie Blackmon, our songwriting concentration has grown exponentially, so it’s wonderful to have a scholarship to assist our students seeking a career in the songwriting and publishing worlds.”
Kelsea Ballerini, John Legend Join List of Performers for Upcoming Grammys
/by Lorie HollabaughKelsea Ballerini, Lukas Graham, Demi Lovato, Andra Day, Tori Kelly, Cynthia Erivo, and John Legend are the latest artists to join the list of artists who will be performing on the 59th Annual Grammy Awards Feb. 12. Ballerini and Graham will be making their Grammy debuts on this year’s show, while Lovato, Day, and Kelly will join previously-announced Little Big Town in a celebration of the music of the Bee Gees and Saturday Night Fever‘s 40th anniversary. Legend and Erivo will join forces for a special in memoriam performance of those lost during the past year.
Nashville artists will be well-represented at this year’s show, with Maren Morris, Sturgill Simpson, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, and Keith Urban all performing on the telecast, along with Ballerini, who is nominated for Best New Artist.
Ballerini and Morris are both nominated for the all-genre Best New Artist honor, while Morris is additionally nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “My Church,” Best Country Song as a co-writer on “My Church” (along with busbee), and Best Country Album (for Hero).
Simpson is nominated in the all-genre Best Album category (for A Sailor’s Guide To Earth), as well as Best Country Album, for the same project.
Underwood is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Church Bells,” while Urban is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” That track is also up for Best Country Song, while Urban’s Ripcord is up for Best Country Album.
The show is set to air Feb. 12 on CBS-TV at 8 p.m. ET.
LifeNotes: Sandi Spika Borchetta’s Father Passes
/by Lorie HollabaughCondolences go out to Big Machine Label Group’s SVP Creative Sandi Spika Borchetta on the loss of her father Albert Joseph Spika. The 87-year-old died peacefully with his family by his side on Feb. 3. The father-in-law of BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta, Spika was a lifelong music aficionado who played sax in the family orchestra from high school well into his adult years.
A Celebration of Life is taking place Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. in Delta, Colorado, at the Hellman Motors showroom (750 Hwy. 92, Delta, CO, 81416). In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Music Has Value Fund in memory of Albert. The donations will be used to support and encourage music programs in Delta, Colorado schools.
The Music Has Value Fund is a fund within the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and all proceeds from products and donations go to music-in-schools programs.
Friends and family can click the red donation button on musichasvalue.com or visit bigmachinelabelgroup.com/mhv-d
Five Grammy Nods An “Encouragement” For Natalie Grant, Bernie Herms
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Natalie Grant, Bernie Herms
Heading into the 2017 Grammy Awards, CCM artist Natalie Grant and her husband, songwriter/producer Bernie Herms, are together nominated for five trophies.
Grant’s two nominations in the Best CCM Album (Be One) and Best CCM Song (“King Of The World”) categories mark her fifth and sixth nods, and the singer-songwriter hopes they mark her first Grammy wins. Grant’s first major label album for Curb Records, Stronger, released in 2001, though it wasn’t until 2012 that she earned her first Grammy nomination, in the Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance category, for her song “Alive.”
“My first Grammy nomination didn’t come until after I had been doing it for over a decade,” Grant says. “I’ve been doing it for 18 years now and I’m still getting nominated for Grammys. I feel like it is encouragement for struggling artists everywhere when the culture tells you your career will be done by a certain time.”
Herms has garnered three nominations, including a Best CCM Song nod as a co-writer for Hillary Scott and The Scott Family’s hit “Thy Will,” and two nods in the Best CCM Album category, for his work as producer on Be One, and on Hillary Scott and the Scott Family’s Love Remains. Herms’ career as a producer and songwriter has included work with Selah, Avalon, Danny Gokey and more.
“It’s the way we get to physically see the impact of a song you write,” Herms says of the nominations. “There is a lot of seclusion to what you do, at least with what I do in being a producer. So when your colleagues tell you they think it is remarkable with these nominations, it doesn’t get old. I’m a needy artist just like the next guy.”
Grant has been transparent on previous albums about the couple’s struggle to conceive and journey through IVF treatments, before they welcomed twin daughters Grace and Isabella in 2007. Grant is also open about her battle with postpartum depression after the birth of their third daughter Sadie in 2010. Grant has taken lessons from those trials and translated them into the hope and confidence found on “King of the World.”
“I wanted the music and message to reflect that, because I had been so honest about the struggle,” Grant says. “I wanted those same people that identified with that music and that message so strongly, to see that you can rise above.”
While the majority of the tracks from Be One center on finding a spiritual safe haven, the title track focuses on becoming that safe place for someone else.
“I loved the urgency in this song,” Grant says. “This was written pre-presidential election, but even in 2015, you could feel this tension in the atmosphere of our world. I feel like there was urgency in ‘Be One’ to become hope for others. Instead of sitting around and complaining about things that need to be different, start being that.
“At the end of the day what is really more right than anything else, is being full of grace, love and generosity. If we can get more of the faith-based community to live that way, our faith would have more of an impact on the world.”
The couple’s family struggle also influenced Herms’ “Thy Will,” which was co-written with and recorded by Hillary Scott. The writing collaboration began after a chance meeting with Scott and her husband Chris Tyrrell during a flight.
“They sat down in the row in front of us, and Hillary introduced herself, and said she was a fan of my music,” Natalie recalls. “It was such an organic moment. I was like, ‘But wait, I’m a fan of yours,’ and then she told Bernie she knew he writes and asked if he wanted to write together.”
At the time, Scott was in the middle of not only crafting her first gospel project, but dealing with personal tragedy. Unbeknownst to fans at the time, Scott had recently suffered a miscarriage. She brought the myriad of emotions and thoughts into the writing room with Herms and fellow songwriter Emily Weisband.
“Instead of hustling to write a hit, we just started talking and she shared stuff that her family has gone through,” Herms recalls of the session. “We did talk about how God works in our lives and not always in ways we are expecting. Sometimes they are painful. We haven’t experienced what she and her husband have experienced, but I’ve had the struggle of thinking at one time in my life, ‘I’m never going to be a father.’ I had that very clearly spoken to me by a physician. So, those are interesting dynamics and from that point I empathized.”
What resulted was an intensely personal song that struck a chord with listeners and topped the Hot Christian Songs chart.
The nominations are especially heartening, as the entire process for Be One, from the writing of the first track to the recording of the album’s final note, was completed in six weeks. Be One released in November 2015.
“It’s the fastest creative project I think either one of us has ever been a part of,” Grant says.
“I’m the kind of producer that slaves over details and puts 110 percent of love into the music I produce. To be honest, it’s not typical for me to be super quick, but I had no time to overthink stuff,” said Herms. “With this album, it felt like we found the inspired moments, and we went with our gut reaction to things. I think this is one of the strongest records we’ve made.”