Roots Rock n' Roll
Love is the Answer
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In 2019 we find ourselves caught in a whirlwind of change, some good and some bad. At times it feels like our country is at war with itself. There is so much anger in the air and an underlying sense of fear. As an independent band trying to grow, we can feel hopeless at times. Anger in the news. Anger in the industry. Anger in the people. What do we do as artists? Do we keep our mouths shut and soldier forwarded silently? Do we give up and disappear into the fold, becoming only a faint memory for a few folks in Montana? Or do we continue to chase our dreams and do so with love and understanding?
The theme of 2019 is love. The theme of 2018 and of every year that this band continues to stay together is and was growth. In 2018 we finally recorded some of our material. We've spent so much time on the road, which has taught us many lessons. We have grown from both our successes and our failures. The road is no easy place to survive, especially with today's music industry existing so much in the intangible world of streams. Overall record sales have fallen to the wayside as streams take their place - the number one avenue to consume music. So now we navigate that world, as an independent band of musicians with very little experience in new technology. Publishing companies and managers are welcome to contact us! ;) In 2018 we got ourselves on Spotify and iTunes. We recorded our EP, On Second Thought in our backyard shed. We also call it our practice studio...so to the world it is our "shedudio." We learned so much about the process of recording and editing. We left the nuances of mixing and mastering to the pros and worked with a Montana producer, Marco Forcone of Drivetone Studios. Follow the link above and listen for yourself - you will not hear shed. Instead you will hear big sound coming from our 5-piece band along with Kevin McHugh of Colorado's Americana band The Grant Farm on keys and The Horn Stars, a 3piece horn section guaranteed to make you boogie. The recording experience was challenging to say the least, but we grew from it, as we have grown from every challenge we have faced thus far. |
Artwork by Alexa D'Atri and Kree Gullings
Photo by Lindsey Hove
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Photo credit - Lindsey Hove
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We learned that in this current world of ever available content, we had to get on board. We can't just tour the country and play shows (as much as we'd like, because that is our favorite thing to do). So we released a music video, but again, we're an independent band with a teeny-weeny-almost-invisible-and-nonexistent budget. So we compiled a bunch of our own cell phone footage from our travels and worked with a Bozeman local film engineer Colter Olmstead. The video isn't flashy or fancy, but it is honest. It shows who we are. Check it out on our youtube page and if you're so inclined, please subscribe!
From our many travels this year we have some highlights to share! We connected with a fantastic band out of North Carolina called Big Something. We were fortunate enough to perform with them two nights at Sandpoint Idaho's iconic venue The Hive. We also opened for Americana legend Nicki Bluhm at The Top Hat in Missoula. We also opened the first annual Moonlight Fest in Big Sky and shared the stage with some of our idols including Grace Potter, The Wood Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Sam Bush and more. Traveling the country, playing music and meeting other musicians is what we live for and none of us have plans to slow down! |
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Perhaps our greatest challenge of 2018 was fixing our beloved tour van, Loretta after her transmission blew. We were on our way to Missoula when the van started smoking. We hoped for the best, and received the worst news. $5,000 for a new transmission and additional work. That bill would not only deplete what little savings we had, but would also put us in the hole too deep to come back from, being at our current stage as a fledgling band. So, for the first time, we turned to our fans for help. In today's world of independent music, many bands are going to their fans for support making albums and going on tour. Knowing that many artists do this, doesn't make asking for money any easier. But we had to swallow our pride and turn to our community. With an overwhelming show of support from fans and strangers, we were able to raise the money and get Loretta back on the road. To all of you that donated or helped to spread the word, we are forever grateful to you for helping us in our time of need.
It is for that reason that we go into 2019 determined to build our career on a foundation of love and understanding. We work so hard and we know that the music industry is though, but we will move forward with love as our intention. We believe love is the only way to combat the dark forces around us. Love is contagious. So is a warm smile and a show of gratitude. We were born fortunate enough to pursue our dream without persecution and so we will work hard and never give up! To all you independent musicians out there - we hear you, we love you, let's do this together! Yours truly - Madeline, Emma, Lucas, Dustin and Mike D |
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Summer's Gone and We Are Feelin' Good!
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Did Summer 2017 happen? It's hard to believe in our case. June-September was the craziest 4-month whirlwind in Hawthorne Roots' History! We traveled farther, played harder and learned more in that time frame than we could have ever imagined. What's new? Well - for starters we'd like to tell you WHO is new. This spring we welcomed new bass player Dustin Crowson to the team! Those of us who follow our favorite bands, and actively listen, can appreciate just how much bass lines affect the feeling of a song. Dustin brings what we like to call "The Pocket" and "The Rock n' Roll" to the table! After a summer jam-packed with shows we have never been tighter and more excited for the future.
Let's look back on the winter and summer of 2017. We spent some time in Sandpoint, Idaho befriending the wonderful team at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. They loved our music so much the first time we met in February, that they invited us back not once, but twice for Northwest Wine Festival in July, and Fall Fest in September. You never who you are going to meet on the road - in Idaho's case - we were fortunate enough to bump into the owner of a rad venue called The Hive located in downtown Sandpoint. This guy is the coolest! You can tell he genuinely loves the whole scene and he showed us kindness and generosity that you just don't see that often these days. He allowed us to play not one, but THREE of Jerry Garcia's guitars - you can see a photo below of Lucas playing a Travis Bean Custom and Madeline playing a Takamine Acoustic. We are still in shock. Thank you Schweitzer Mountain and The Hive for helping us do cool stuff! |
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We traveled to Portland, OR for our first time and played with two members of the incredible songwriting trifecta Fruition, Mimi Naja and Jay Cobb Anderson. We played at a sweet McMenamins location - The White Eagle. What a cool spot! It was an incredible night of music. We made new fans, new friends and can't wait to go back! We will return to The Weagle (as they like to call it in Portland) on Saturday November 11th! We really dig the vibe in Portland and will keep going back as long as the city will have us.
It seems like our connection with Fruition was meant to be, since just a month later we sang with the third songwriter and performer Kellen Asebroek at Cervantes Other Side in Denver. We made new friends performing at a Bonnie Raitt tribute show and love the vibe in the Boulder/Denver area! What a great music scene. We traveled to Spokane for the first time and made friends with some really cool musicians there. We witnessed the eclipse in Thermopolis, WY - a once-in-a-lifetime experience! We played many new Montana events making new fans of all ages and backgrounds. We love exploring our home-state in our van and meeting all the wonderful people who live here. We are very lucky! See our summer tour posters below to get an idea of how busy this independent, booking-agent-free, management-agent-free rocking Montana band was! |
Now, the leaves have changed, the temperature has dropped, and it has even started snowing! That is Montana for you. It is good to be home, but we miss the road. Our new van - the lovely miss Lo-retta - is rearing to go on another tour! We are going to spend some time in the studio working on putting out material for all of our new friends and fans we made on the road. We will make a few appearances this fall in Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane WA, Moscow ID, and Portland OR. Keep your ears to the ground and stay in touch on social media! We have so much more to share with the music community. We are just getting started! Thank you all so much for the love and support. The future is bright.
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2016
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It is just about 1 month into 2017 and 2016 already feels like ages ago. One lesson we have learned as we navigate the world of independent artist development is how quickly days turn to weeks turn to months and before you know it, 2018 will be here. So as we plunge into the hectic season of writing, developing and booking for a crazy busy 2017 summer tour (some exciting venues and locations already in the works!) we want to give 2016 a proper review and share it with you all - the people that have made our growth possible through all of your support! We had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some amazing bands that span many different genres (just like our music does!) including The Wailers, Rising Appalachia, Robert Randolf and the Family Band, Bassnectar, Russ Liquid, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, The Good Time Travelers, Fruition, Tauk, Zach Deputy, Maxwell Hughes, Young the Giant, Lee Brice, Chase Bryant, Halfway to Hazard, Logan Brill and Montana grown bands including Laney Lou and The Bird Dogs, MOTH, The Kitchen Dwellers and Cure for the Common (check out the awesome video from Silver Cloud Campout of a Hawthorne Roots, CFTC and Kitchen Dwellers mash up below or on our video page!). We played on some amazing stages and traveled hundreds of miles beyond our own beautiful Gallatin Valley we are so lucky to call home. Each month brought us new challenges and opportunities that tested our commitment, resilience, and sometimes our bank accounts! We grew from our mistakes and relished in our successes including Bozeman's 2016 Best Folk Act 2 years running! Today, we look towards 2017 a little stronger, 12-months more seasoned and with more inspiration to share our music with the world. We could not have made 2016 possible without all the love and encouragement from our fans and for that we are so grateful! Much love and see you on the road somewhere in 2017! P.S. We also celebrate one year of an amazing partnership with Resounding Media, owned and operated by Sean Gannon. Sean spent the last 12 months documenting The Hawthorne Roots tour and is the master behind so many amazing moments captured on camera and film. Thanks Sean!
Photo Credit: Lindsey Hove
2016 summer tour announced!
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We are so excited to announce our 2016 summer lineup! We have been busy playing shows this spring and made some great connections. We had a blast opening up for Zach Deputy three nights in Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula. We played new venues and made new friends around the state. We are currently working on new merchandise artwork, which will be available this summer.
Oh...and no big deal...but we also RECORDED AN ALBUM!!! We had an amazing time at Soundcolor Studios in Livingston with Michael Boise. Stay tuned for the album release in the next several weeks. It gives us great pleasure to share all of this exciting news with you. Want to see The Hawthorne Roots in your area? Please reach out and let us know. xoxo - Madeline, Emma, Haley, Lucas, and Mike |
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Summing Up 20152015 was a defining year for The Hawthorne Roots. We recorded original material, said goodbye to two of our members and welcomed in two new players, Haley Ford on bass and John Shirrell on guitar. We played new festivals and larger venues. In the fall we put together the fundraiser Ladyface. We had an amazing two night run with other female led bands Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs and The Sweetbacks. Together we raised $1500 for The Red Ants Pants Foundation. To top it off we placed second in Chamberlain Production's Battle of the Bands, earning us two sets at the 2016 Moods on the Madison festival!
We rang in 2016 with Laney Lou & the Bird Dogs at The Eagles Ballroom along with 200 Bozeman fans. We also sadly said goodbye to John, but welcomed our newest addition Lucas Mace on guitar! Stay tuned for upcoming performances in Bozeman and beyond as we expand our repertoire and our touring radius. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for the love and support! - Madeline, Emma, Haley, Mike, and Lucas P.S. Welcome to the Hawthorne Roots website! For booking information please use the contact tab. Stay tuned for merch coming soon. :) |
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