Friday, March 11, 2011

venue

MUSIC

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Try Seattles buzziest export since coffee

By Tom Travin
Of the Journal

very Sunday in Seattles trs cool Ballard neighborhood, a pub called Conor Byrne hosts an open-mike night. Now, before you let out a collective groan about painfully earnest singer/ songwriters warbling offkey lyrics about grievous social injustices in front of disinterested patrons, realize that in a city full of artists and musicians, Conor Byrne is the place to be on Sunday nights. Everybody is there, said Tyler Williams, who plays drums in The Head and the Heart, one of the most buzzworthy bands to come out of the Emerald City. Its an open-mike night that sells out. Its crazy. You can always find the next new band playing there on any Sunday. Its just kind of an amazing community. Williams and his band mates know all about what those Sunday nights can mean. A short couple of years after they came together at Conor Byrne, theyre the darlings of the Seattle music scene and a much-hyped sensation receiving welldeserved praise for their debut album. The bands co-founders, Jon Russell and Josiah Johnson, met at an openmike night in 2009. Both had relocated from elsewhere, Johnson from Southern California and Russell from Richmond, Va. They clicked immediately, and soon recruited piano player Kenny Hensley, who had moved up from Los Angeles. At the time, Williams, an old friend and former bandmate of Russells, was living in Richmond. Jon sent me an acoustic demo of Down in the Valley in about May of 09, and I listened to it with my girlfriend and we just kind of fell in love with the song. I looked at her and I was like, OK, I gotta go. Ive gotta go move out there and do this. It takes a pretty good song (and a demo at that) to persuade someone to pack up and move nearly 3,000 miles to join a band. Down in the Valley, and the rest of The Head and the Hearts blend of folk, rock and pop please

The Head and the Heart

With the Moondoggies WHEN: 9 p.m. Sunday, March 13. Doors open at 8p.m. WHERE: Low Spirits Bar & Stage, 2823 Second NW HOW MUCH: $8. For tickets, visit www.holdmyticket.com the album, now available digitally at www.subpop. com, on CD and vinyl April 16 to celebrate national Record Store Day. Williams and his mates arent taking The Head and the Hearts success for granted. Theyre sincere in what they do in fact, a crankypants music writer for Seattle Weekly, clearly tired of the hype, recently accused them of being too sincere. Weve been very, very fortunate with every break weve gotten, Williams said. Just to be able to play music for people every night and make a small living off it, thats been the dream Ive had since I was 9. Anything more than that is just icing on the cake.

The Head and the Heart has made a debut album that is generating acclaim in its home base of Seattle and beyond.
dont call it Americana has had that effect on most whove listened to it. Songs range from quiet and acoustic (No One to Let You Down, Rivers and Roads) to playful (Cats and Dogs) to preposterously catchy (Coeur dAlene, Sounds Like Hallelujah) to wistful (the irresistible Winter Song, featuring the underused vocals of violinist Charity Thielen). That seems to get a very strong reaction every time we play it live, Williams said. When she hops on the mike, the crowd kind of lights up and you hear cheers here and there. Its pretty cool. What separates the band from the rest of the pack of Northwest folkies other than exceptionally tuneful songwriting is its rhythm section of Williams and bassist Chris Zasche, and Henleys piano playing. They drive a number of songs; as Williams said, its got a propulsion to it that I dont think I have really heard in folk music. Those songs have propelled The Head and the Heart into rising stars in a short time. From its first shows the buzz grew steadily, and once the band started selling selfmade copies of its album, the record companies started calling, eventually reaching about 10 looking to sign them. The sweepstakes was won by Seattles beloved Sub Pop Records, which will release

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