Jen Awad - Hey Harriett - John Hiatt
Background - Grab the nearest fire extinguisher cos Jen Awad is about to set your wig alight. This half Egyptian, half Peruvian powerhouse delivers the kneecap melting soul and sass of Etta James combined with an in-your-face swagger reminiscent of Tina Turner. Self taught on vocals, piano, guitar and bass, Jen also pens the lyrics to all of her material.
Jen's ability to deliver cherubic, velvety vocals that effortlessly transition into the radical rumble of a runaway 18 wheeler doing 90 mph on an open highway is a feat in itself to witness live. Backed by an eight member band with a horn section, Jen Awad packs a combination punch that will leave your core ringing in the most delectable manner imaginable. Recently Jen Awad has been selected to play the Broke L.A. Festival, being 1 of 50 acts chosen out of 700 contenders. She has consistently filled her local L.A. venues to maximum capacity and is steadily gaining ground as a widely respected act in the L.A. music scene.
When Jen is not writing and performing her music, she is designing for her self-titled label Jen Awad, as well as the urban men's line also out of Los Angeles called "900". It is not a rare sight to behold her 8 piece band donning metallic bomber jackets Jen designed from the "900" label. A few other clients who wear Jen Awad's fashions are: Kali Uchis, Bebe Rexha, Keyshia Cole, Madame Ghandi, Ivy LevIn, Daya, India Love, Christina Milian, Ashanti, Chanel West Coast, and Crystal Westbrooks.
Jen Awad comments - "Break a Man was originally written about the fragility of men. I like to leave it up to interpretation of the listener and however they identify with the song. The origin of break a man was inspired by an article i read in esquire magazine title "100 ways to build a man". Reading the heartfelt article about men sharing their stories about their dads and those defining moments of what built them to be great men brought me to tears. Having been around so many damaged men i realized it took almost nothing to break a man. the song than progresses and discusses how sometimes a woman has to do what she has to do in order to break out of a toxic relationship even if it means hurting someone to set them selves free. its never the intent to destroy someone going in to a relationship..it just happens" - TWITTER.
With a deep breath or a sigh (I haven't quite figure out which yet) 'Break A Man' rapidly builds into a gorgeous and vital song. The passion simmers and then boils over into a classic full bodied soul masterpiece, the band and backing singers are majestic, and any fragile men had better watch out!
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Background - Forming in 2017, Hey Harriett is an indie/surf/rock band that has made leaps and bounds in the Adelaide music scene. To the outsider it may seem that Hey Harriett appeared out of nowhere but those closer to the project know that this has been a long time coming for front woman and singer/songwriter Georgy Rochow. Too Fast Too Soon is their latest single. Taking the heartache and uncertainty of young love and wrapping it in indie goodness, Too Fast Too Soon is soaked in positivity and one to get you on the dance floor.
Hey Harriett released their debut single Old Parts in November 2017, just months after they formed, proving the hardworking passionate nature of this band family. Launching the single backyard gig style, saw a humble garden in Bowden full of happy faces dancing in moonlight, drunk off a full day line up of local music.
Following the release of Old Parts, Hey Harriett have been gigging non stop. Winning over audiences in Adelaide and Melbourne this band pulls on your heartstrings whilst getting your body moving to the music. The best way to describe this band is; soaked in positivity, a band full of believers and big thinkers. Hitting the road this year for a few sneaky interstate shows, Hey Harriett is spreading their positive vibe wherever they go. Aspiring towards bigger stages in 2019, this band sits solidly in the indie rock scene.
With budding sound engineers making up the band, they are tackling recording themselves. Self producing, recording and mixing takes a little extra time but the result is a recording that is 100% Hey Harriett from start to finish. With no limits for Hey Harriett, their latest single will be launched in Willunga as Georgy turns another property into a mini festival only this time think open fires, camping village, vintage clothes, and local food and beverages. Proving herself as a band leader and event manager, this band is getting a name for their backyard bonanzas.
Rising through the ranks, Hey Harriett is quickly becoming the word on the town. Led by a fierce woman with her eye on the prize, this band pumps out indie bangers quicker than you can say San Cisco. Less than a year in from their first release, it’s going to be an exciting, wild ride with these folk. FACEBOOK.
'Too Fast Too Soon' is a vibrant indie song that keeps things simple, allowing the upbeat melodic vocals and delightfully tight music to quickly work there way under your skin.
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Background - John Hiatt is set to return with The Eclipse Sessions on October 12th, 2018 via New West Records. The 11-track set is the Grammy nominated legend’s first new album in four years. It was produced by Kevin McKendree (Delbert McClinton) and features Hiatt’s longtime drummer Kenneth Blevins and bassist Patrick O’Hearn, as well as Yates McKendree (Kevin’s then 16-year old wunderkind son, who also engineered). Hiatt places The Eclipse Sessions in a lineage alongside two of his greatest works -- 1987’s mainstream breakthrough Bring the Family, which sprung from an impulsive four-day session with an all-star combo led by Ry Cooder, and 2000’s Crossing Muddy Waters, an unplanned and largely unplugged effort that garnered a Grammy Award nomination and also set Hiatt on the rootsier path he’s still pursuing today. “The three albums are very connected in my mind,” Hiatt says. “They all have a vibe to them that was unexpected. I didn’t know where I was going when I started out on any of them. And each one wound up being a pleasant surprise.”
Since the release of Hiatt’s 1974 debut, Hangin’ Around the Observatory, rarely has more than a year or two passed without a new collection hitting the shelves. But after wrapping up a year of touring in support of 2014’s Terms of My Surrender -- the singer-songwriter’s 22nd studio effort overall -- he found himself, for the first time in a long time, unsure of what would come next. “I’ve been lost before,” Hiatt says. “Although usually I have some sort of notion or clue where to go. But this time? I had no sense whatsoever.” He continues, “I wanted to spend more time with my family (which includes his critically acclaimed singer-songwriter daughter Lilly). I was aging, with all that entails or doesn’t entail. Stuff was just happening.”
During this period of transition Hiatt did compose a new song that closes The Eclipse Sessions - a dusty, road-worn meditation titled “Robber’s Highway” with the ominously prophetic lyrics “I had words, chords and strings / now I don’t have any of these things.” Hiatt explains, “I was just thinking in terms of somebody who’s out there hammerin’ away with his music, wondering what it’s all coming to. And maybe the songs just aren’t there anymore…” Fast-forward a few years, however, and it’s clear the songs are still very much there as the 11 tracks presented here demonstrate that the singer-songwriter, now 66-years-old, is only getting better with age, his guitar playing more rugged and rootsy, his words wiser and more wry.
True to its title, Hiatt and his band were hard at work on August 21st, 2017 when a solar eclipse traveled the length of the continental U.S. “I think we recorded three songs that day, and then we took a break to go outside and watch everything happen,” Hiatt says. What he observed amongst his fellow Nashvillians during that moment of totality -- his city was one of a few spots in the U.S. to be plunged into near complete darkness -- did give him pause. “It seemed everything stopped for a minute or two,” he says. “It was like a magical little bit of time, a harmonic convergence or something. Like everybody was on the same page.” NEW WEST RECORDS.
I am always pleased to feature new music from an artist or band that are older than me (something that is becoming increasingly more of a challenge). Anyhow 'Cry To Me' sees John Hiatt demonstrating that he is not without fresh new musical ideas, and with years of experience and a fine gathering of musicians, his music remains engaging, honest and lovable.
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