The Wandering Hearts – Gold

By starrymag | June 14, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) In short, we’re a folk-Americana vocal harmony group. Our sound is shaped and inspired by the great sounds and mystique of Woodstock and Laurel Canyon. When making our new album, we got the opportunity to really explore and indulge in that.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) We grew up listening to a lot of the music our folks were into and luckily mine (AJ) had good taste, so I got a lot of The Beatles, The Stones, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, The Eagles as well as some earlier rock n rollers like Del Shannon, Elvis and Neil Sedaka. As a band, we bonded over tons of classics, particularly Fleetwood Mac, CSNY, as well as contemporary artists like Chris Stapleton and The Civil Wars.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Gold.”

 

A) When it comes to writing, we’re always gonna end up having a pretty in depth conversation about something. Part of the process is examining themes and really trying to explore this idea we’re chasing to its fullest. We talk pretty candidly about our own experiences and lend what we can to the formation of the song. With “Gold,” we were discussing how we are so shaped by our life experiences and specifically how we are ultimately strengthened by our scars: our failures, mistakes and losses. The Japanese art form Kintsugi involves the repairing of broken ceramic with lacquer and powdered gold, making the broken item even more beautiful. We thought the comparison was too perfect.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) Well, it IS a catchy tune! Hopefully, it’s a song that everyone can relate to as we all have our scars and our baggage. We can feel crushed and broken by the weight of it or we can celebrate it and the strength we have in making it through. It’s something that is true for everyone.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) We filmed the video as soon as we were able to get together outdoors again, in a break between lockdowns last year. We’ve been apart, scattered across the country, since the lockdowns began really so, in some ways, it was our first ‘reforming’ for some time.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) There isn’t a set process as such, but we have a few things that we know work for us. Ideas can just come from anywhere at any time so we’re all pretty much used to writing down or recording thoughts or inspiration when it occurs. Could be a tune or a line or lyric, or even just a concept of an avenue to explore. We each write and work on our own ideas and then bring them to the band to work on as well as setting time aside to write together as a band. In any case, we try to take an idea as far as it can go, and we really develop the ones that show the most promise or hit us hard. When you know you just know!

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) A pretty big hand, most of the time, but we aren’t producers. We loved working with Simone Felice and David Baron on our new album. They are phenomenal talents and also exactly the kind of producers that we work well with. You want your work to feel safe when you go into the recording studio as you know what it means to you, and you have this idea of how you want it to be recorded – for all time! The right producers see that and respect it but have their own vision on top. It becomes a huge collaborative effort. Simone and David were great to bounce ideas around with. They were always open to discussion and suggestion but have the most joyful and brilliant musical instincts of their own and were able to translate some of our less technical sounding flights of fancy into reality. We all came away with an awesome album that we were really proud of and that’s reflective of the effort that everyone put into making it.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes! Our new self-titled album THE WANDERING HEARTS will be out on 30 July and it’s available to pre-order NOW!!!

 

Q) I’m incredibly impressed that you are the first Brit band to debut at the Grand Old Opry and Ryman Theatre in the same week! Talk about what it meant to you to be standing on those iconic stages.

 

A) Well, it’s fair to say that playing at the Ryman and at the Opry is an experience that you don’t forget and we’ll cherish those memories for the rest of our lives. As much as we could have wished it, we didn’t dare dream it was ever gonna happen. They are very different stages, but they each have a unique wonder to them and are steeped in music legend. Where the Opry feels gigantic and open and is a massive show, the Ryman feels intimate and so acoustically satisfying, like being in a church. Very different experiences but a similar honor to play on the same stages as so many legends.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) We’ve been lucky enough to have worked and performed with some awesome people and artists and we each have a wish list of who we’d love to play with in our minds, but I guarantee you that Marty Stuart will be atop that list. He brought “Dreams” around to our airbnb in Nashville one day, with his guitar and his mum. After he performed the song, he told us how he’d written it with Connie and although they’d always liked it, neither one had ever done anything with it, so it was ours if we wanted it!

We got to develop it some more and, after trying our best to try and capture some of that Tennessee Three sound, asked Marty if he’d play on it. Not only did he accept but he invited us to the Cash Cabin where we got a tour and witnessed him record sheer magic the way he does and make the song perfect. Marty has just been an absolute champion and we would love to get together and play with him and His Fabulous Superlatives again.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I was just listening to I See A Darkness by Bonnie Prince Billy. It’s a beautiful album and the title track is the one. Also digging the new Lord Huron sounds and Yola’s “Diamond Studded Shoes” – both well cool.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) We love being able to communicate with fans directly and also get their impressions of stuff as it comes out. Especially over the past year when we haven’t been able to be on the road, we can feel connected with people online.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) We’d like to say an enormous thank you for sticking with us and for making it possible for us to continue making music that hopefully, you want to keep listening to! We are really excited for you to hear the album and to hear what you make of it and hope we can get out playing shows and seeing each other face to face again, before too long.

 

 

 

 

All Questions Answered by AJ Dean-Revington