New CD goes beyond music; inspires poetry, art
When the Greenfield-based band Daniel Hales and the frost heaves started work on the follow up to their 2009 debut disc, their goal was simply to make a new record. But along the way, the project morphed into something else and they now not only have a new album (“You Make a Better Door Than a Window”), but a chapbook of poems and a visual art exhibit that were both inspired by the songs off the album.
This entire multi-media project, which was three years in the making, will be unveiled this weekend when Hales and the frost heaves, which include bassist James Lowe and drummer Ivan Ussach, celebrate the release of the new album with two shows on Sunday, July 15.
The first of show these will be held at the Green River Festival where Hales and the frost heaves, along with some additional guest musicians, will perform on the Meltdown Stage at 5 p.m. Later that day, they will host a free after-party at The Rendezvous on 78 Third St. in Turners Falls at 7 p.m.
This after-party will feature the opening of “Bedder Dur,” an exhibit of art inspired by the album, a viewing of a seven-minute film on the making of the disc by James F. Lowe and the release of the chapbook “I Have a Song to Tell You Now” from Setebos Press. The book features 11 poems by 10 poets responding to each song on the album. Local poets Chris Janke, James Grinwis, Corwin Ericson, Janel Nockleby, Karen Skolfield, Dan Mahoney, Michael Earl Craig, Chris McCreary, Patrick Porter and Hales will be reading at the after-party.
“You Make a Better Door Than a Window” consists of 12 tracks that run a wide spectrum of styles and emotions. From the opening track “Halo Over My Horns,” which has a jangly guitar sound reminiscent of early R.E.M., to the psychedelic, eastern-influenced song “Present Perfect Tents” to the dreamy 1960s pop sound heard on “Sick Day,” this disc can’t be pinned down to one style. Hales brought in a host of guest musicians to flesh out his sound, including guitarist Joe Boyle, singer Heather Maloney, violinist Emily Brienes and others. To create the various textures on the album, he utilized lush backing harmonies and a wide range of instruments, including horns, keyboards, vibraphone, sitar, mellotron and even a Fanta bottle.
It’s one of those albums that with every listen, you discover something new and different and Hales, who writes all the songs and plays various instruments, wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hales and I recently sat down at The Rendezvous, surrounded by the “Beddur Dur” exhibit, to discuss this ambitious project.
“The first album was pretty eclectic, but this one is maybe a little more psychedelic, a little more Beatles influenced,” Hales said.
Hales added that the title was taken from an old phrase that parents of a certain generation always said to their kids when they were standing in front of the TV.
At the opening of the title track, Hales sings: “You make a better door than a window/ ’cause you’re easier to pass through than look into/ If the more I see the less I know/ in the end I’ll know you less than I begin to.”
There are two versions of the song on the album and while they are both acoustic-driven, catchy pop songs, the first one is more sprawling with backing trumpet and violin and lush harmonies between Hales and Hilary Weiner; it has Beatles-esque feel. The second version eliminates some of the lyrics and starts out a simple, stripped-down affair with Hales’ guitar and vocals at the forefront.
It then builds to a dramatic conclusion complete with kettle drums and various background noises.
The songs perfectly bookend the album and provide listeners with a unique musical experience.
“When the album was taking shape, that was the song that felt like it could stand up as the title track,” Hales explained. “The themes in this song run throughout the album. We did two versions because we are always experimenting with arrangements and I liked the idea of showing different permeations of the same song.”
It is obvious from lyrics like “And try to imagine how a fish feels, eyeballs soaking wet” and “the past is an atlas stuffed under your seat,” that Hales, who has an master’s in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has a love of language and of playing with words.
“I enjoy writing lyrics and it’s one of the things I latch onto in other people’s work,” he said. “One of the reasons I wanted to bring the poetry piece in is because I feel a lot of the listeners don’t pay attention to the words. I feel with this album, a lot of the words should be out front.”
The poetry stemmed from a local writing group of which Hales is a member. After the group heard some of the album, they thought it would be interesting to try and write poems in response to his songs.
“I am listening to a song, it’s called I’d rather be a door than a window, misery collapses into joy, only when it has no other choice, when something comes around and what is says is joy.” This is a line from “Recipe For Luck 4,” one of two poems (the other is “Telescopic Effect”) that James Grinwis wrote in response to the title track.
Hales is flattered that this group of writers was willing to spend time with his music and to take what he does seriously enough to respond to it.
“Some of the poems I totally see how they got where they ended up,” Hales said. “But other take such a different directions, it is just mind blowing.”
Hales went on to say that after reading these poems, he was inspired to create a visual component to this work.
“I have always done collage and photography and the lyrics and the titles seemed to suggest so many visuals,” he explained. “I thought ‘we are already doing poetry, so let’s make it all encompassing — let’s do something that is visual as well.'” Hales created much of the artwork himself, including painting the lyrics to the title track on old doors and creating intricate collages built around the themes of doors and windows. Artists Carol Lollis, James F. Lowe, James Erikson, Anja Shutz and Tess Gadwa also contribute to the exhibit. “Bedder Dur” will be on display at the ‘Voo until July 27.
Hales is pleased with the album, which he calls “awesome,” but hopes that people will check out the entire project. When asked what he hoped people would take away from this, Hales answered: “A new favorite band, a renewed appreciation of how the arts are interconnected and some good songs to sing the next time they’re standing in the breakdown lane with their thumb out.”
Green River Festival tickets
Advance tickets for the Green River Festival are $75 for the weekend and $55 per day and are available until 5 p.m. on July 13.
You can purchase tickets online at http://www.greenriverfestival.com and at Raven Used Books on Bank Row in Greenfield, Elmer’s at 396 Main St., in Ashfield and at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce office at 395 Main St. in Greenfield. At the gate, tickets are $75 per day. Tickets are also available at all Turn it Up! locations and children 12 and under are always free.
The Rendezvous after-party show is free.
In addition to these shows, “You Make a Better Door Than a Window” with a lyric booklet can be purchased at http://www.frostheaves.com, John Doe Jr. Records at 269 Main St. in Greenfield, Replay at 229 Main St., in Greenfield, Turn it Up! at 4 Pleasant St., Northampton and 440 Greenfield Road, Montague. “I Have a Song to Tell You Now” is available athttp://www.frostheaves.com
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com.
This post originally appeared in The Recorder's "Sounds Local" column.