Tag: Midland

Back to Basics – Hollow Head Explores Raw Alt-Rock Sound on New Self-Titled Album

hollow-head-3
Hollow Head’s Elliott Miller, Ian Gerrard, John Baldwin, and Jim Adame. Photo – Paul Gerrard

Last August, Hollow Head’s Jim Adame and Elliott Miller took an expeditious approach to writing and recording their sophomore release.

The two bandmates from the Denver quartet created a makeshift studio at an Airbnb in Fairplay, Colorado to quickly capture the nine tracks for Hollow Head over six days.

“We didn’t go into this album with a theme in mind. The main thing that we wanted to do was write and record the majority of the songs together at once,” said Adame, the band’s vocalist-guitarist, about their new album.

“They all weren’t written at the same time, but most of them were written in a shorter period of time compared to A Spark of Madness. That’s more of a common theme with our songs.”

What resulted are nine tracks filled with honest, thoughtful, and vulnerable lyrics about processing internal struggles and sharing them with the outside world.

“That’s also why we decided to have the album be self-titled,” Adame said. “There wasn’t a lot of separation this time between Elliott and me—it was a lot more collaborative.”

Miller, Hollow Head’s vocalist-drummer, agreed: “It feels like our first true record. The other one was a bunch of different stuff pieced together.”

Continue reading “Back to Basics – Hollow Head Explores Raw Alt-Rock Sound on New Self-Titled Album” →

Surge Protector – Hollow Head Faces Emotional Vampires on ‘I Can See You’ Single

hollow-head-1a
Hollow Head tackles toxic relationships on “I Can See You.” Photo – Paul Gerrard

Surging with adrenaline and emotion, Hollow Head boldly confronts emotional vampires on “I Can See You.”

That fearless act prompts the Denver indie-rock quartet to drive a stake in problematic relationships on their grungy new single.

“When I was writing lyrics for it, I didn’t go into it intentionally thinking this was what this song was gonna be about. I started writing and I think something on my mind at the time was just about emotional vampires,” said Jim Adame, the band’s vocalist-guitarist, who wrote the track last summer.

“We were going through [things] with specific friends at that time, and I’ve always had specific friends that have kinda been in that realm and also relationships. A lot of that was in my mind subconsciously.”

Backed by impulsive electric guitar, energetic bass and thunderous drums, Adame’s honest thoughts quickly rise to the surface as he sings, “All your words are parasitic / You just talk and watch me bleed / I bet you wanted me to be / Another version of what you see / No, no.”

“It touches on a little bit of guilt where you understand someone is trying hard to be a part of your life, and I was going through that a lot at the time with friends and in romantic situations, too,” he said.

“You have this one person trying very hard to be important to you, and you can very easily let that happen, but you also have to recognize this person is just gonna bring you down.”

Continue reading “Surge Protector – Hollow Head Faces Emotional Vampires on ‘I Can See You’ Single” →

Double Vision – Hollow Head Unites Creative Forces on ‘A Spark of Madness’ Album

DM100038 V2
Hollow Head’s Elliott Miller and Jim Adame reassess the valleys of the past and explore the peaks of the future on “A Spark of Madness.” Photo – Josiah Walker

Last year, Jim Adame and Elliott Miller opted to double their musical odds.

The longtime friends and collaborators pooled their talent, ingenuity and resources to form Hollow Head, a new Denver-based indie-folk duo.

“Elliott and I started releasing music independently and closely around each other. He started writing songs a year or two before I did, and when I moved out to Colorado initially, that’s when I started getting back into writing music and releasing it,” said Adame, Hollow Head’s vocalist-guitarist who hails from Midland, Michigan.

“I released my EP, and Elliott released his EP. On my EP, Elliott did all the drum work and the lead guitar, and he was already a pretty big part of that project. At a certain point, we realized our songs had a lot in common, and the subject matter was similar as well. Since we had already enjoyed collaborating, we decided to take the plunge and make it a duo project.”

Together, their creative Hollow Head forces produced A Spark of Madness, an emotive debut album immersed in ethereal soundscapes, earnest lyrics, ear-catching harmonies and expansive instrumentation.

“We put words on paper, and then a lot of that came from subconscious thoughts, and we found out what it meant later,” said Miller, Hollow Head’s vocalist-guitarist-drummer who also grew up in Midland and met Adame in 2015.

Each track provides a contemplative, out-of-body experience that allows listeners to deeply reflect on internal struggles, old relationships and life lessons. It’s the ideal sonic companion for a solo Rocky Mountain road trip to reassess the valleys of the past and explore the peaks of the future.

“We revisited the songs, so they’re all more cohesive and share the two of us,” Adame said. “That’s how they all play out. And then, two of the songs, ‘Gasoline’ and ‘January,’ are the ones we wrote while we were in the middle of forming Hollow Head.”

Continue reading “Double Vision – Hollow Head Unites Creative Forces on ‘A Spark of Madness’ Album” →

Light Year – Michigander Rediscovers Purpose on ‘Everything Will Be OK Eventually’ EP

Michigander Press Photo 2021
Michigander’s “Everything Will Be OK Eventually” EP offers hope and optimism for the future. Photo – Kris Herrmann

For Michigander, a new release lights the way after a dark year.

The Detroit indie pop singer-songwriter shares a renewed sense of personal and creative purpose on his third optimistic, six-track EP, Everything Will Be OK Eventually, out today on all streaming platforms.

“I’m hoping these songs will become a soundtrack of a return to normal. I tend to write sad music, but it sounds nice and happy, and that usually kind of tricks people. People resonate with each EP and every song coming out at certain time frames in their lives,” said Jason Singer, aka Michigander.

“It feels weird to know this one will do the same thing, and I know one day I’ll look back on this time, so I try to enjoy it now. I hope it serves as a time stamp and takes people back to where we are right now.”

Released via C3 Records, Michigander’s Everything Will Be OK Eventually instantly transports pandemic-fatigued listeners to a hopeful nearby future filled with highly anticipated face-to-face interactions and group gatherings. Each melodic, expansive track allows people to release pent-up sighs of relief and shed lingering worries as they progress from one song to the next.

That cathartic return to normalcy starts with Singer’s latest exhilarating, spirited single, “Better,” as ascending, vibrant synths, roaring electric guitars, pounding drums and buoyant bass reveal a promising road ahead and a peaceful disruption in time.

Singer reflects, “You’re always scared of getting caught/Always questioning your thoughts/But you can’t hide how you feel/I wanna know how you feel/Feels like time is moving quicker, but I’m getting slower/Guess that’s just a part of getting older/Wish I could look away.”

“I tend to write music with the intention of knowing what’s the opener and what’s the ender, and I fill everything in the middle. ‘Better’ and ‘Together’ are purposely where they’re at on the EP, and it was very intentional to open it massively and close it softly. My favorite albums have great openers and great endings, and it’s something I always want to replicate when I make my music,” he said.

Continue reading “Light Year – Michigander Rediscovers Purpose on ‘Everything Will Be OK Eventually’ EP” →