John D. Hale
If you were to ask the John D. Hale Band to classify their sound, they’d respond by simply saying “its country.” Charming as this response is, it has the potential to be misleading. Blending together their favorite parts of country, Americana , southern rock, and even bluegrass, the John D. Hale Band have crafted their own edgy and raucous sound.
John D. and the boys began playing in earnest in 2005 in support of their debut album, One of a Kind. Although independently released, the record enjoyed widespread radio play domestically as well as in Europe and Australia. The record climbed to 17 on XM Radio’s X-Country channel year end top 50 chart in 2006. The groundswell of support was avid and vocal, prompting John D. and the boys to return to the studio.
Their sophomore effort, Lost, was released in 2008 and has more than picked up where their One of a Kind left off. The album quickly topped X-Country’s charts and remained a Top Ten favorite for most of the summer in 2008. JDHB also broke into the Texas Country Music charts with their single, “Heartbreaker”. Cody Braun and David Abeyta, members of the critically acclaimed Austin, TX group, Reckless Kelly, were at the helm producing the record with Grammy Award® winning engineer Adam Odor, helping the band mature into its present form. “We really tried to push ourselves with this record. We tracked everything live in the studio to give it more of a live band feel, which is something we hadn’t done before” remarks Hale, “and with Cody and David producing, I think we really ended up with a great album full of great songs.” With the title track, “Lost”, being the “in your face rocker of the album”, it’s pretty safe to say that the John D. Hale Band is anything but lost. But, there’s something for everyone on the album, from the straight forward county lyrics and country swagger of “Stake Our Claim Again”, to the bluegrass undertones of “Love Pulled The Trigger” and the desperation rocker, “Pistol In Each Hand”. The album also includes the band’s newest single to hit radio, “Only Time Will Tell”, a song full of that “don’t give up just yet” attitude, that everyone that has ever been in a relationship worth keeping will relate to. Judging by the early success of this record, John and the guys just might be onto something.
The John D. Hale Band sets up shop on the family ranch in their hometown of Jackson, Missouri, a true testament to the rural approach, sound, and subject matter of the songs they play. The quartet, made up of John D. Hale (vocals, guitar), Kurt Tietz(bass, vocals), Chris Brotherton (drums, vocals) and Mason Watkins (lead guitar), put on a live show that is an energetic and rowdy showcase of great, American music. Armed with their original songs and a handful of covers by their heroes, the John D. Hale Band continues to travel this great country in search of anyone and everyone who will listen.
