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With Every
Beat, Hart Pumps Genuine Americana Spirit
The band started to come together when Hart discovered that bass player Jeff Crain—who lived on her street and whose son used to cut her grass—was a singer-songwriter who had moved here from Beaumont, Texas around the same time Hart relocated from Nashville. Fritz Froeschner, the guitar virtuoso from Two Week Notice, joined based on strong word of mouth. “He’s known around town as a really good player. Jeff Wade plays golf with some friends of mine, and they knew I was looking for a drummer. They hooked us up and it worked. I initially tried to get my guys from Nashville to come down, but they were booked. I was really lucky to get these guys,” Hart said. Crain, Froeschner and Wade only had two weeks to learn Hart’s music before they debuted at Harbor Docks Valentine’s weekend. Luckily, the guys had Hart’s critically acclaimed 2001 CD, Every Beat of My Heart, to use as a reference. “I was a little apprehensive. We only had about two and a half practices, but thanks to the other guys in the band…” Froeschner said. “We don’t have a lot of original music coming out of this town right now. The good thing about Amy, she comes to the table with 15 really first-rate songs. She played with top Nashville cats on her CD, and we had to try to get close to that.” The Amy Hart band triumphed at Harbor Docks, with familiar face Gina Lane praising Hart’s original songs and calling her “a breath of fresh air.” The rockabilly-flavored album opener Rockabye kicked off the set, propelled by Froeschner’s killer leads and Hart’s strong rhythm guitar playing. The bluesy Love Train followed, providing a good showcase for the rhythm section. Hart introduced A Heart’s An Awful Thing as “kind of a cross between country and reggae and blues.” Another fine original from Hart’s album, Be That Way, benefited from Crain’s and Froeschner’s harmony vocals on the chorus—not that Hart needs any help in the vocal department. “She’s got great tone and wonderful control,” Froeschner said. “She’s very easy on the ears. That comes from practice and experience.” Hart’s experience goes all the way back to age three, when she began playing piano. She picked up a guitar and sang in bands during high school. Hart left college to concentrate on songwriting and fronting a band full time. She describes her music as a combination of country, rock, blues and R&B, noting that her sound has evolved from pure country to Americana. “The next record will be more of an alt-country thing, more like southern rock.” Hart already has a bunch of new material she can’t wait to lay down in the studio. “My favorite song to sing is Shut Up, probably the newest song that the band knows. It’s a cheating song that really stands out in the set. I get a lot of response—people request it and seem to remember it.” One of Hart’s career highlights so far was playing at the Country Music Hall of Fame last December. “I entered the Embassy Music talent search contest and won as songwriter, so we got to do a showcase there. I also played at CB’s Gallery in New York—that was really fun.” Prior to hooking up with her new band, Hart did some solo gigs at Blue Mountain Beach. She has also been spotted sitting in with Two Week Notice and Cadillac Willy “They’re good buddies of mine,” Hart said of the latter. “As far as the local scene, I’m learning more about it. I’m looking forward to broadening my fan base down here. I love the weather and the beach. The music scene is pretty cool. Donnie Sundal is my favorite—he’s got so much soul.” Hart keeps
things interesting by broadening her sound, as well as adhering
to her strong views about songwriting. “You don’t want
to bore people to death with introspective songs. Some singer-songwriters
have a tendency to be introspective musically—that drives
me crazy. Hart grew up loving Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell. She hasn’t bought a lot of records in recent months. “I’m trying to think of what I like that’s new. I like Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Webb Pierce King of the Honky Tonks is one of my favorite records. I’ve been listening to the Eagles best-of a lot. I really like Michelle Branch. Avril Lavigne is good—I think she’s a great singer, performer. Lucinda Williams’ writing I really like. She’s awesome.” Hart still keeps her feet in Nashville, where she has had the delight of teaching songwriting to grade school students. “The program is Words & Music, sponsored by the Country Music Hall of Fame. They’ll take a busload of students to the hall of fame. The teachers will give me lyrics by a bunch of the kids. I’ll pick out five of 40 they submit, write the songs and they get to sing them.” Hart also performs once a month at legendary Nashville clubs like the Bluebird and the Broken Spoke. And yet she still finds time to maintain her own website, www.amyhart.com. “I update it all the time, whenever there’s new events and I have gigs,” she said. SIDEBAR: Amy Hart’s
Five Desert Island CDs: |
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Amy
Hart’s new band is one of the strangest combinations I’ve
seen. The bass player looks like he could pass for a Nashville
session pro, the guitar player is heavily jazz-influenced and
the drummer spends most of his time playing in the heavy metal
group 8UP. These elements shouldn’t click so brilliantly,
yet they give Hart the vigorous backing her original songs deserve.Copyright © The Beachcomber, Inc. 2003 - 2008. All rights reserved.