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Heart Hunters // “Smokin Potpourri” (Dec 6th)
Atlanta’s Best Folk Band of 2018, Heart Hunters, is back with a new politically leaning single called “Smokin’ Potpourri” that decries the “unwokeness” of current musical acts that live on the charts. Anyone that has followed their social media posts for the past couple of years won’t be surprised by the content of the song, as they spend more time discussing the downfall of the current administration and the dower outlook of the global climate crisis, than pressing people to come to their shows. It’s an upbeat ditty that gently pokes fun at the whiskey bro culture that is often featured at the top music outlets.
Heart Hunters’ Drew de Man founded his first band, No River City, in 2001 and spent the next several years making records, touring the country and sharing bills with artists such as Iron & Wine, Calexico and Alejandro Escovedo. After a decade away from the spotlight, his new project Heart Hunters—a duo with his wife, singer/songwriter Brianna Blackbird—builds on the moody indie/alt-country sound de Man explored with No River City, updating them for a new era with their Peter Case produced debut LP American Eclipse. The record’s alternately haunting and wistful folk songs find De Man and Blackbird engaging in potent social and spiritual commentary, clinging to silver linings while wrestling with an increasingly turbulent country. But while the subject matter is often heavy, the duo’s hook-laden melodicism offers all the balance the record needs.
Blackbird and de Man met while studying music therapy in Portland, OR, and they soon began writing and recording together, releasing a couple of EPs and a full-length in 2015 (under the moniker Pretend Sweethearts). The duo played cafes, bars, and clubs on the West Coast, also bringing their music to homeless shelters, youth detention centers, prisons and rehab facilities along the way. Their wanderlust—and desire to find affordable housing—led them deep into South America, to a mountain village in Bolivia. While there, Blackbird and de Man had their son while immersing themselves in songwriting and Andean culture. Living beyond U.S. borders proved an enlightening experience for the couple, imbuing their eventual return Stateside with a new sense of purpose.
Having grown up in Georgia, the soundtrack to de Man’s childhood was comprised largely of country, blues, bluegrass and Southern rock, but he was also eventually inspired by a pair of odd bedfellows—the Grateful Dead and punk rock. De Man’s father—a poet with a penchant for quoting ancient mystical texts around the campfire—was also a big influence. At age 10, Drew’s mother gave him his first guitar, and he hasn’t stopped playing since.
Blackbird was raised in Oregon and spent many a rainy day getting lost in Celtic-folk cassettes. The daughter of a music teacher, she was raised on folk, classic rock and Beethoven, sang in several choirs and studied voice, piano, and guitar. She went on to major in performance and social activism at Naropa College in Boulder, Colo., before moving to Brooklyn, where started writing songs. Two years ago, she added upright bass to her repertoire after learning some fundamentals from Joe Stevens of Coyote Grace.
Heart Hunters are currently restoring an old house just south of Atlanta, and have a small farm where they are working on cultivating a large garden while tending to two goats and three chickens. They make music, teach music, remodel houses, show up for marches, work as session players, and somehow still find time to raise two kids.
“Might sound delicate on first listen, but it packs a heavy punch.” – No Depression
“[Brianna] Blackbird’s harmonies lift arguably sad lyrics, while [Drew] de Man drives the melody forward.” – The Boot
“Dreamy pickings, hazy harmonies and sweeping violins … exceptional.” – Cowboys & Indians
Publicist: Rachel Hurley
“Rachel is great to work with. She’s got the perspective it takes to look at the landscape, suss out the opportunities and get ’em in the bag for you. Also, she’s disarmingly friendly and wryly funny. She got us a lot of positive attention and helped us get many miles beyond where we were. It’s always easy to get in touch and you know when you’re talking, she’s listening. So when she’s talking, you should listen.” – Drew De Man