Haegers Bend
Chicago, Illinois, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
January 5, 2001
This quartet is clearly inspired by the English "shoegazer" bands of the early '90s (Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive), and they update that swirling, psychedelic sound with a mix of well-crafted tunefulness ("Open Door," "Vicious Circle") and trippy, free-form improvisation ("Analog vs. Digital"). These dozen tunes comprise a promising debut and a welcome addition to a small but growing Chicago space-rock scene. - Chicago Sun-Times/Jim DeRogatis
Haegers Bend is an original hard rock/grunge/pop band with a pslighty psychedelic feel. A fabulous sound and a great band! They feature a sound that is similar, at times, to bands like Alice in Chains, but they have an ethereal feel that really sets them apart from your standard grunge and pop bands. The vocals, sung by Paul & Mike Wilson blend together with great harmonies and a real honest sound. Eric Jurenci lays down some solid drum tracks for the band that pushes every song in the right direction. The harmonic underpinnings that support the foreground are done superbly by bassist Aaron Feldman. All in all, these guys work wonderfully as a team. There are some really memorable songs on this CD, like “Take me Away.” This is a really great song that is well written and performed with a fabulous energy. “Blunt 69” is another tune with some nice melodic hooks and a powerful vocal energy that knocks your socks off. It’s not all just heavy loud guitars, though. The track “Bloodshot Eyes” (mp3 clipped here) is a acoustic folk ballad that shows the more introspective side of the band. Check out Haegers Bend for an honest rock band with a great feel and real musicianship. Definitely reccomended! - t.v. - Earbuzz.com
Discography
Atomic Dreamland (2000)
Soundwave Experiments (2001)
Echos From The The Past (2003)
A Letter For The Last Day In Time (2004)
Haegers Bend (2009)
Box Of Bend (TBA)
Photos
Bio
Paul Wilson with his brother Mike started Haegers Bend by writing and recording a collection of over one hundred songs. No music style was to far out of reach for the band, but they would stay true to there Midwest guitar rock roots. Their shows were a mixture of covers and original music mixed with a great visual show.
After various member changes, Paul and Mike decided to work on original music exclusively. In 2000, Haegers Bend released "Atomic Dreamland" to some great reviews. It was voted one of the best indie releases in Chicago in 2000, by Jim DeRogatis in the Chicago Sun Times.
"Soundwave Experiments" was released 2001 and "Echos from the Past" was released in 2002. Both are homemade releases that show the many different sides to the band, from straight ahead rock to spoken word.
"A Letter For The Last Day In Time" is the bands space rock epic story released in 2004. Recorded and mixed by Kris Poulin, this was a big project for the band taking over two years to complete. " From the Attic" released in 2005 was a limited edition E.P. given out for free at Lollapalooza in 2005 and is free to download at haegersbend.com.
In 2006 the band played a handful of shows including MOBfest 2006 in Chicago.
Haegers Bend has always been a D.I.Y. band and with all the changes in the music industry, they have used it to their advantage. Their music can be downloaded on all major sites, including itunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Yahoo, MSN. The band has also had radio airplay on WXRT, Q101 in Chicago and has been on other broadcasts such as Independant Nation, Indie Rock Show and various PODcast's around the world including Spain, Italy, U.K. and Germany.
In 2009 the band release a self titled CD that the gave it all the heart and soul that they had to record this material.
Recorded by the band this CD shows the power of Haegers Bend at it's best.
As a follow up to the self titled CD Haegers Bend in 2010 released the "Box Of Bend"
A 72 song four CD set of unreleased songs, demos and live tracks.
The band is working on recording new material for their new E.P.and will be playing shows in 2012.
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