The Hernies
Athens, Georgia, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013
Music
Press
The label, Athens Provisions, aptly describes the debut from The Hernies as "Palace Music's Viva Last Blues made by a 19-year-old growing up in the strange age of the Internet." With The Hernies, that 19-year-old, Herny (ne Henry) Barbe, has crafted something weird and indelible.
The album is bursting with ideas, and there are myriad other references to be made. Shades of Elliott Smith color tunes like "You Say," 66 tender and brutal seconds of stereo-tracked acoustic psychedelia. Robert Pollard's nebulous solo output is another touchstone, and not just because Barbe, too, is a former high school baseball star. The oozing anti-pop of "Rising Senior/No Extras" calls to mind defunct august oddballs The Unicorns.
But comparing The Hernies to what came before it is misleading, because the album does seem to exist in a sort of meta-digi vacuum. Though these songs are lo-fi and guitar-centric, their most recognizable human characteristic is a total lack of attention span; they seem perfectly suited for mp3 or a similarly implacable format. Like the post-millennial underground that surrounds it, The Hernies is sort of messy and obstinate and beautifully bewildering. - Flagpole Magazine
Local indie rock outfit The Hernies has existed in some form since 2013, but its lineup has recently solidified into a four-piece unit featuring Henry Barbe, Winston Barbe, Glenn Reece and Evan Amburn. The band is reportedly prepping the release of its debut album, which it hopes to have out early next year.
For a taste of what the group is cooking up, check out the video for the 50-second pop-punk burner "Learning to Live Alone." The clip, directed by Michael Wright, features the talents of "the Dancing Man, a local character around town who shows up to all sorts of shows and dances his heart out," says Winston Barbe.
Barbe adds:
Herny says, "The song is about people who just WON'T go away." It is a response to "Benito Santiago" off of the 2013 self-titled EP. He said he wrote a response because "no one else would." (Benito Santiago was an MLB catcher for 20 years, and I suppose the point of that song is that he stuck around for too long/couldn't let go/wore out his welcome.) - Gabe Vodicka
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
When you drive down a four lane road do you ever imagine you’re on a track of a 4 track tape? The Hernies formed on a 4 track as a recording project in a basement of Best Drive in Athens, Georgia, each track played and recorded by Henry, AKA Herny, thus The Hernies. Like the flow of ideas before solidification, The Hernies are hard to define. Influenced by the Minutemen, Big Star and Neil Young, some describe the sound as power pop or art rock.
For the upcoming album, “If You Can’t Think, Then You Cannot Be Afraid of The Consequences of Your Actions,” The Hernies lineup has expanded. Herny joined forces with brother, Winston, old friend, Glenn, and classic rocker, Evan, and recorded at Chase Park Transduction. Fun fact: Herny, Winston, and Glenn all attended the same Catholic schools in Athens, GA, but let’s not talk about that.
Band Members
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