the Ashtray Hearts
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the Ashtray Hearts

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Band Americana Rock

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Old Numbers (2002) review"

“On their debut Old Numbers, the Ashtray Hearts have created a somber, inviting album that reflects those lonely, hopeless wintry days in a city full of broken hearts, dead dreams and bittersweet memories.”
- No Depression


"Ashtray Hearts Are 'Perfect'"

Speaking of potential year-end list makers, the Ashtray Hearts' sophomore disc, "Perfect Halves," is another winner.

Recorded at the Sacred Heart Studios in Duluth — the brownstone cathedral that has been home to Low, Haley Bonar and Bellwether, among many others — the album sounds warm, spacious and almost shockingly intimate. Plenty of major labels and big producers spend lots of money striving, and often failing, to capture a similar ambiance.

"Perfect Halves" is highly recommended to fans of Mojave 3 and Mark Olson-era Jayhawks. The band's CD-release party is set for Saturday at the Turf Club, although this is exactly the sort of disc that deserves to find its way into the homes of those who don't make it to late-night rock shows anymore.
- St. Paul Pioneer Press


"Chris Riemenschneider: Ashtray Hearts wait for 'Perfect'"

Too many bands nowadays are in too big a hurry. They're rushing to land a record deal, or they're overeager to put out a CD.

With this week's release of "Perfect Halves," the Ashtray Hearts make a strong case for taking it slow 'n' easy. The elegant, wintery sophomore album comes a long three years after the brooding Americana/alt-country band released its debut, "Old Numbers." Even when it got around to making the new CD, the sextet took a six-month hiatus between studio sessions. The guys didn't even play a gig in that time, last summer to fall.

"It was good to step back from the songs for a while," frontman Dan Richmond explained earlier this week.

Talking in the coffeeshop downstairs from KFAI -- he's program director at the nonprofit community radio station -- Richmond said that day jobs are one reason the Ashtray Hearts don't move faster. Another is their personal lives: Last year saw Richmond getting married and bassist Ryan Schiefe and his wife having a baby.

Ashtray HeartsMarlin LevisonStar Tribune"We do things in this band at a pace where it doesn't conflict with everything else," Richmond said. "Keeping it uncomplicated is what keeps it fun."

But accordion/keyboard player Brad Augustine said there are artistic reasons for their slowness too.

"We all get our chance to have a little input into the songs," Augustine said. "That tends to take some time."

The Ashtray Hearts formed as the members were finishing college in 2001. Richmond had returned from a long stay in England and Ireland, where he did a lot of writing and a little soul-searching. Many of the songs on "Old Numbers" came from that experience, as did one tune on the new album, "English," in which he sings about "taking a year to turn it around."

The rest of "Perfect Halves," though, was written over the past three years. Said Richmond, "It's much more of a band record."

But don't go thinking that there are a lot of bells and whistles on the recording. What's remarkable about the Ashtray Hearts is that, even with six members, their sound remains restrained and even raw at times. Just as they don't rush their songs, they don't cram them full of any extracurricular flourishes.

Most of "Perfect Halves" was recorded during the winter at Sacred Heart in Duluth, the historic church converted into a recording studio. Like another church-made album, the Cowboy Junkies' "Trinity Sessions," this one has moments of barrenness and loneliness that can chill you to the bone, but then some of the fuller arrangements offer a warming effect. The CD-closing "Flowers," for instance, coasts into a long, noodling guitar outro that's remarkable for how basic but beautiful it sounds.

Richmond's lyrics help evoke these conflicting moods without saying anything too specific. He likened his songs to "conversations you eavesdrop on, and you're lacking the context of them." That description especially fits the opening cut, "Rules," featuring a scant 55 words that set the tone for the album's uncertain, crisscrossing lyricism.

Guitarist Steve Yernberg said, "Our music is pretty sad-sounding, but I don't really think they're sad songs. There are even a few that seem like love songs."

And even if they sound depressed, the Ashtray Hearts come across as one of the happiest bands in town. They're friends first, a point obvious during their six-month break, when they still played softball together and hung out regularly.

The band members will do what touring they can this summer, but they're happy enough getting support at home. They're performing on-air today at around 2 p.m. on the Current (89.3 FM), the new competitor to Richmond's beloved KFAI. ("There's no conflict," he claimed.) Also, look for the Ashtray Hearts to book more gigs soon after Saturday's release party at the Turf Club.

But don't expect them to move too quickly. - the Minneapolis Star Tribune


Discography

Sound files available on theashtrayhearts.com

THE ASHTRAY HEARTS
Perfect Halves(elect004)
“Perfect Halves is the second long-player from the Ashtray Hearts. The album was recorded at Sacred Heart Studios, a landmark nineteenth century cathedral overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Recording at the old church during a typical cold and snowy Duluth winter proved to be ideal for the creation of this subtle assembly of wounded songs.”

THE ASHTRAY HEARTS
Old Numbers(elect003)
"On their debut Old Numbers, the Ashtray Hearts have created a somber, inviting album that reflects those lonely, hopeless wintry days in a city full of broken hearts, dead dreams and bittersweet memories."
- No Depression (Sep.-Oct. 2002)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

The Ashtray Hearts are a six-piece ensemble from Minneapolis that plays what is best described as ‘apartment music.’ Taking elements of Americana, folk, alt-country and other influences, the Ashtray Hearts add eclectic instrumentation (horns, organs, accordions) to create their lonely, broken-hearted sound.

Perfect Halves is the second long-player from the Ashtray Hearts. The album was recorded at Sacred Heart Studios, a landmark nineteenth century cathedral overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Recording at the old church during a typical cold and snowy Duluth winter proved to be ideal for the creation of this subtle assembly of wounded songs.

On Perfect Halves, the band continues to refine the lush textures first explored on their debut. Recorded on vintage analog equipment, these recordings capture the Ashtray Hearts as they sound live, with the added warmth and natural reverb offered by the high ceilings of Sacred Heart. The songs, written and refined over the last three years, once again explore the timeless themes of love and loss.

Other information on the Ashtray Hearts and Perfect Halves:
· The Ashtray Hearts toured England, Scotland, and the U.S. in support of their debut Old Numbers (elect003).
· The band recorded a session for legendary BBC DJ Bob Harris during their UK tour.
· The band was featured on a BBC Radio compilation, “Bob Harris Presents vol. 4” which also included tracks from Rosie Thomas, Laura Cantrell, Thad Cockrell and others.
· Perfect Halves was mixed and mastered at Third Ear in Minneapolis with Tom Herbers, who has worked with Low, the Jayhawks, and countless others.
· The Ashtray Hearts have played with The New Pornographers, Richard Buckner, Kelly Willis, Jesse Sykes, Laura Veirs, Jason Ringenberg and others.
· The Ashtray Hearts have been featured in No Depression, The Guardian (UK), City Pages (mpls), Minnesota Monthly, Pioneer Press (St. Paul), Pulse of the Twin Cities, LA Weekly, The Stranger (Seattle), and Willamette Week (Portland).