The Warm Hardies
Seattle, Washington, United States
Music
Press
The Warm Hardies’ “Fast and Heavy” is the best song about locomotives since Bob Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”; it is the best Death Cab song since “405?; it is a song that will fill your eyes right up as you reach to press play again and again. (It is not a Death Cab song. But it comes close enough.) The Warm Hardies are a Seattle girl-guy duo who sing with quiet, untrained passion, their harmonies brushing against each other like a cashmere cardigan against oxford cloth. “Fast and Heavy” is their first song; the band tells me a full-band version is on the way, which would be exciting if it wasn’t already completely perfect. - Rawk Blog
Today brings wind of a fresh Seattle band that’s all but slipped through my radar: The Warm Hardies – a self-defined “dignified melancholic folk/pop” duo. That’s just about as nondescript as it gets, but it does happen to be spot on – not unlike Seattle’s other melancholic folk group The Head and the Heart. Matt Bately and Tamara Power-Drutis breathe new life into the guy-girl band cliche – there’s something about the way their dynamic matches the beautiful clusterfuck of that northwest/indie/folk/pop sound they play around with; Bately with vocals that scream Death Cab-era indie-pop and Drutis’ roots as a vocalist to go everywhere his cold, steady voice doesn’t. The one song they have out is a demo of a new song off their upcoming EP, Songs for Grownups, said to be being released later this month! The EP will feature a full band with Samuel Anderson on cello, Colin Richey on drums, Corrie Strandjord on French horn, as well as Matt Bishop and Eric Anderson on vocals. - The Seattle Disconnect
In 2010, a new musical venture was created called the Warm Hardies. Matt and Tamara met like most take part in great stories—by accident. Today it has been almost a year since they have become inseparable, both on the music scene and in real life. They play what they call “dignified melancholic folk/pop” and since they opened for Hanson last September at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, their notoriety has grown slowly but surely.
Their first EP “Songs for Grownups” consists of only three songs and was launched at the end of February. Various artists collaborated on the EP to better package the sound of this excellent first work. Next Spring 2011, Warm Hardies will begin work on their debut album, their first feature.
Dissecting The Warm Hardies’ sound a bit more, we find their first song, “Fast and Heavy,” a song about the different engines of life and a theme that many other mediums have touched on. I haven’t heard such a song so adequately versed on the topic since Bob Dylan wrote his homesick melody “It takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.” Others songs give homage to Ben Gibbard and his first songs with Death Cab for Cutie.
After wetting our feet with “The Head and The Heart,” The Warm Hardies position themselves as one of the best new bands, which we for one will bet on. These Seattleites thrive between calm and passion, their equilibrium in the melodies is perfect and we doubt that their debut feature can be better than what they are giving us now. Better than this… that’s tough. - by Long Brit Magazine
Warm and optimistic, singer-songwriter Tamara Power-Drutis' acoustic folk is sweet and captivating with its simple, spot-on melodies complimented by soulful vocals. I'm not usually a huge folk fan, because I sometimes find it to be a little dull to listen to. That is not the case with Power-Drutis' self-titled debut - and I'm not just saying that because she's a fellow Pacific Northwest dweller!
With rich harmonies ("Whole") and an airy, upbeat feel ("Carousel"), Power-Drutis delivers an effort that is highly enjoyable for all listeners - even those of us whose sensibilities may be a little more electric than unplugged. My favorite cut from her is "I've Been Loved Before", a beautiful song that has a very timeless arrangement. When it comes any genre - be it folk-pop, metal, techno, or any other - it takes a talented musician like Tamara Power-Drutis to keep it fresh and engaging. On this album, she proves that quiet music can have a lot to say - this is one folk record you won't need a No-Doz for. - Beeb Ashcroft - Indie-Music.com (Apr 21, 2010)
Discography
EP: Songs for Grownups
Album: Tamara Power-Drutis
Photos
Bio
The Warm Hardies began in 2010 with a chance meeting thanks to a wrong address and an opening act’s last minute cancellation – Matt and Tamara shared the stage before even being introduced. They’ve been playing what they’ve dubbed “dignified melancholic folk/pop” together ever since; and what began as separate sets of Tamara’s warm, fuzzy sentiments and Matt’s cold, hard tunes merged together into the Warm Hardies. They launched their new partnership by opening for Hanson in September 2010 at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, followed by a series of successful shows at venues such as Chop Suey, the Tractor, and the Q-Café.
Their three song EP, Songs for Grownups, will be released in February of 2011, also featuring Samuel Anderson on cello, Colin Richey on drums, Corrie Strandjord on French horn, as well as Matt Bishop and Eric Anderson on vocals. In spring of 2011 the Warm Hardies will begin work on their first full length album.
Tamara Power-Drutis released a debut, self-titled album in December 2009, produced by national recording artist and award-winning songwriter Dennis Magee Fallon at the world famous London Bridge Studios in Seattle — the same studio that defined the Seattle sound of the 1990’s. This solo endeavor resulted in features in the Alternative and Indie front page of Windows Media Guide, station list on Pandora.com, and inclusion of her song “Black Rain” as the theme for the Ashley Michael Karitis documentary “Free World.” Tamara, a world traveler (including formative stops in Africa, Japan, Ireland, and South & Central America), is a product of the Evergreen State, having been raised in Eastern Washington and educated in Tacoma at Pacific Lutheran University. Her international experiences and background in both musical theatre and classical genres have given her inspiration and perspective that gives her songwriting a fresh take on her favorite songwriting subjects: boys, bedrooms, and big questions.
Matt Batey entered the Seattle music scene in 2006 with the release of his solo album “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” As a member of the band Conservative Dad, he went on to record a full length, self-titled LP with them in 2008 and a series of four EPs in 2009 to capture the bands blending and transition through rock, pop, and folk. Conservative Dad placed the focus on creating live performances and recorded sounds that are honest, expressive and fun.
Links
