Hem

Podcast Description

The seven-year old quartet– vocalist Sally Ellyson, pianist Dan Messé, guitarists Gary Maurer and Steve Curtis – hails from Brooklyn, New York. However, they conjure up such vivid, often pastoral settings and restless, lonesome characters in their songs, you may suspect that they long ago discovered some fantastic, secret portal in an old borough building that instantly transports them from their urban environs to a wide open prairie far, far away. Although Messé, Maurer and Curtis individually and jointly contribute material to Hem’s repertoire, their vision is remarkably unified. As Ellyson, who channels all their imagery, explains, “Each song is its own world. They really show an amazing ability, that I don’t think everyone has, to create a world in song after song that you can become so connected to, that brings you such deep feelings -- pain, joy, sorrow.” Hem has developed a large and loyal international audience, playing shows with artists such as Elvis Costello, Beth Orton and Wilco.