Kind Hearted Strangers Sit with Stillness
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With rich harmonies and colorful songwriting, Kind Hearted Strangers bring back a taste of American roots into the world of rock n’ roll they fell in love with. Based in Boulder, CO – the Strangers feature songwriter/vocalist Marc Townes, bassist Marshall Carlson, percussionist/vocalist Brian Ireland, and guitarist Kevin Hinder, who’s skillful and dynamic embellishments add another unique layer to the band’s raw authentic sound.
“…The fiery, eclectic Kind Hearted Strangers stand high above their counterparts, evoking a loose jam-band charm with vibrant, pop-sensible folk that takes influence from the classics without spending too much time dwelling in the past. With Townes’ vibrant, engaging songwriting, Hinder’s virtuosic and seemingly limitless range on guitar, and Ireland’s drumming that keeps the song’s contained while also stretching them to their limits, Kind Hearted Strangers’ musical dexterity far exceeds their short time as a band. With a sound already so fully-formed and grounded, guessing where they’re going next is an adventure unto itself.” – Behind the Scene Press
Marc, how has COVID-19 affected you, your band, your community?
This long period of isolation from the world of live music has given us the opportunity to sit down and create new material, to grow as artists on the creative side and to give all of our attention to the completion of our first full-length record. On a personal level, there’s been a lot of freedom to step away from the constant grind of booking, marketing, managing, and promoting events – and instead focus on the thing that actually matters the most: the music, the art. To sit with stillness – however uncomfortable it may be, with all possible emotions coming up – is a necessary part of being a human being, and even more necessary to be creative. Quarantine has been a forced opportunity to explore that stillness. This pandemic has been tragic for many communities and businesses, particularly in the world of entertainment, but I think that the music community will continue to adapt in creative ways, and ultimately be extremely supportive when we get back to playing and attending live concerts. I tend to be of the mindset that all things happen for a reason, and I think that we’re going to come out of all of this in a much better place than we ever were before. Music, art, all experiences will be more meaningful.
Tell us about the song “Red & Blue” and the music video you guys made for it.
I wrote this song on Election night 4 years ago, and while I wish the message behind it wasn’t still so relevant, it has only grown to mean more. It’s a song about division – a reflection of frustration, living and watching this country turn from the ‘United’ to the ‘Divided States’ of America. It’s a hopeful call to action – asking the People to use their voices, to speak up, because it is the only way that we can move forward. For the same reason this is our band name. This song came into existence, because All Human Beings on this Earth are Equal. From that same sentiment, we came up with the idea for the music video, to show faces of people from all across the country, from all different backgrounds. Each of us in the band comes from different corners of the country, so we reached out to our friends, family, and fans and asked them to join us in spreading this message of hope. When we would watch these divisive news programs, we would always feel that either side was a poor representation of how we as Americans, as humans, really are. The vast majority of us are good, kind, caring people. The video and the song are meant to be an example of this. That ‘We The People’ are all in this together and it’s up to all of us to make this a better place.
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE: WWW.HEADABOVEMUSIC.COM
