Good morning, country music fans!
Today, we're talking to Michelle and Jason Hannan. They are a husband and wife duo from Frederick Maryland and leading the group - OneBlueNight
Let’s start by learning a bit
about each of your backgrounds. Both of you come from deep musical roots. What
influenced each of your music careers from those backgrounds?
Michelle: I grew up listening to country music in the 90s, whatever was on the radio. My mom always said that I was singing before I could talk. My grandfather was the only real musician in my family and I would sit and listen to him sing and play his piano or guitar and try to pick up what I could. He’s the one who introduced me to traditional country - artists like Patsy Cline, George Jones, Merle Haggard - the stuff that influenced all of the great songs I heard in the 90s. I sang along with the radio in the car and was always playing something and singing along at home. My mom used to get out her tape recorder and record me singing along to stuff, I wish I still had those tapes! She tried to get me to sing in front of other people; I remember a Thanksgiving where I literally got under the kitchen table to sing because I was so shy! When I was a teen, my older brother had a guitar, and when he left the house I would sneak in and grab it and try to make chords. It took a while, but I finally taught myself how to accompany my singing. I got older and kind of abandoned the idea of making something of myself in music - I was extremely self-conscious. It wasn’t until I met Jason in 2014 that I actually got a chance to sing on stage. He really brought me out of my shell and helped to shape me into the musician I am today. I’m extremely lucky to have met him - both in a musical sense and in a personal sense, as we’ve been happily married for several years now!
Jason: I grew up in Mississippi and just about everybody played music down
there. My father, Hal Windham, was a musician of note in the Gulf Coast music
scene in the 70’s. He recorded a single with Malaco Records in 1976 that got some
airplay regionally (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pyh3n1ohJM). So it was in
my blood and I would just try to learn whatever instruments I could growing up.
I got involved with bluegrass when I was in the military and played guitar,
bass, and mandolin in several bluegrass bands up until I met Michelle and we
both decided to return to our country roots. We clicked immediately vocally,
more so than anyone else I’ve ever sung with. It was pretty crazy. Oh yeah, we
got married too. She needs higher standards!
Concept Album. As a writer, I love the idea of using an entire album to tell a story while at the same time, each track can stand on its own and strike a chord with any of your listeners.
Will you share with my readers the
seed for the storyline came from?
Jason: I wrote a song with my
daughter called “Everything I’ve Got’s in Tennessee” back about 9 years ago or
so, long before this album was ever a thing. The song ended up coming together
as a murder ballad. Not by design, that’s just the way it fell together. When
we decided to write a concept album that song seemed like a natural starting
point. Michelle rewrote the melody for it and added a verse. We built the album
around that song and it ended up being the second single we released from the
album. For the rest of the album we knew what plot points we needed to hit and
tried to write or find songs that fleshed them out, then we added interludes to
transition between the 3 acts. It was an ambitious project and we’re very
pleased with how it came together.
Jason, I know you were inspired to do a concept album based on a teenage experience of hearing Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger album. My question is for Michelle. What was your first thought when Jason brought the idea to you?
Michelle: I had never really
paid much attention to the idea of a concept album. I can't think of many that
I've heard myself, although it's possible that I have listened to one without
realizing it was a cohesive work. When Jason brought it to me, it seemed like a
really cool idea and it only got cooler once it started to develop. He really
drove this project, and I definitely admire his creativity and drive.
Cheater’s Waltz is the story of a woman’s journey. Have you thought about flipping the coin and giving a male’s perspective?
Jason: That’s an interesting
idea! There are actually a couple songs on the album that are from the guys’
perspective, both sung by me. One is “Before I Met You” and the other is
“Livin’ on Barroom Time”. Taken as a whole, they don’t really present the guy
in a very flattering light. He’s certainly not the hero of the story. And one
of the most challenging things about writing this album (for me) was trying to
write from a female perspective. I certainly wouldn’t rule out writing another
concept album from a male’s perspective at some point in the future.
Michelle: An album from the
perspective of the cheater would be interesting. I see the opportunity for a
ghost story at the end…that could be cool!
You share a big part of the credit on this album to fellow bandmate, Howard Parker. Aside from amazing instrumental talent, what did he bring to the table?
Michelle: Howard was an integral part of
the planning and execution of the album. He had some great ideas regarding
arrangements, and was always receptive to us bouncing ideas off of him. Of
course, he also wrote the beautiful “Loren’s Lament”, the instrumental on the
album, which really helped to set the tone for the rest of the album. It’s rare
to find someone who lines up so well with your own ideas and taste when you’re
dealing with a lot of original music. We’re very blessed to have Howard as a
bandmate and friend.
Jason: Oh man, we couldn’t have
done any of this without Howard. In addition to what Michelle said, Howard is also
an extremely underrated singer! He can harmonize with the best of them. You can
really hear him do his thing vocally on the album’s last track, the a cappella
quartet. The part he’s singing is not easy and he knocks it right out of the
park!
Jason: Speaking for just
myself, the hardest part was the production side. This is the first album I’ve
ever totally produced and mastered myself and I really had to work hard to make
it sound like I wanted. I got what I wanted but I do honestly worry more about
what critics will say about the production than anything else. I was very lucky
because all the musicians that were involved (Michelle, Howard, Shannon Bielski
on fiddle, Jim Robeson on accordion) turned in stellar performances.
I try to really get in touch with the heroines in my books. Michelle, was there anything in this story you felt you identified with?
Michelle: I think I identified
most with her seemingly wild nature at the beginning of the story, especially
in the first song. I’m starting to settle down though! Of course, we’ve all had
heartbreak and challenges in our relationships. I can’t say I’ve ever
considered murder though. That’s what I tell Jason, anyway.
When folks listen to this album, what do you hope their experience will be, or that they’ll walk away thinking…..
Jason: I just hope people are
immersed in the story, that they are moved by it in some way, that it makes
them feel something. If they do, I’ve gotten what I wanted out of it. It’s a
rare enough thing these days, what with the direction the country music
industry has gone in.
Thank you Kelly, we really enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for working with Adam so I had the opportunity to get to know you and Michelle ~Country Blessings
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