Grace & Hugh - Recording On The Road
“Somethin’ About A Man” - Grace & Hugh
‘Something’ about a man huh? Well if you ask me, there’s something about Grace & Hugh, something very cool indeed!
A little while back I had the absolute pleasure of recording Grace & Hugh, 2 wonderful artists from mid/north regional New South Wales who turned up for a live recording session with one hell of a backing band to accompany them. We laid down a couple of live tracks, keys, guitars, drums a horn section and some truly outstanding vocals. It was a really great session that went down as smooth as silk, one of those days where every player in the room boasted a tonne of talent.
And while the recording session went down so swimmingly, that’s not really what I want to talk about. Having now gotten to know these guys, and since started following what they get up to on the road via their social media, I have come to find there really is ‘Something’ About Grace & Hugh.
Watch this clip to get the feel of what I’m talking about…
So basically these guys have jimmied off a boat winch (now piano winch) and attached it to their trailer so they can bring their piano on the road with them… stuff the Casio right? Now we’ve all done our fair share of load in’s, but add an actual piano to the load every night, that’s a dedication to keeping things pure, organic & real. You won’t find a preset on any piece of gear out there that can carry the weight and tell the story like a real piano that gets dragged from show to show and even more places than that… They tell me that when they first started out and considering how to go about touring, they felt it was a must to start hitting all the back roads playing sleepy country towns & visiting distant rural areas. Having both grown up in rural areas themselves they felt that this is where their story had come from and where wanted to take it. I’ve since seen them posting up photos and videos from a bunch of great venues they have played, really old and super charming country town halls & theatres, places that hold a tonne of character and history.
But here’s where their plot thickens…
One of the things that has really caught my eye (and ears) are the locations Grace & Hugh find themselves recording in along the way of their travels. They head out with a great little portable set-up. Armed with a selection of Rode microphones which they run into a trusty Zoom digital recorder. They get out and into the wild finding some pretty epic places to capture some absolutely stellar live recording.
Quite literally, it’s actually completely normal to find these two (having dragged their piano along with them don’t forget) buried deep in the pine-needles of Nundle State forest, amongst the long grass of the Liverpool Plains, over the cracked mud of Lake Keepit, down the windy Brooms Head Beach and hell, why not, even into a Vinnies store somewhere. I’ve seen them jamming along country roadsides, under trees in paddocks and all sorts of places with a few mics set up capturing their sweet sweet tunes.
What I love about these guys so much (along with their great music of course), is they’re getting out there, taking on life and the road and doing it in their own style. Stepping out from the norm, stepping out from some prescribed formula and being completely adventurous with their music. Traveling, and meeting tonnes of great people, playing amazing shows for which they put a hell of a lot of effort into, an effort which can be seen and something people really do appreciate. They’re also, not only capturing and creating great art in interesting and far-out places along the way, but also collecting interesting stories and experiences, which for me, is one of the most important things to all of this crazy music game. This really is the kind of thing that gets me inspired, inspired to play music, inspired to travel and inspired to try new things and take risks with what I do… which is why I’m sharing their story, and hopefully, it takes the same effect with you.
You can follow what Grace & Hugh get up to via their socials which I highly suggest
Website – https://www.graceandhugh.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/graceandhughmusic/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/graceandhugh/?hl=en
So remember, think outside the box, get outside of the studio or rehearsal room and actually get out there and experience life on the road. Step outside the boundaries of your normal comfort zone because who knows what you’ll uncover…
Thanks for reading my rambles!
Milla
