ABOUT “MILES IN BLUE”
2020 has been a heck of a ride, full of ups and downs, at times seeming hard to find light in the darkness. Shining stars exist throughout, however, bringing us through the craziness. Among those beacons of light, new music by our favorite artists is certainly something that guides us.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades recognizes the difficult year we have all had, and are incredibly thankful for their devoted fans. That is why their fifth studio album, Miles in Blue, will be released on Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving.
For a band that considers themselves a family, sharing this new music ahead of the holiday is purposefully special.
“Music can be one of the finest medicines!” says Horseshoes and Hand Grenades’ guitarist and vocalist Adam Greuel. “We all know how gnarly 2020 has been. We want to provide the community that surrounds our music with something that might help them get through the times and bring a smile to their faces…we figured that there was no better time to release this album than Thanksgiving because, well, we're thankful!”
In The Studio
Back in January 2019, when 2020 was still a distant dream, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades went into Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, MN with 18 songs of original material. Each of the five band members contributed to the songwriting, resulting in a true showcase of the bands’ talents, and a glimpse into each of their personalities.
“This album kind of captures our collective and individual experiences of ‘growing up’,” Adam Greuel shares. “2018 was the busiest year we'd had as a band and I think we all started to feel the tensions of being on the road versus being home. When you're out on the road playing music with your best buddies, doing what you love as your job, you're also missing being home with your family, your partner, your little quant fishing holes. You start to feel those miles on your body and wonder if maybe you should take some time to rest up. I think some of our individual experiences of being on the road are wrapped up in this record. I think most humans feel these types of tensions as life gets busy and we have to really consciously make the decisions to nurture relationships with the people we love.”
So, with just 6 days to work with, 6 days that would lead up to and conclude with the total "blood moon" super-moon Eclipse of January 2019, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and their individual and collective wealth of life experiences stepped into the studio.
To produce the project, they recruited Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi, Hard Working Americans, and, most recently, The High Hawks, of which Greuel is a member.
“I'll admit I was a bit leery when they told me they had eighteen songs that they wanted to record in a matter of six days,” says Staehly. “Once we dug in and got started though it was apparent that it was going to be really easy to do. The band had been touring hard and were a well-greased machine.”
The large amount of material, combined with the short time frame and possibly some lunar magic resulted in a recording process that at times was “hit record and play.”
“The music really played the band and everyone served the songs in the highest way possible,” recalls Staehly. “Amazing things can unfold when a band is making a record and there are trust and good vibes in the room. We had that in aces, and everyone did their best.”
The result is a studio recording that manages to capture the true vibe, energy, and emotion of this unique quintet.
BROKE
Miles In Blue begins with the tune Broke, penned by Russell Pedersen (banjo, vocals), which was released as the album’s first single, along with a video.
"It's a broad anthem to anyone who has to work, which is basically everyone,” says Pedersen of Broke. “The real crux of the tune stems from all that is lost while working a job, any job. ‘Broke’ is a plea to the world to take every tiny moment and savor it all you can. You know, it's a lot better to be fiscally broke than morally. Hug your partner, tell your kid you love them, and call your Mom and Dad. Don't lose sight of what you're really working for."
Broke, written well before 2020 had cast itself upon us as a year that will never be forgotten, is certainly a poignant message, one that proves even more relevant now in 2020's shadow.
Serendipity in 2020
“With the time period being what it is, it's been a great moment for bands to get creative with their careers,” Greuel says, with a note of positivity. “We can't be out on the road playing shows, but we can do things like live streams, songwriting, and releasing an album!”
Thankfully, that is just what Horseshoes and Hand Grenades have done, and Miles In Blue is a testament to the talent, ambition, creativity, and growth of these five friends from Wisconsin.
Producer Chad Staehly sums it up: “We had so much fun making this album, like fall out of your chair laughing kind of fun, and we all cried and had our hearts broken too. This album has it all, the full range of emotion and what goes into living. There's also plenty to dance to on the album and songs that make you want to throw your hands up in the air like you just don't care.”
In the early morning of January 21, 2019, in the shadow of the Total Supermoon Blood Moon Eclipse, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades shared in drinks and merriment as they had their final in-studio listen to Miles In Blue.
One of the tracks on the album is a Russ Pedersen instrumental titled Eclipse.
The serendipity of the moment was not lost on the band, as Greuel recalls. “It really gave us this feeling that everything was just as it was supposed to be. There was a magical feeling in the studio for this one.”
~ Jason Law Festy GoNuts
ACCOLADES FOR “MILES IN BLUE”
“Using picturesque and, at times, unyieldingly truthful lyricism, “Miles In Blue” paints Americana portraits of cabin hideouts in the great north woods, dusty Midwest taverns on blustery winter nights, and smallmouth on the line.
The Horseshoes’ songwriting has always drawn on themes and ideas that are wistfully simple, yet ethereal and complex. You can find them here touching on the profound and the jovial, the silly and the downright devastating; at times all within the same tune. With melodies and harmonies that twist and ramble like the limbs of an ancient tree - this is acoustic music as it oughta be.
Used inclusively to bring folks together, with stories that display our similarities rather than our differences; at a time when this is just what we all need so desperately to hear.”
“I’m so proud of my friends in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. Their new release ‘Miles In Blue’ is collection of 18 amazing songs and I believe this is their best record to date. They have very much come in to their own on this one, you can actually feel the love they have for their craft as you listen. It’s the type of record we will be listening to many times over and for years to come, well done gentlemen. I love it!”
“I sat down for a long listening session with Horseshoes and Hand Grenades’ new record, “Miles in Blue”. To say that I enjoyed the 18 tracks of handmade folk music pleasures would be an understatement. I loved it. These old-timey bluegrass rippers have been tearing up the festival circuit for ten years now, but no genre can contain the breadth of this record.
The opening track makes me feel like I just put on a classic Nitty Gritty Dirt Band record and the warm feelings start to spread from my brains to my feet. Great tones, a good feeling groove, a strong lyrical hook, and it’s clear this will be the work of master musicians, singers, and songwriters at the peak of their craft. If you can’t relate to a line like “Damned if I do, broke if I don’t”, then maybe life is different on your planet. I was singing along by the second chorus.
With 4 strong vocalists trading the writing and singing roles, the album kept my ears refreshed at every turn. Yet this is a band clearly sounding like themselves as an ensemble. Davey Lynch on harmonica and Collin Mettelka’s fiddle glide together over Russell Pedersen’s driving banjo, Adam Greuel’s big acoustic guitar, and Samual Odin’s bass in one big powerful growl of a good time.
By the third track, it’s all over. You just plain love this band and know you’ll be listening to this record over and over. The record continues with songs of hope, home, the road, rivers, and longing while the listener stays wrapped in a warm acoustic bath of goodness. It’s all done with a light hand, a quick wit, and a full heart. You can just hear it.
Wisconsin is all over this record. They celebrate it. It’s rivers, their friends, the Chippewa River. This is good stuff. Put it in your ears”
“In a musical world currently fueled by singles, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades breaks the mold and drops an 18 song banger of an album.
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and it’s been playing non-stop. You can pretty much tell that they had smiles on their faces while tracking most of these tunes and that shines through the speakers and smacks you right in the lips, causing you to do the same. Listening to this album brings me back to festival stages and late night jam sessions around campfires. It takes me down dusty backroads and sits me down at swampy front porch singalongs.
HHG exudes joy in all these tunes, whether they’re playing sad love ballads or upbeat ramblers. These boys are the real deal and you should go and listen to this album.”
“If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? This philosophical thought experiment certainly applies to no one better than the exiled bands and artists circumnavigating these obtuse days. ‘Miles in Blue’ from Horseshoes & HandGrenades is unquestionably a loud sound from the forest.
There is an undeniable life within this collection of songs that seem to carry on after the listen and even regardless of the listener. This album is alive. It’s a rare feat to find a band whose authenticity and vulnerability are inherent on the stage, off the stage, and within its recordings- lyrically and melodically. Proud of this band and the clear marking of sonic maturity found in this album.
Congrats, fellas; this is a monster of an album. I can’t wait to see these songs performed live to a crowd of folks singing along one day! TIMBER!
”
“Horseshoes & Hand Grenades have always been a fun and interesting band to me and their new album proves that they continue to deliver. Song to song there is a diversity which I love and shows the versatility of a band that does so well with multiple singers and songwriters.
There is warmth to this record and even though some of the songs cover sadness and depression, the overall feel leaves me in a good mood. I attribute that to their melodies and I so appreciate that given the year we’ve all been having. ”