Your name:
Hillary Reynolds
- piano/mandolin/vocals.
Where are you
from?
I'm originally
from Wisconsin, but the band was born in Boston, MA.
Name of band:
Hillary Reynolds
Band.
Who else is in
your band?
Trevor Jarvis -
cello/vocals, Jeff Hale - drums/ukelele/glockenspiel, Chris Mewhinney - upright
bass/electric bass & Connor Reese acoustic guitar/pedal steel
guitar/vocals/electric guitar
How would you
describe yourselves?
We're like a
family with all of its kinks and quirks but at the heart of everything,
unconditionally love one another and love creating music together. Chris
brews absolutely delicious beer and cooks unbelievably good Indian food.
Trevor lives for summer beach sunsets in southern Massachusetts. He also loves
a good pair of cheap sunglasses. Connor is obsessed with The Lord of the
Rings, and is absolutely AMAZING with impersonating characters with different
dialects. He also knows every single Weird Al song. Jeff is a quiet soul, but
an animated story teller. It's rare to see him in that form, but whenever he
tells a story, I am usually laughing in hysterics for minutes after. He loves
the Smoky Mountains, has a convincing southern accent, and got the entire
band into listening to "trucking music". As for me, I love
forests, flannel, a good glass of bourbon by a fire and watching baby
elephant YouTube videos.
Who are your
main influences musically?
The Beatles, The
Beach Boys, Nickel Creek, Jethro Tull, The Civil Wars, James Vincent
McMorrow, AC/DC, Alison Krauss, The Oh Hellos and Puggy to name a
few...
What do you hope
to achieve in music?
Our collective
goal is to be able to use our voice and artistry as a force for good. I
personally want to be able to be a voice for positive change wherever our music
is consumed. I want our band to add light to the collective consciousness of
the world.
What has been
the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Two moments
stand out to me. One highlight was opening for Cory Chisel & the Wandering
Sons and Norah Jones at Mile of Music last year. There were 1000 people in
the crowd, listening to us share our stories, and watching us express
ourselves. The energy of our performance was reflected with the audience. It
was a beautiful mirror. After that performance, I became addicted to that spark
and connection. The other ongoing highlight of our career is playing a
concert and seeing kids run up to us saying they want to be like us when they
grow up.
And what’s the
moment you want to forget?
After a week out
on the road, we were making our way back to Boston from NYC. There were a
couple accidents along the way & there was terrible traffic. It was hours
of traffic. Once we were finally in the clear, we noticed the engine
overheating, only 25 miles from Boston in the middle of August. We had to drive
slow on the interstate, roll the windows down & blast the heat in order to
offset the heat from the engine just so we could get it back to Boston & to
the mechanic. Most miserable 25 miles ever.
If you had to
pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I would select
"Honey, Come Home" because it reveals the sonic depth of our
instrumentation, as well as the dynamic of our arrangements. The song shows the
intimacy of our simple, yet heart capturing lyrics, and the energy of the
track really aligns with who we are.
Where can we
listen to it?
Where can we
find out more about your music?
Anything else
you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
What are the
best ways to make the best of a nine-hour car ride while on tour? Well, first
there's Mad Libs, and Cards Against Humanity. Both are great ways to laugh
between naps and silence. And then there's listening to every music genre
we can possibly think of - everything from bluegrass to 90s pop to hard rock,
metal, classical, jazz, Jethro Tull, electronic music, Disney film scores, and our personal favorite: old two-step trucking country songs.
Thank you for
the lovely interview! Sending our love across the pond.
INDIE rockers Goodnight, Sunrise have released split single D/V 2: Bridgeburner as they embark on a tour of eastern Canada.
