KEVIN HEARN RELEASES POWERFUL NEW SINGLE & VIDEO
“THE CHEMICAL VALLEY”
FROM NEW INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM CALM AND CENTS
OUT JUNE 14
Watch + Share “The Chemical Valley” HERE
Stream + Purchase on DSPs HERE
HEARN’S SOLO ALBUM CATALOGUE TO BE RE-RELEASED JUNE 14
(Screenshot from “The Chemical Valley” music video)
(April 23, 2019 - Toronto, ON) – Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn has debuted powerful first single “The Chemical Valley”with accompanying video from his next widely-anticipated solo offering Calm and Centsdue on June 14. Watch “The Chemical Valley” HERE and stream the track HERE.
Directed by Jennifer Bechwail and Nick de Pencierthe haunting video features Martin Tielli (The Rheostatics) on vocals alongside Hearn and Maia Davies (Ladies of the Canyons). According to the World Health Organization, the Chemical Valley is located in Sarnia, Ontario and is where Canada's most polluted air is found.“This song is dedicated to the people of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, who have lived there for centuries,” says Hearn.
The self-produced predominantly-instrumental collection on Calm and Cents features sprawling soundscapes created and captured at Hearn’s secluded studio in Northern Ontario with Hugh Marsh on strings, Chris Gartner on bass, and JUNO-award winning producer Gavin Brown on drums. The stunning album is inspired by our natural world, shifting seamlessly between celebrations of its ethereal beauty and the troubling urgency of what we, as humans, are doing to it. “I didn’t want to get on a soapbox, necessarily,” Hearn says about his theme, “but rather just relay those feelings through music.” More information on Calm and Cents will be released in the coming weeks.
Alongside the upcoming release, Hearn has announced he will re-release his entire solo catalogue recorded with his friends and longtime band Thinbuckle featuring Chris Gartner and Great Bob Scott on June 14. The catalogue dates back to solo debut Mothball Mintin 1997. See below for album titles.
A gifted composer, in-demand collaborator, and ever-active musical force with zero interest in creative stagnancy, Hearn cut his teeth collaborating with the likes of Look People, Corky and the Juice Pigs, and revered art-rock outfit Rheostatics before formally joining Barenaked Ladies in 1995. As the group’s profile swelled in the ensuing years, he explored new sonic ground with a series of innovative and imaginative solo albums. One of the most respected and sought-after Toronto musicians of the past 25 years, Hearn’s projects always attract brilliant collaborators including Ron Sexsmith, Dan Hill, Michael Ray of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Carole Pope, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Alan Doyle, The Persuasions, Violent Femmes, Colin Hay and drummer Rob Kloet (the Nits). One of his most rewarding creative and personal relationships of all was with the legendary Lou Reed, for whom Hearn acted as musical director and keyboardist from 2007 until his passing in 2013. Muses Hearn, “I like connecting with people that have an adventurous musical spirit – who are imaginative and still approach music with a sense of wonder.” Hearn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018 as part of Barenaked Ladies.
Kevin Hearn Catalogue
Kevin Hearn (Solo)
Mothball Mint (1997)
Cloud Maintenance(2011)
Days in Frames(2014)
Kevin Hearn & Thinbuckle
H-Wing(2001)
Night Light(2004)
The Miracle Mile(2006)
Havana Winter(2009)