Feature

On June 22 at the Soul Kitchen, the Hazelnuts will be falling as Sister Hazel takes the stage for a one-of-a-kind, intimate performance. Even though the members of Sister Hazel all have plans on releasing side-projects, they also have a new album on the way. Vocalist Ken Block filled me on some of the details of this much-anticipated release.

SC: You guys have been working on getting out your latest album. Do you have a title yet?

KB: We do! The new album is called “Absolutely.” We are actually just getting the mixes back and mastering right now and looking to release this thing in late August or early September.

SC: I read that you guys took 70 songs into the selection process for this release. How did you decide what went on this one?

KB: We’re all looking to do some recording on our own because there’s a lot of stuff that we really like, and we can’t get it onto one CD. Our process is simply described, but not simply achieved. We vote on songs. We go in, and we work them up. All of us have an equal say. We’ll usually bring in a producer to have a say and the manager. What we try to do is look at the album as a whole. Maybe this song or this song fills in this color, and we need a different color here. It’s very important that we have a collection of songs that take you on a journey. It’s not just texture. It’s not just one scene or groove. At the end of the day, it has to be a cohesive group of songs. It’s a challenging process, and you really have to check your ego at the door. There are definitely times when people’s feelings get hurt, and people are going to have a connection with a song that they brought in. At the end of the day, we get through that, and everybody is really excited.

SC: Musically speaking, how is this one different from your previous albums?

KB: You always evolve as a band. Every time out, we get better and better at our craft. When you play as many shows as we do and write more and more as we do, you get better at it. I think that kind of stuff steps out. From a production standpoint, I think we really focused on what the songs dictate or wanted to be. We didn’t go in there with any agenda. We just went in there and said, “Let’s just play this song and feel its groove.” We had a great time in there. I think that anyone who has liked Sister Hazel records in the past is really going to connect with this record, but I also think that there’s some stuff in there that people haven’t heard before.

SC: One last question, do you have a message for all the Hazelnuts in Mobile?

KB: The Hazelnuts are the fuel that keep our army marching. Without those guys, I’m not sure that we would have had such a long career. Our accessibility with them and our relationship with them are as deep as any band with a fan base. I put the Hazelnuts right up there with any other musical community. They are remarkable, and they never cease to amaze me with their passion, with their positive energy and their support of the band. We can’t say enough how important they are to this band.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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