New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Alternative folk band SHEL-made up of sisters
Sarah (violin),
Hannah (keyboard), Eva (mandolin) and Liza (drums, djembe and beatboxing)-partnered with VEVO to exclusively premiere their music video for "Hold On," an original song that's featured in the new Nicholas Sparks film The Best of Me, out in theatres now. Written and performed with emerging Irish singer/songwriter Gareth Dunlop, "
Hold On" stands out as the only Americana song on the soundtrack-available now via EMI Nashville in conjunction with Relativity Music-included among country music artists Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Kacey Musgraves,
Kip Moore and others. The music video for "
Hold On" is also the only track off the soundtrack to showcase footage from the film and while SHEL typically direct and edit their own music videos, for this project video director/editor Scott Mele took the reins.
Watch the video now below:
"Hold On," a song that USA Today highlighted as one of the top 10 most intriguing tracks of the week (10/7), was co-written in one night by Eva Holbrook of SHEL and Gareth Dunlop. Eva recounts the day she and Gareth wrote the song together: "We each spent a long day writing alone with nothing to show for it. Gareth suggested we end an unfruitful day with a walk and an inaugural collaboration. We immediately stumbled onto something both of us recognized as magic." Gareth adds, "I've been in Eva's company on and off stage for a couple years. In May of this year we finally sat down to write and I wish we had done it sooner."
Gareth Dunlop enters the musical landscape as one of the most talked about young artists from Northern Ireland. In the U.S., Gareth's songs can be heard in numerous TV shows, commercials and most recently on rap superstar T.I.'s new LP Paperwork, as he samples Gareth's song "
Lay It Down" on the track titled "King." BBC
Radio Ulster has said of Gareth, "his songs communicate with a depth and wisdom beyond his years."
In advance of the film's release, SHEL and Gareth performed in Nashville (10/9) as part of a private, invite-only screening and concert event. Lady Antebellum,
Colbie Caillat and
Thomas Rhett also performed.
In other exciting news, the SHEL sisters' previously unreleased song "I Was Born A Dreamer" is being featured on the PBS series "Shelter Me," as well as a charity compilation album connected to the show, Songs For Shelter Me, which also contains tracks from Mindy Smith,
Peter Bradley Adams, Kris Allen, Trent Dabbs and more. "Shelter Me" is presented by
Ellen DeGeneres' pet food company, Halo, Purely for Pets®, and was created by filmmaker Steven Latham to break down the negative perception and stigmas of public animal shelters and help people realize that shelter pets make the best pets. A portion of the proceeds from Songs For Shelter Me will go to pay for the transport of shelter pets from overcrowded shelters to areas of the country where they can be quickly adopted, assist with spray-neuter programs, education initiatives and innovative adoption events. The album is available now at iTunes and other digital retailers.
SHEL is currently working on their sophomore full-length album, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2012 self-titled debut that LuckyMag.com called "…infectious pop-folk-with-a-subtle-hint-of-indie songs…" (7/3/12), while
Peter Cooper of The Tennessean cited the group's "…virtuoso instrumental flights, other-worldly harmonies and evocative, atypical lyrics…" (8/3/12). Recently, SHEL released the new song "You Could Be My Baby." The sisters-who make all their own music videos-filmed a lyric video for the track in Nashville. It was shot in one continuous take and stars youngest sister Liza (watch it below). "You Could Be My Baby" will be included on their forthcoming LP and is available now on iTunes as part of the Native: Americana Spotlight compilation album.
The foursome also continue to perform regularly all across the U.S. Tomorrow (10/23) they'll participate in a unique collaboration performance with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, classical trio Time For Three and conductor Edwin Outwater at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis. All dates are listed below and more info can be found at www.shelmusic.com.
Upcoming SHEL tour dates (more will be added):
Thu 10/23 - Indianapolis, IN - Hilbert Circle Theatre (w/ Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra)
Sun 11/16 - Hesston, KS - Dyck Arboretum
About SHEL:
The SHEL sisters turn folk music upside down with their infectious rhythms, hypnotic vocals and captivating songs.
Since the release of their self-titled debut CD in August 2012, they've toured across the U.S. and
Europe mesmerizing audiences with their distinctive vocal arrangements and energized performances. Raised on a farm in Fort Collins, CO, the four Holbrook sisters are classically trained musicians, who started performing at a very young age as the backup band for their singer/songwriter father.
SHEL is an acronym for their names: Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza. In addition to being superb musicians, the band has garnered rave reviews for creating all of their own music videos while traveling the world with
Sarah as the videographer and editor. SHEL's songs can also be heard in television shows, independent films and national TV commercials.
