New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Born out of a spontaneous series of freewheeling and collaborative live tours, songwriter/producer super-trio NHD - Salim Nourallah, Billy Harvey, and Alex Dezen - will release their joyful debut album, 'And The Devil Went Up To Portland,' October 20 via Dallas-based Palo Santo Records. Equal parts humor and heart, the album showcases the infectious lyrical wit and undeniable chemistry of NHD's three kindred frontmen, who, according to Austin NPR station KUTX, have already developed the kind of "depth and polish you would expect to find in long-running bands." Listen to "
The Boys Are Back In Town" via Cowboys & Indians.
The first official release to come out of Dixie
Chicks fiddler Martie Maguire HEK studio in Austin, the record combines sharply crafted melodies with the kind of clever, free-spirited storytelling each member has become known for in their own right. From the hysteria of "Hello From an Emergency Room in Hollywood" to the whimsical, Beatles-like psychedelia of "Ballad of a Patient Man," 'And The Devil Went Up To Portland' is a whole far greater than the sum of its already-remarkable parts, as well as a much-needed reminder of just how fun making music can--and should--be.
"We only had a week to record because of each of our collective crazy schedules," says Nourallah, "and several of the songs weren't even written until we got into the studio. But I think while we were writing and recording there, that's when it truly hit us that we had something real on our hands. We discovered this collective power as a group that none of us had had on our own."
Nourallah got his start nearly three decades ago in Texas, where he built up a reputation as something of a Lone Star Nick Lowe for his steady output of stellar solo and band material (Rolling Stone called him "a singer-songwriter who can stop time") as well as his acclaimed work as a producer with everyone from The Old 97's to The Damnwells. Harvey, meanwhile, is more a post-modern pop shapeshifter, a singer and songwriter and filmmaker and animator and producer and actor and poet who's too eclectic to pin down for long. He's played guitar for Patty Griffin and The Courtyard Hounds, produced records for
Bob Schneider and Slaid Cleaves, and had his own songs hailed by the Austin Chronicle for their "pop patina and singer-songwriter essence." Dezen, the youngest of the three, first came to international attention as the frontman of "charming" (NPR) Brooklyn indie rockers The Damnwells, who released five celebrated studio albums and shared stages with everyone from
Cheap Trick to Bob Dylan. As a songwriter and guitarist on his own, Dezen has contributed to music released by a slew of stars, including Justin Bieber, The Dixie Chicks, Dave Grohl, the Jayhawks' Gary Louris, Jason Derulo,
Christina Perri, and Company of Thieves' Genevieve Schatz.
'And The Devil Went Up To Portland' Track List:
1. The Boys Are Back In Town
2. Hello From An Emergency Room In Hollywood
3. I Sent A Postcard
4. Lose Or Take It All
5. Ballad Of A Patient Man
6. Devil's Dice
7. Gimme A Go
8. Complicatedness
9. Somebody Loves Me
10. You're The Light
11. You Thought You'd Be In Heaven
NHD On The Road:
Oct. 26 - The Townsend - Austin, TX
Oct. 27 - Sons of Hermann - Dallas, TX
Nov. 1 - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA
More Info on NHD:
Official Website: nhdmusic.com
