The busy northern Michigan artist just released a new album, with plans for another release later this year. Local Spins catches up with country/roots rocker Drew Hale and showcases his latest music.
Drew Hale’s Approach: ‘Roots rock with an outlaw country engine and emo, indie-rock overtones.’ (Courtesy Photo)
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For some musicians, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought silence and isolation.
For Traverse City singer-songwriter Drew Hale, it’s opened up a sea of new music and pivotal performances.
“This past year has been one of the busiest I’ve ever had creatively,” said Hale, whose country and roots rock approach propels his latest album, “Without a Net,” officially released last week (Feb. 4).
Spreading His Wings: Drew Hale (Courtesy Photo)
“Even amidst the ever-changing landscape of COVID, I was still able to play almost 160 shows last year, mostly in Michigan and particularly Traverse City, where my family and I call home. I’m incredibly grateful to my local venues especially, who got creative and made all kinds of outdoor spaces and stages available for local musicians to play and their fans to listen safely.”
The pandemic also gave him “a ton of time to write,” with his solo performances offering the opportunity to test out new songs.
“This last couple of years have allowed me to spread my wings a bit as a songwriter and producer. We also finally got back on the road toward the end of 2021, and made it back down to Nashville, Texas, and a couple other places,” he said.
“Expect to see us way more on the road in 2022, playing more original music at festivals, as opening acts for national artists, and maybe even headlining some shows of our own.”
LISTEN: Drew Hale, “River Jordan” (from “Without a Net”)
Hale, the national champion in the 2015 Country Showdown competition, describes his latest album as a “three-fold project” that features old and fresh material as well as “sneak peeks” at new songs planned for his next album being released in the fall.
The singer and guitarist included tracks previously recorded for a six-song EP that didn’t get properly released a few years ago along with new songs produced in his home studio.
Fans who download “Without a Net” from Bandcamp.com here will also receive acoustic demos of songs from the next record that he’s titling, “American Nightmare.”
WIDE-RANGING INFLUENCES INSPIRING ‘MORE RAW AND REAL’ SONGS
Hale calls his newest material his “most personal work” yet, born out of real experiences.
“This new record is an amalgamation of songs I wrote during the shutdown about our current cultural and political climates, basically giving my take on what I was hearing and witnessing during that time,” he said. “It’s going to be darker, more raw and real, and definitely more along the lines of an alt-country, roots rock, modern folk record.”
While conceding the new music is “definitely more roots rock than country,” he insisted “there will always be country sounds and elements in my music. They just speak to me. I tell people all the time that I consider my style ‘rock ‘n’ roll with a twang’ or ‘Michigan country with a Texas heart’.”
Hale’s Latest Album
That’s because Hale leans on a unique musical background, growing up in El Paso, Texas, where he played in groups covering a host of musical genres.
He cites everything from James Taylor, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley and Jason Isbell to Jimmy Eat World, John Mayer, David Bazan and Reckless Kelly as influences.
“As I got older, I got really into George Jones and Merle Haggard, and Hank (Williams). And that changed my sound quite a bit. I’ve always been the guy who likes to keep his sound left of center,” he said.
“Red Dirt country is at the heart of what I do. The storytelling and the grit and rawness of the songwriting speak to me at a core level. So when I write, typically that’s what comes out. It’s roots rock with an outlaw country engine and emo, indie-rock overtones.”
As Hale promotes his new music, he’ll also be “on the road a lot more” in 2022, hitting cities in lower Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana.
“I’m always working on something new,” he added. “It keeps me sane.”
VIDEO: Drew Hale, “Made for Summertime” (from “Without a Net”)
LISTEN: Drew Hale, “Daredevil” (from “Without a Net”)
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