"People always ask me where the best music scene
is," declares Sister Hazel's lead singer/acoustic guitarist Ken
Block. "And we always say, 'Wherever you make it.' Scenes don't
just happen; they are created by the people doing their thing…And
that's just what we're still looking to do more of."
It's been 10 years and over a million records sold for Sister Hazel
since the group's five distinct personalities came together in the vibrant
Florida college town of Gainesville.
Not taking their gift of song lightly, Sister Hazel has constantly looked
for means to bring the group and their Hazelnuts closer more often.
So now with Chasing Daylight, the band's first self-released album since
1996, Sister Hazel has moved to further reinforce a commitment to the
fans of its music by opting out of its deal with Universal Records to
maintain control not only over the music but its means and rate of delivery.
The time leading up to Chasing Daylight proved one of the most collaborative
and fertile of Sister Hazel's career; a period of "just shut up
and play" for Block and Beres, as well as rhythm guitarist Andrew
Copeland, lead guitarist Ryan Newell and drummer Mark Trojanowski, all
of whom feel they've better learned to pick their battles and trust
each other to channel their passion into recording instead of needless
debating.
Just because Sister Hazel ties their records together with a dramatic
thread doesn't mean Chasing Daylight maintains a singular mood, however.
All of Sister Hazel's records can be said to have layers of emotions,
the collective experience of five students of life -- a mixture of fire,
ice and water, passionate and level headed, fluid and steadfast, old
souls and everymen -- who together offer a wide variety of material
upon which to draw.
"Our stance from the beginning has always been we were going to
write about true things we experience, ways we feel, which, despite
some surface appearances, have not always been sunny," says Beres.
The group, however, see nothing wrong with dusting their experiences
with a touch of jangle and a sparkling shower of optimism, reflected
in the title of Chasing Daylight, a title derived from the song "Come
Around," inspired by a friend's journey from the Gulf to the Atlantic
coast to experience the Sun's arc, the way it sets and reaffirming rises
like Sister Hazel's song.
It isn't just Chasing Daylight, but the band itself as well, in which
Block, Beres and company express such unwavering belief and limitless
ambition.
"Our goal is to make Sister Hazel more of an institution than a
band that goes out and tries to live or die by radio," concludes
Beres. "By releasing recordings, touring, working with the Lyrics
For Life charity, participating in the Rock Boat, we want to provide
more than just music. We want to provide experiences and memories for
our fans, and now we have the freedom to do so."
