Music truly is a network. I found American Music Standard on BandCamp while looking for some artists for a Memphis, TN show. This is the first time I get to blog someone before preparing to meet them. Check out the band’s mixed genre sound–I love how their songs vary yet all have a characteristic vibe that lets you know, “hey, it’s those guys” and you’ll smile. Click play on the song “Blues Gone Bad” below and read the story in two of the band members’ words.
The Story Behind “Hear Me Clearly”
Here is the song’s story in the words of Tyler and Ian.
Tyler:
Hear Me Clearly is one of the most raw and genuine songs that we have written as a group, in the sense that we wrote it purely on the “feel” we had at the time. The song is about people only noticing me when I am performing but not when I really need someone to listen. People tend to really listen when you’re on stage, but forget about you as soon as the show is over. At the same time, people listen to the music but don’t always pay attention to the words or the deeper meaning behind what you are trying to say. So no matter how hard I tried to reach out for someone, no one was listening. The song is kind of about hitting a breaking point and not really knowing what to do. The lyrics were mostly improvised during one of our band practices. I had these thoughts in my head and just started screaming them into a microphone during the middle of a jam session. We immediately knew there was something special about this song. I wrote down the words, Ian kept and refined the chord progression, and we played it again. Hear Me Clearly was born.
Ian:
Hear Me Clearly has an interesting feel because of its slow tempo and its dark, yet heavy sound. In the recording, we used a wah effect on the guitars during the verses. But instead of moving the pedal around while playing for a typical wah sound, we found a good position for the pedal and just left it there, so it really acts more like a simple filter. And if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the 2 guitars are set to different positions, so they have slightly different “flavors,” and they change slightly between verses. This is complemented by the lead vocal track, which has a bit of subtle distortion during the verses. In order to make the chorus hit hard, we took away most of the effects from the guitars and vocals, which really brightens up the sound. And to this day I’m very proud of that guitar solo; according to Tyler it’s my best one so far. The songwriting process was also unique for that song. Usually Tyler or I will finish most of a song on our own before presenting it to the band. In the case of Hear Me Clearly, we wrote the song together at band practice, so everyone (including the drummer, my brother Ashton) played an equal role in developing the sound. I think that’s why the rhythm became such a critical part of that song. It’s amazing how your songwriting style changes when there’s actually a drummer in the room with you.
American Music Standard Bio
American Music Standard is a hard rock band based in Memphis, Tennessee; a city famous for being home of the blues and the birthplace of rock n’ roll. Founded in 2010 by Tyler Hopgood (lead vocals) and Ian Drake (lead guitar), we take everything people love about classic rock — the style, the sound, the attitude — and crank it up a few notches for modern audiences. Along the way, we mix in our own artistic vision to create music that is truly new and original, while still paying tribute to one of the most influential musical genres of all time.