This issues Artist of the Week is Michael Hardey, also known by his stage name, The Innocent. In the past month, Hardey’s MySpace page was brought to my attention by a friend as someone I should check out. I usually take this friends advice seriously, and I was not disappointed. If I hear about someone through a service like MySpace, the first thing I check out is the third song on a profile. Weird quirk of mine, but it is usually a good way to cut through the first ‘single’ and move on to some of the filler material. In my opinion, the mark of a great artist is that each song tells a vivid story and could stand on its own if it was released alone. Most artists cannot come close to achieving this. If the songs on MySpace are any indication of his future, he has easily achieved this and then some.
Don’t be fooled by the quickness in which Hardey has started to climb the ladder in Chicago. There is some serious muscle behind the recording and production of this EP. When you start dropping names like Smart Studios and Sterling Sound, you are not talking about an ameatur. The sound quality of the recordings is nothing short of spectactular. With influences ranging from Neil Young to the Wallflowers, you need this type of brilliant sound to convey the message the way the artist intended. If the reason you wore out your After The Goldrush record was because of the passion it exudes, you will not be let down by the music from the Innocent.
Hardey’s star is on rise. His music has been charting at CMJ, iTunes sales are steadily increasing, and he has been praised by one of Chicago’s leading voices in local music, Richard Milne of WXRT. Milne had this to say about Hardey’s songwritting.
Some very fine songwriting. Vocalist Michael Hardey’s voice is, as Neil Young said, ‘as real as the day is long.’ Welcome to some strong, new music in Chicago!
That is high praise from someone who is notoriously critical of local artists who appear cookie cutter or generic. If I have one complaint, it is that there is no back catalog of songs I can listen on my car drive in to the city on those brutal winter nights, because although this is a debut EP, Hardey’s music is timeless.
The Innocent are playing at my favorite venue, The Double Door, on Dec 3rd. Tickets are $8 dollars and can be purchased at the Double Door box office or at the Double Door website.
I recently had a chance to speak with Michael Hardey about his music. Below are excerpts from that interview.
Chicago has never really been a hotbed for independent singer songwriters. I know, I have been trying myself. How hard has it been for you to break in to the market and establish yourself?
MH: Athough Chicago has never really been a hot bed for indie artists, I feel like the city itself was made for the indie spirit. It’s always felt like a DIY city, and that’s what I’ve seen over the past year or so that I’ve been pushing the music. If you grow up in Chicago, you have this inherit spirit of “if you want something, you have to do it yourself, because you can be sure as hell that no one owes you a thing.” And I’ve based my entire musical campaign on that mantra. But here’s the thing: in Chicago, people DO help you. It’s important to keep that mindset, but people here are great, and I think the music scene is great, too. There are a number of clubs in the city that will give you an opening spot (with enough annoyance) even if you aren’t established. And that’s where it starts for indie singer/songwriters. It has been difficult to “break in”, which I’m not sure I have even done yet, but if there is a place it’s Chicago.
With a music scene that has exploded in the last 5 years with Pop and Punk bands, how has the camaraderie been between solo artists?
MH: Solo artists are a unique fraternity. Although sometimes it feels like we are competing for the same “slots” or singular listeners, there is a mutual respect, as well. We need each other. Pop and Punk bands might have exploded over the past 5 years, but I think most would agree that their time has just about run out. I’m not sure if it is the change in taste of the overall listener, or the natural sea change of the music scene, but most solo artists feel it. The reason that solo artists have always had a certain level of success (Dylan during the Beatles, Neil Young during Zeppelin.. and now presently) is because the listeners need it. Also, pop/punk targets a very small (albeit powerful) demographic, while solo artists can attract a gigantic audience, without alienating a lot of people. That’s something I have certainly seen with my own music.
What is your favorite venue to play in Chicago and why?
MH: This is a really tough question. No doubt there are some venues that are NOT good at all to play, but there are a handful that are REALLY fun to play. For this question, I think you have to take the overall crowd experience into the equation, too. I love the stage sound of Beat Kitchen (we’ve played here multiple times) and Martyr’s and Metro… but I think I’d have to say Elbo Room for overall favorite. The liquor is cheap, the stage is SO small but so fun, the sound is great, it’s hotter than Hell… haha. I haven’t played at a handful still ( I hear the new bottom lounge has brilliant sound), but I’ll go with the place we had out first show- Elbo Room!
What are you long term goals as far as expanding your music and expanding your fan base?
MH: My long term goals include expanding the distribution of my music, and playing live non-stop. In this digital musical landscape, I don’t put much stock in large-scale CD distro, although it is minimally important. The only sure-fire way to spread the word is to play, play, play as much as possible. I’ve met some of the most amazing/helpful people just by playing a strong, believable live shows. As an indie artist, it’s supposed to be DIY, but that’s unrealistic. It’s really “DIY… with the help of everyone you know.” The ideal situation would be to hook up with an independent label that would finance a full record, and then help with promo and online distribution. For fanbase, people are attracted to something they feel intimate and comfortable with… when they see themselves in the music. That’s why anybody has a “favorite band”, etc. With constant shows and strong promo, the fanbase will grow.
Thanks to Michael for that interview. We look forward to seeing his Double Door show!
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