Watch: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - The Russell Sessions

It's certainly been awhile since we've heard from Michigan folk rockers Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers. If you've been in the Michigan area, there's certainly been no shortage of appearances by the  quintet but for everyone else there's been relative little to for you besides a one-off single the band released last summer. Well now you're in luck. Back in November, The Rainbow Seekers holed up in an industrial building by the name of the Russell Industrial Center and filmed a set of brand spanking new songs completely live. They recorded both videos of the endeavor as well as audio and we get to revel in both as we wait for the eventual follow up to 2011's On Being.

From their very On Being-esque "Your Story" to the sax-infused jazzy baby making vibes of "Feel", Joe Hertler and his band establish two things: 1) That good things come to those who wait. Offering a eclectic set of songs that balance the serious nature of Hertler's introspection a la On Being as well as the fun times the band and vivacious energy the band is known for 2) The band quite simply needs to tour more. It's downright criminal that only the Midwest gets to experience the talented, interconnected of this band. These videos are enough to make us all a little jealous.


"Garden"


"Your Story"


"Feel"


"River Runs Dry"


"Red Wings"

You can download the digital album at their bandcamp here.

Watch: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - "Ego Loss on Grand River"

About a week or so after I met CMJ last year, folk rockers Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers filmed a video. After a few false advertisements about when it would be out, the band simply stopped mentioning it anymore. I however did not forget about it and the video's release kind of became an ongoing joke between me and the band. "Remember when you guys filmed a music video?" "So....when's that music video coming out? Never? Okay guys." and other such statements to that effect. Well after nearly 7 months of waiting, their video for "Ego Loss on Grand River", a track off their spectacular On Being, is finally live.

For the video, the band more or less snuck into Michigan State University's Homecoming Parade (they totally did) and filmed. It's simple enough, lead man Joe Hertler marches along in the parade before being joined one by one by his band members and all sorts of supporters that cluster around him, singing along and decking him out with cape and flashing a spiffy banner. The video is fun but kind of quietly powerful and encapsulates just that about the band - they may be a band of fun-loving jokers but they radiate talent and passion. It's pretty great. Well worth the 7 months of waiting, actually.

Watch the video for Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers' "Ego Loss on Grand River":

And if you haven't yet, make sure you check out their amazing record On Being. 

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - "Home For A Funeral"

Considering how busy frontman Joe Hertler's been this year, I'd pretty much put the thought of any new music from him and his excellent band aside. So it certainly came as a surprise when I read Hertler's interview with My Folking Heart that said the band were right about to begin work on another new album. Talk about a great surprise. And while it may not be on the new album (since Joe has a rather vast selection of songs to choose from for it), Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers have offered up this brand spanking new track "Home For A Funeral".

It's got a special kind of introspection that could very well have found it alongside the other songs on the band's concept album On Being, and yet not and that should make us all excited about LP #2. It's got a slow, deliberate pacing as Joe sets up the narrative being winding up and letting the Rainbow Seekers loose like a pack of hunting dogs infusing the somber track with a whole lot of upbeat rocking moments. The effect elevates the song from a poignant mining of tragedy into a downright celebration of life. 

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - On Being (2011)

I mentioned in my intro post that Michigan folk-rock band Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers were a completely unplanned discovery for me. My CMJ was supposed to start at Spike Hill with a show by Baltimore duo Lands & People and then take me wherever good music beckoned me. But Joe Hertler and his band took the stage first, playing to a mostly empty crowd consisting of me, two of their friends, and then fashionable latecomers. From their first song, I was instantly captivated; they were energetic, fun, and had a blindsiding wealth of songwriting talent. So when I met them afterward and they told me of their upcoming album release, I added it to the definitely buying pile. A decision I couldn’t regret less than any in recent memory.

On Being is a soul-stirring set of wonderfully well played and even more wonderfully well-written songs. Hertler’s vocals are downright caressing but also jumping to heart-rousing highs that pack one hell of an emotional punch. Aided all the more by these absolutely fantastic vocal harmonies peppered throughout at all the right moments.

Considering how great On Being is, it seems to only get greater when you discover the fact that it is in fact a concept album: on existence. That’s some pretty heavy subject matter right there which Joe Hertler and his band do an amazing job of utilizing. The songs aren’t the kind that make grandiose statements on what it means to live but rather with are subtly colored with a feather-light touch that makes them all the more likely to resonate with listeners. There’s some religious themes but they’re juxtaposed with these sort of slice of life moments on the album (like “Devil, Don’t Steal My Bicycle” or “Carbon C-14”) that manages to both give them a bit of weight while also equalizing them a bit. On Being is an album that though it deals with all these big ideas doesn’t aspire to be much more than a good album. And that’s exactly why it’s so effective. An unbelievably great debut from delightfully talented group of musicians.

You can stream Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seeker's debut album On Being on their Bandcamp and buy it on most major online retailers.

Pitstop: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers was the first band I saw this week at New York's College Music Journal Marathon. A quiet, low attended show at Spike Hill in Brooklyn where I originally went to see Lands & Peoples for the first time live yielding a surprisingly great start to my CMJ experience. Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers are folk rock group from Lansing, Michigan with a ton of onstage energy and the particularly amazing songwriting talent of frontman Joe Hertler. Where it would be easy for them to coast by on their infectious live energy, what really made them a great band to listen to was Hertler's lyrical chops and charm. Add in the fact that the band hasn't even been together a full yet and you can imagine my surprise at hearing such a cohesive, captivating live set. Whether in the overtly folky "Devil, Don't Steal My Bicycle" or the more understated "Carbon C14" and "We Are Everything", it's clear that Joe Hertler and his band are accomplished musicians who know what they're doing and do it well. An absolute pleasure to see live, actually.

Get a taste of Joe Hertler and his band The Rainbow Seekers with these video of "Devil, Don't Steal the Bicycle" and "We Are Everything":






Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers debut album, On Being, is out November 8th via Bigger Brush Media and it's definitely a must have. You can pre-order it now here.