Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers not too long ago launched their EP, Painted World, by way of Nettwerk. It’s a part of an ongoing sequence of releases from them that every one hail from a extremely productive interval of songwriting and recording all through the pandemic. It’s additionally a mirrored image of the various years the bandmates have spent working collectively and their sense of getting reached a brand new stage of communication when working collectively which introduced larger developments to their recording course of. 

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers are identified for his or her jam band reside performances and gearing plenty of their songwriting in the direction of later growth for audiences. Having simply come off a considerable tour the place they launched the songs from their new EP, Joe Hertler was a superb area to speak about how these songs replicate their ethos and play out in a reside setting. I spoke to him about these new tunes, this substantial burst of songwriting and recording that they skilled, and why the concepts behind happiness and pleasure are on his thoughts nowadays. 

After we spoke, Hertler had been on the street and spending some sudden time hanging out in Arizona ready for a alternative half for his or her van, but in addition profiting from it by heading out into the desert to shoot a brand new music video. 

Hannah Means-Shannon: Do the songs we see on Painted World come from an even bigger batch of songs that you just’ve been engaged on?

Joe Hertler: Sure, just about. Virtually all of it was written throughout Covid, throughout a time when there was plenty of uncertainty and I didn’t know if my profession was going to be over. Thematically, all of the songs are tied and there might be a file. For a band like us, we launch issues as a few EPs which might be mixed collectively right into a closing launch subsequent 12 months. 

HMS: That’s a mannequin that plenty of artists are following nowadays. I do know that some singles have been popping out from the EP. Have you ever all been enjoying these in your present tour?

JH: Sure, we now have. We launched a track referred to as “HELP” and one other referred to as “What I Need”. Over the past 12 months, we’ve been testing stuff out reside and we’d play them for a month or two, then put them again within the financial institution. The response to each of these songs, particularly, has been very sturdy. It’s cool so as to add such excessive power tracks to what we play reside.

HMS: It looks as if reside play has at all times been essential to your identification as a band. Do you consider these dynamics if you’re writing songs like these?

JH: For probably the most half. On the finish of the day, I’m principally a singer-songwriter and Producer. The band takes over once we play stuff reside, then we turn into a full band unit. At that time, everybody can insert themselves into how we carry out it reside and develop on it. We develop the concepts past what’s within the recording. That’s one of many explanation why performing is our bread and butter. We let issues occur naturally. Within the studio, we attempt to be somewhat extra refined, and never get too excessive with jams. We attempt to save these concepts for once we’re beginning to play reside. It it one thing we undoubtedly take into consideration from the onset, when the seed of a track first begins to sprout.

HMS: That’s cool that you just file concepts away earlier than you carry out. How did you get into songwriting when the world was in such an odd place?

JH: About two months in, I had spent a while mourning the state of affairs. Then I simply thought, “Properly, I higher get again to work!” So I simply spent all my power and time specializing in new music. This file got here from it. I in all probability wrote 30 or 40 songs. I felt like I used to be at my artistic peak. Songs stored exhibiting up and it’s important to be grateful if you get even one track. You uncover them as should you had been in a mine on the lookout for valuable stones. Whenever you discover one, you polish it up, and attempt to flip it into one thing meaning one thing and has somewhat bit extra weight and worth.

HMS: That’s an awesome picture. Had been you capable of develop the songs at house absolutely?

JH: Oh, sure. As my journey with music has continued, I’ve begun to establish as a Producer and arranger. I’ve approach an excessive amount of gear. [Laughs] And it’ll in all probability proceed to build up. I write and Produce with my guitar participant and keyboard participant, Micah [Bracken] and Ryan [Hoger]. After we received to the purpose that we had developed the songs, we determined to take them to Nashville and work with one in every of our buddies. We needed to get a contemporary set of ears on them. 

We thought we wouldn’t be there for very lengthy, possibly just a few weeks, however we really made some radical adjustments to the songs in these periods and had been going backwards and forwards for six to eight months. It labored out rather well. We’d go for per week each month or so. It was simply enjoyable. We had been speaking rather well. Me, Mike, and Ryan have been making music for a very long time,  however we had levelled up in our personal music relationship. We’d spent all these years doing this, however you study extra and get somewhat extra delicate. It type of felt like all these years had been price it. It was like “Oh because of this we did all these years of grinding.”

HMS: That’s a really useful story. Which may present some encouragement to individuals who need to get to that place however are nonetheless within the grind interval. It’s a must to preserve going.

JH: The expansion interval by no means ends. You can even work your butt off and nonetheless could not get to the place you need to go, however for us it was clearly a part of the journey. It was one thing to be appreciated. We did! 

HMS: Every thing you’re saying appears to tie into these songs, too, which is fascinating. What made you select these songs for Painted World?

JH: It was extra of a vibe factor than about strict thematic components. There’s additionally simply timing issues. We felt like these songs tied collectively. Quite a lot of the songs communicate to comparable concepts. Fairly frankly, we’ll rearrange issues once more once we launch the entire file. However we checked out totally different combos of songs and went with what sounded good. Micah is the setlist grasp and he’s at all times decided track order. He does it very properly.

HMS: My compliments to Micah on that. I believe the order of those songs is sensible on this EP. It appears to have somewhat arc to it. To me, “What I Need” is the apparent approach to begin off, and it ought to completely be the primary track. It will get individuals pondering and brings out some feelings. Then, “HELP” is even a few journey, a considerably inner one, and could be very trustworthy about getting up and beginning over. 

JH: Undoubtedly. That one was fully tied into the sensation, “Oh shit, am I going to have to begin once more?”

HMS: You talked about earlier that individuals don’t at all times get what they need, and that takes us into the track, “What I Need.” I suppose the hazard of being goal-oriented is questioning should you’re looking for the appropriate aim?

JH: Targets are nice. I used to have a ton of objectives, and I journal loads. Sooner or later, it was cool to test off these objectives. However sooner or later, it’s important to recognize the method and recognize the craft. Any victory that you’ve, no less than to me, shouldn’t be one thing you test off. After we performed an enormous present, I discovered there was a change between celebrating the present itself and desirous to rejoice the work that it took to get to that present. 

You set in plenty of effort and undergo plenty of ups and downs to achieve one thing, and to me, that ought to be celebrated. That’s what offers a aim that means. It will get very easy to begin working in the direction of a aim, get pissed off, and veer off, however should you put within the work, daily, you attain it. Additionally, it’s best to notice that when you attain that aim, you’re simply going to need one thing else! I simply posted a video on my Youtube channel speaking in regards to the distinctions between pleasure and happiness. 

To me, happiness is wanting one thing and getting it, so that you’re completely satisfied. Like, you simply performed Crimson Rocks, so that you’re completely satisfied. However then there’s pleasure, and pleasure is a second mountain that you just climb the place the actual that means of life is explored. Once I look again on the band, it’s going to be the relationships that I had with my bandmates, and that shared expertise, that brings me pleasure. Clearly, pleasure will be present in numerous different issues, too. It might be having a baby or attending to spend time with your loved ones. These essential issues will be more and more misplaced in our society. I’m into productiveness, don’t get me mistaken, however I believe it’s essential to keep in mind that life is brief. You don’t need to spend an excessive amount of time trying off into the space and wanting issues.

HMS: The work ethic in America will be very driving and different international locations criticize that about us, rightly. They suppose it’s bizarre. There’s a degree the place we would really promote ourselves quick, too, as a result of we don’t take the time to pat ourselves on the again and recognize what we’ve performed. We’re simply on to the following factor. We don’t take a look at how we received there. 

JH: I’m with you. You can even use no matter successes you could have as a springboard into pleasure reasonably than simply into rapid happiness. Happiness will not be a foul factor, both, it ought to be appreciated. You must deal with your self and really feel okay about it.

HMS: I did see the recommendation video that you just put up. I assumed it was fascinating and earnest to speak to associates and followers so instantly. It’s just about in line with the ethos of your music, too.

JH: Everybody who’s watched it has appreciated it and I need to do some extra long-form content material like that. I like to write down essays to myself and I’d prefer to get them on the market. It’s a approach to join with individuals, and that’s my driving think about music. Not all the pieces has to rhyme or have a melody. There are different facets, artistically, to discover. 

HMS: Your video for “What I Need” can also be actually enjoyable and suggests numerous potential concepts to hyperlink to the track. It’s wacky and fairly scripted. How did you determine on the concepts for that one?

JH: My buddy Kevin owns an organization referred to as Rhino media, a extremely cool little movie studio in Kalamazoo. It’s plenty of actually proficient individuals who had been out in LA however needed to return again to Michigan. That is the third music video he’s performed for us. We give him the track and the ideas, then take a step again. I can’t take credit score for something in that video besides the track. It turned out cool! There have been just a few issues we needed to shoot that we didn’t get to shoot, however it was tremendous enjoyable to make. General, it was probably the most difficult video we’ve tried to make.

HMS: It’s received some complexity to it. It’s cool the way it retains flowing from one factor to the following and it made me consider the best way that, if you’re attempting to get one thing, it at all times eludes you. 

JH: Precisely, that’s what he was going for. There’s a 3 second pool shot, and that shoot itself was about eight hours. It was in Michigan and it was chilly. The pool was heated, however it was solely heated to about 66 levels. It didn’t really feel heat in any respect. I jumped into that pool in all probability 40 or 50 instances, however we received it performed! [Laughs] 

HMS: Man, you’re devoted.

JH: I type of like shared struggling! [Laughs] The crew was moving into the pool, however as soon as you bought in, you couldn’t get out as a result of it was 45 levels exterior, in order the shoot went on, there have been an increasing number of individuals within the pool. There have been solely a few individuals exterior the pool operating for tools. 

HMS: The video for “HELP” will need to have been loads simpler. I’m speaking in regards to the “Dancing Ghost” model. Was that every one comprised of discovered footage?

JH: Sure, it was all discovered. The title of that animation is “Coco the Clown” and I believe it got here out within the Twenties. That cartoon was made to point out off new expertise on the time. It was projecting frames of a movie onto paper for an artist to attract, which was revolutionary in animation. I actually needed to do a complete video of Princess Mononoke footage, however I couldn’t, so I went for Coco the Clown. I realized tips on how to use Adobe Premier, and I edited the entire thing within the van on my Mac Ebook. I used to be completely obsessive about it on the time. We’re really about to go begin capturing a music video for the band immediately, within the desert, and I don’t know what we’re doing, however we’re going to strive!

HMS: That’s the appropriate angle! However please take some water with you. I need to add that I did just like the dancing ghost video as a result of creepy outdated animation at all times will get to me. It has a darkish fantasy look, which actually goes with the thought of the track, which is discovering your self someplace the place all the pieces feels the other way up.

JH: I had some reservations about it, however the entire concept of the track is actually saying, “Loss of life will not be unhealthy. Loss of life is sweet. There’d be no life with out loss of life.” The fundamental concept is that Loss of life is hitch climbing and somebody picks him up. He’s pissed off as a result of everybody thinks he’s simply this evil entity. God doesn’t reply to any of his e-mails. He’s additionally probably the most historical factor within the universe and type of lonely. His job is to choose up souls. A driver spends a while with him and this exhibits that loss of life is highly effective and essential. 

HMS: I like how that’s such a full story. Storytelling is much less widespread exterior of Roots music, however it is a dance track.

JH: I like fiction and tales. I believe that’s the place concepts spring up for me, pulled from literature. I attempt to package deal it someway right into a track.