The Hello Strangers Introduced Today

THE HELLO STRANGERS (SISTERS BRECHYN CHACE and LARISSA CHACE SMITH)
INTRODUCE THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM OCTOBER 21, 2014

“smart songwriting and memorable melodies — not to mention the undeniable sibling harmonies.” (Craig Shelburne/CMT Edge)

“spellbinding harmony…This album is just brilliant…and deserves to be heard-and heard often…Listen and see if you don’t agree!.”
(Chuck Dauphin//Billboard-Music News Nashville)

IMI Records proudly announces the release of THE HELLO STRANGERS’ (featuring sisters LARISSA CHACE SMITH and BRECHYN CHACE) self-titled debut album on OCTOBER 21, 2014.

“The Hello Strangers demonstrate the kind of credence that only happens when worldly experience is paired with shattered sentiment. Country credence is assured, and with it, a very promising future indeed.” – (Lee Zimmerman/No Depression)

Produced by multi-award winning (Grammy, Emmy, Dove, Tele) Steve Ivey and recorded at IMI Studio (the Sound Kitchen) in Franklin, TN, the album features 11 originals and 2 covers, including “What You Don’t Know” — written by, and featuring on vocals, Jim Lauderdale (co-written with John Leventhal), and “Que Sera, Sera”, an homage to their grandfather, Ronald Chace, who sang with Doris Day in the early ’40s. Joining Brechyn Chace (lead and backup vocals, accordion on “Poor Dear,” vibraslap on “Conococheague,” harmonica on “The World Knows Far Better) and Larissa Chace Smith (lead and backup vocals, acoustic guitar) in the studio are Spencer Pheil (electric guitar), Steve Ivey (electric guitar, keyboards, piano, percussion, bass guitar, dobro, bouzouki, mandolin, back up vocals), Kerry Marx (electric guitars), Tommy Harden (drums and percussion), Eddie Dunlap (pedal steel), Wanda Vick (viola), Catherine Marx (keyboards & accordion), Jim Lauderdale (lead and background vocal on “What You Don’t Know”), Cissy Crutcher (background vocal on “What You Don’t Know”), and Ethan Nichols, Cody Blonder, Dave Dinsmore, Sparky Jones (bar background vocals).

The Hello Strangers were born out of the Austin, TX music scene in 2006 when Larissa Chace Smith and Brechyn Chace wrote their first song together, entitled “Pregnant in Jail.” Based on true events, it was a preamble to a string of original tunes the pair crafted in a little cottage off South Congress Avenue. [The name is both a nod to the Carter Family and inspired by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, from their album “Not For Kids Only”. On the album they perform a version of “Arkansas Traveler”, and between verses do a repartee where they repeat “Hello, Stranger” between punchlines. “We thought it was such a fun, folksy saying that seemed to capture the spirit and essence of our music.”] Soon, however, the mountains of Pennsylvania beckoned the sisters back north, and so they packed up their lives, dogs, Larissa’s husband and returned to their two-stoplight hometown.

The move has since proved to be a boon for the duo. The Chace sisters have created a catalogue of original music with nods to American folk traditions, modern indie rock, Texas Country-folk, and roots rock, all tied together with lilting harmonies that only siblings can create. Timeless imagery and fables are at the core of each song, from tales of a boggy creek bottom where a murdered man sleeps, to a Texas roadhouse with bawdy dancers and clinking beer bottles, to more poignant reflections on the loss of winter or a man gone wrong. In 2012, Larissa and Brechyn won AirPlay Direct’s “Win An Americana Record Deal” contest, giving them the opportunity to work with Steve Ivey of IMI, and a host of other talented industry professionals, on their 2014 album.

On the road, the sisters are backed by a dynamic and talented trio: Spencer Pheil on lead guitar, Trent Renshaw on drums, and Tom Hoy on bass.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES/CD RELEASE SHOWS:
SAT., OCT. 25 Millheim, PA Elk Creek Cafe
SUN., OCT. 26 Mercersburg, PA Whitetail Ski Resort Outdoor Festival
SAT., NOV. 8 Shippensburg, PA The Thought Lot
FRI., NOV. 14 Baltimore, MD The Creative Alliance at the Patterson Theater
SAT., NOV. 15 Chambersburg, PA The Stube at Roy Pitz Brewing Co.
TUES., DEC. 9 New York, NY Rockwood Music Hall “On Your Radar”
SAT., DEC. 13 Gettysburg, PA The Garryowen Irish Pub
THURS., DEC. 18 Wilmington, DE World Cafe Live at The Queen
WEDS., DEC. 31 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere (with The Seldom Scene, Bumper Jacksons)

www.thehellostrangers.com
www.airplaydirect.com/music/thehellostrangers/