Halem Albright (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter) was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia; brought up among music lovers, Halem started playing guitar and writing music at 14 and went on to be involved in several bands and music projects that toured the southeast (one of which Halem founded “The Green Light Council”, was an Athens Flagpole award winner).
In 2013 “The Halem Albright Band” was formed, consisting of Halem Albright on vocals/lead guitar, well known Atlanta keyboardist Spencer Pope, bassist Dustin Fennell, and Nathan Bartlett on drums with John McCoy on percussion/vocals(both previous bandmates with Halem in “The Green Light Council). And in 2015, The H.A.B. had the honor of winning the “AthFest People’s Choice Awards” to be a part of the Athens’ festival’s compilation album. The Halem Albright Band’s first album “Through Human Eyes” was released in August of 2017, soon followed by their first live release “Live At Vinyl”. Throughout his music career, Halem has shared bills with established music veterans such as Col. Bruce Hampton, Leftover Salmon and The Disco Biscuits(among many others).
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Halem Albright about the impossible task of choosing a favorite song of all time, dream collabs, the music, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Are you able to choose a favorite song of all time? Or would you label this an impossible task? If yes, what’s the song? If no, what’s your current Top 3?
I don’t think I’d ever be able to think of one particular song as my favorite of all time, that is something that’s constantly changing/depending on when you ask me…but here’s 3 that stand out as current favorites of mine:
My Confession- Cornell Campbell. Early 70’s Rocksteady/Reggae might just be my favorite genre of music to listen to, and it feels like I’ll never stop discovering great classics like this one that I recently found.
Neon Lights- Kraftwerk. The melodic sense and attention to detail that Kraftwerk put into their writing is incredible to me. It sounds completely inspired, but with each instrument’s written part so well thought out.
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor- Johann Sebastian Bach. If someone held me at gunpoint and demanded to know my single favorite song or piece of music, this would have to be it for me. Particularly the 1st & 3rd movements.
What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
“Blue Moon Confessions”(to be released this year) will be our 4th album. I feel like the more we do this, the closer we get to hitting the very thing I’ve looked for in music since I was really young. Putting more emphasis on feeling…as opposed to maybe the technical side of things, or trying to showcase talent. There will be a good balance of all of that on this album as well, but I’d have to say that this one will definitely be the most “me” up to this point. At least of all of our studio stuff.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
I don’t have to look too far these days for ideas. I try stay open, and they just come to me. I’m doing alot less of sitting with a guitar and a recording device/writing out sheet music. Most of the ideas on this new collection came from dreams. I’d wake up with an idea, and just run over to my guitar or piano and there you go. After the initial idea/melody is established, I’ll usually figure out the rest of the details pretty quick. Like how long the piece should be, should I tack on a composed part?, these types of things. With ideas just showing up, I don’t need too much of a kick in the butt to keep writing.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
Miles Davis. I credit him the most with influencing so many of the players and writers I learned from. His albums(particularly from the late 60’s/early 70’s era) are like a blueprint on how best to jam with other people. You can actually hear them listening to each other as they’re playing. And it seems like the more he did it, the less he had to do, and that felt even stronger in a way.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
The last song I listened to was “Up Park Camp”, by John Holt. I love that out of tune organ!
To put it simply, my main 2 all time favorites are The Grateful Dead and Bob Marley & The Wailers. To name a few more: Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Phish, The Disco Biscuits, Peter Tosh, Cocteau Twins, Ariel Pink, Beach House.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
We’ll be updating our website soon(halemalbright.com), but social media and Spotify are the best ways to follow us for now. We’ll be sharing any band news through there:
I appreciate Your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways?
Was great chatting with you. We’ve been working on this album over the last 2 years, and for us this year will be all about getting that out there and playing live again. So do follow us, and come catch us live if you’re in the Southeast. Will be announcing an album release date soon!
Joshua is a music business consultant currently serving as COO of Unlimited Sounds, a boutique publishing admin & consulting firm based in Northern California. He also serves as director of Pac Ave Records, a student-run record label. He is an archivist and curator via Indie Music Discovery.com, co-founded with C Bret Campbell in 2011. He is also a Father of 3 and an all purpose jedi... but before any of this, he was and still creates as an indie/DIY songwriter and producer. Connect on IG. Read full bio.
