Bento: Hydrovibe’s 5th Band Member

iamthetrend.com caught up with Heather and six other musicians for an interview on what it’s like to be a female musician in a guy’s world… Read the full article here: http://iamthetrend.com

We’ve got the first confirmed dates for our tour schedule… A full listing of dates can be found on our tourdates page.

More dates are coming so keep checking back!

Quite a few of you have expressed interest in the album artwork.

What does it mean? Where did it come from?

Well, here’s the scoop…

I have been an artist as long as I’ve been a singer – practically all my life. And since Hydrovibe has embraced the DIY philosophy, it seemed fitting that I work with New Level Graphics to create the visual embodiment of our music.

But where to begin? Well, at the beginning, of course. When we packaged up our EP in 2006 and hit the road, we really were stepping out into the unknown. We put our lives – and our bank accounts – on the line to create this album. So, for us, the title has significant meaning – we really have NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, and I am completely happy with this place in my life. The decision is one none of us have ever second-guessed or regretted.

So, when coming up with the composition, I wanted to capture the feelings of being on tour for the better part of two years. Sometimes, I felt happy… sometimes sad. Sometimes glamorous… most of the time pretty grungy. There’s always a physical and emotional hunger lurking around. Some nights, even though I’m surrounded by crowds of fans I felt very alone, but I always knew I had the three other Hydrovibe members to count on. The guys have become my brothers, and I depend on them. I trust them. So, the four figures on the album cover are grouped as a unit – a single entity comprised of four unique people. (For those of you who have seen me on tour – you’ll recognize me as the one with the red backpack. It’s a permanent part of who I am on tour!) These figures who are Hydrovibe are on a journey that will define not only who we are becoming… but the music we will be making for years to come.

We’ve put our hearts and our souls into this album. I hope the cover art is able to convey that passion… that dedication… that excitement of bringing Hydrovibe to you! And I hope you enjoy the music as much as we do!

If you don’t already have a copy of the album, it’s available at our Big Cartel store, on iTunes, and on Amazon.com.

xx St. Heather

Well, it’s been a long few months of relative quiet from Hydrovibe… but we’ve been busy little bees getting our album finished and manufactured.  In fact, those babies will be delivered to our doorstep very, very soon.  Now, the guys and I are working with our incredible team (Orleans Street Records, New Level Graphics, Corporate Punishment, Fat Dot, and TKO) to get all the pieces of the puzzle in place for the album release.

And I’m calling on each and every one of you in our Hydrovibe Alliance to help us out.  Spread the word about Hydrovibe and our album “Nothing Left To Lose” …. Get your friends to register on this site or subscribe to our monthly newsletter …. Pre-order the album in August or buy some merch … Donate to our online tip jar … Call your radio station to request Hydrovibe …. and be sure to come to our shows when we tour this Fall!!  Because like I say onstage time and time again – Bands are nothing without their fans! And Hydrovibe has the best fans ever!!!

This past tour was intense – something like 26 shows in 30 days!!!  Those of you at the shows know that I am at the merch booth before and after each show (and that I LOVE to talk. hah!)  I have to admit, before we left for the tour I was a bit nervous about my maintaining my voice night after night .  On a whim, I purchased a vocal warm-up DVD I had heard about.  What could it hurt, right?

After the first few nights, the guys in both Hydrovibe and Bobaflex (the band we were touring with) started commenting on how strong my voice sounded.   We started this tour off with 6 shows in a row before our first day off… and by that time I was convinced these warm-ups really were making a difference.  My voice was never even really hoarse!  And I have The Zen of Screaming to thank for it.

Since he sings about as much as I do, Mat started joining me on the warm-ups.  Well, it wasn’t long after this that Bobaflex’s singers Shawn and Marty McCoy were in our van warming up too!  All four of our voices stayed strong despite all the different climates we were in during the month.  We were sold.

Often after the shows, other singers approached me for tips or tricks I use to keep my voice strong night after night… Without fail, I say, “Get this DVD and use the vocal exercises whether you scream or not.  Because IT WORKS!“

You can buy this DVD for $22.49 at Amazon.com.  Other tools in my Vocalist Arsenal that are also available at Amazon.com:

• NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit – I do this daily… twice a day if I’m suffering from allergies
• Saline Packet Refills – This is a must if you’re on a tour to stay on top of your sinus rinses. Plus, you can use them in very warm water as a gargle for sore throats!
• Mucinex – 2 ENT doctors have recommended these to me; they moisturize the vocal chords and keep phlegm thin.

With the great camaraderie of the two bands, the excellent routing and booking of the tour (thank you Jenny McPhee and Dan Devita at TKO, and our manager Demetri Benoist), having an awesome front-of-house sound guy (thank you DAVE!!!), having a fantastic tour manager (thank you Chucky Love), and the fact that the gas prices went back down (thank you to whoever made that happen – Chucky, did you make that happen too???);   we can easily say that this was the best and most fun tour we’ve done to date.  Thank you to all the promoters, venues, our wonderful road friends/family, our brothers in Bobaflex, brother Dave, brother Chucky, all the cool local support bands we shared the stage with, and all who attended the shows… We can’t wait to do it again soon!  Now, back to the mixing studio where the Hydrovibe album is about 70% completed… time to stick a fork in this one!

I have to admit, we’ve been having so much fun it’s been hard to post a blog for all of you.

The shows have been wonderful – lots of new places and some familiar faces too.  And touring with Bobaflex is always lots of fun.  The Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin was amazing… such a beautiful place and full of really cool people.  Michigan and Ohio was like a homecoming for Hydrovibe; thank you all who came out to see us one more time in ’08!  We stopped off in High Point, North Carolina for a Halloween party… It was a great break for us, and we made some great friends.

Now, we’re headed to Florida for a run of shows.  This Wednesday’s show has no cover charge, so if you’re in the area be sure to come out!  We’ve added a few surprises to the setlist.  If you want to see some live footage, visit YouTube; our fans have uploaded some great videos!  I’m hoping to see more in the coming weeks, so be sure to bring your cameras to the shows!

We’ve also uploaded some new photos to the site.  Check out the Planet Rock album for some amazing shots!

Hopefully, we’ll sleep well before show #1 later tonight.

Well, after quite a few crazy days of rehearsing and packing, we departed for tour Tuesday.  It’s a little over 13 hours later, and my excitement is building.  I really love being on tour… I guess it brings out the gypsy in me!

Too much time in one place stagnates me.  I love the excitement of change, and I love the changing scenery slipping past me from the van window.

There’s another thing exciting me right now.. the change in weather.  While many people love the Southern California weather, I’m happy when the temperature drops, and it’s time to pull my jacket and scarf out.  I think this started when I was 5 or 6 when I had a bright yellow puffer jacket and matching yellow and white striped beanie – both with Snoopy’s pal Woodstock on them.  I couldn’t wait for the first day of the year that was cold enough to wear them!  Anyway, this next month of driving holds lots of promise for me because I’m pretty sure I’ll get lots of cold weather… and maybe even some brightly colored fall foliage.  Yay!

So, we’re driving through Northern New Mexico along I-40, and it’s cold.  We still have some hours of driving left.  Our first show is in the Chicago area Thursday night… the start of our Fall tour with Bobaflex.

Those guys put on a great show.  And we have a few surprises in store for our sets as well.  So if you are in any of the cities we’re hitting, be sure to come out!

And if you’re not, keep checking back here.  I promise to take lots of photos and even shoot some videos on this tour.  We plan on posting lots of blog entries here during the next month… And we want to hear from you too!  So be sure to register on the site and post your comments.  I just might pick my favorite one to send out a little Hydrovibe care package…