Words & Music by: Matt Herzog
Mix Engineer: Beck Nebel
Mastering Engineer: Bruce Templeton at Microphonic Mastering, Minneapolis
Matt Herzog- Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Synthesizer and Bass
JD Lenick- Drums and Percussion (all but two songs)
Russel Munson- Drums (Keep It Light, On Your Shoulders)
Tim Kennedy- Bass Guitar (Keep It Light, On Your Shoulders)
Zak Kotnik- Bass (Mustache Mitch)
Maia Dalager- Vocals (Keep It Light, On Your Shoulders, Fled)
Julie Herzog- Background Vocals (Red & White, Pickle)
Chris Pegg- Background Vocals (Juanita)
Ken Christianson- Background Vocals (Juanita)
Beck Nebel- Mellotron strings and organ (On Your Shoulders), electronic beat (Fled)
Grace Acheson & Elizabeth Acheson - Album cover art and logos
Thanks to my family, especially my wife Julie, for the continuous support and encouragement to stick with music. Everyone involved in the recording process (listed above), Patrick Pegg for audio engineering guidance, Chris Tripolino for ongoing collaboration (i.e. lyrical ideas on “Pickle”), Chris Pegg, Zak Kotnik, Trevor Gerrity & Ken Christianson for their early influence on several of these tunes, Brock Lammers and Ryan Anhorn.
The album titled “Keep It Light” is a blend of some old and new material spanning 17 years. Two bar scene rockers that The Half Ton Club never officially recorded involve the former bandmates. “Juanita” (the fan-voted name of the old band van) reminisces about gigs on the road and features “round-like” vocal harmonies from Chris Pegg & Ken Christianson. Zak Kotnik artfully recorded a funky, high fidelity bass groove providing the precise backbone needed for “Mustache Mitch”, which embellishes an expensive experience with a ruthless auto mechanic. Herzog was thrilled that his former bandmates were interested in participating. “The oldies felt more authentic once the original members were involved. It’s interesting how the guys basically sound the same as before. Under different circumstances, I would’ve loved to have them record all of their parts, but I did my best to capture the instrumental stylings.”
Three more of the finished products started as instrumental trio basement jams that occurred in the couple years immediately following HTC’s final public appearance in 2004. Trevor Gerrity, the talented and understated drummer who will forever be missed, had a weekly ritual of laying down exceptional beats in Kotnik’s basement while the trio iterated on dozens of hooks and melodies often with the welcomed input from former “light guy” Jon Baso.
Despite shifts in key, tempo and the addition of vocals, two different drummers masterfully captured the essence of the old trio material. J.D. Lenick, a Nashville-based drummer eager to take on a project during the pandemic winter, brought a great deal of talent and microphonic techniques. “Some Will” gracefully opens the album with metered guitar, slinky bass, crisp rhythm and a simple observation that everyone handles challenges that life throws at them differently. Chorus line ‘I cannot say the reason why’ is a self-reminder that we don't know all of the events packed into a person's unique life journey. “Red & White (Energy)” humorously acknowledges the reality of getting older making the husband/wife duet especially fitting as they clink glasses (or not?) on golden nights. Title track “Keep It Light” is the third trio session revival. Herzog had been playing gigs with a folk-rock Americana band called ‘The Verdant Mile’ where he met drummer Russel Munson through bassist Tim Kennedy. “It was strange to not have Zak lay down the bass given our history, but it made sense to have Russel and Tim work out parts for the southern rock shuffle, especially since we were rehearsing regularly.” Maia Dalager’s pristine and colorful voice naturally blends with Herzog’s earnest imagery around possessions. It is the title track, but the album’s name serves as a unifying theme for the rest of the songs, which all explore “light” metaphors in their own way.
The remaining four are the most recently written songs. “Sink” reflects on the startling force behind muscle memory. Microphones capturing sparse acoustic guitar and the upright living room piano allow space for vivid lyrics professing how difficult it is to ‘think in different ways’. The heart-melting jazz instrumental interplay slowly builds into a full chorus expressing optimism in the end. “Pickle” calls out family dynamics as a father lets his guard down in between Hendrix-inspired guitar responses. Given the subject matter, it only felt appropriate to enlist his wife a second time to add the soft touch.
Maia Dalager appears on two more songs making her involvement cover the final three tracks. “On Your Shoulders” delivers a soothing yet mysterious folksy vibe. The clarity of the instrumentation helps the listener process profound lyrics that are open to interpretation. “I always imagined “Fled” as the anthemic finale, but I had intended to feature the other two songs earlier in the album since Maia’s voice brings so much more life to them. However, it’s more about the best flow to me, so hopefully people will experience it from start to finish like listening to vinyl back in the 60’s and 70’s.”
The solo rock debut is loaded with alluring lyrics, overdriven guitar hooks, harmonic textures and a dosage of humor to “Keep It Light”.
