Hazlett - new album/ on tour
Photo by Jonathan Persson
We first discovered the music of Hazlett approximately three years ago, at the very inception of our blog. His label, Nettwerk, has always supplied us with a consistent barrage of singles– practically on a monthly basis– making Hazlett one of the most featured artists on our site, and we have fallen in love with each and every one of them.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of filling your earholes with a Hazlett song, you’ll already know that the meticulously dynamic layering of vocals is what sets him apart from other artists in the realm of indie folk. And when we found that his tour was coming through Chicago, we simply had to see how he would pull this off in a live setting.
But before we get to the music, it’s worth mentioning that Hazlett is still, for lack of a better word, “obscure” enough to be able to hang with his fans in the merch line, which is where we found him shortly after entering the House of Blues, just before his set. While his music is oftentimes described as larger than life, the man is also quite towering, and each person who managed to grab a selfie with him seemed like a miniature version of a human being– it was quite fitting.
For just over an hour, Hazlett delivered his music with his band, Hazlett & Company. He utilized two vocal mics for himself, with each of the other three members providing auxiliary support and allowing every single track to sound damn-near identical to the recorded version. It wasn’t just some folk singer with a guitar– every song was a divinely crafted production and it was quite clear that they had put in a great deal of time and effort to reproduce the cinematic majesty of his studio work.
Right around midpoint, Hazlett briefly dismissed the rest of the band in order to deliver a couple of intimate renditions of his tunes, one of which was “Bones Shake,” our personal favorite. Looking around at fellow concertgoers, it is safe to say that we were not the only ones who were emotionally moved– we overheard the guy next to us telling his girlfriend that this was the first time he’d ever cried at a concert.
This was just the third night of the tour, but what made it special is the release of Hazlett’s new LP, last night you said you missed me, which was available on vinyl at the show for the first time (now out everywhere). We strongly encourage you to check out the dates for this tour and catch him live if you get the chance– this will likely be the last time you can do so in one of these more intimate, medium-sized venues, as we have absolutely no doubt that the next tour will be arenas.
Connect with Hazlett here: Instagram | Spotify | Facebook and check out more of his music: “Tell Me What You Dream About” “Part Time Lovers” “Hesitate” “Blame The Moon” “Missionary Feelings” “Mama’s Boy” “Slow Running” “Stolen Seasons”
-HD