Artist Spotlight: Hank Heaven

Hank Heaven: For sure!

HH: That's a good question. If I wanted to do music, it was never *not* a possibility. Because my parents were professional musicians, I think there was a level they wanted and pushed me to play at. I was working from a young age; my sibling is actually a wonderful songwriter. As a kid, they wrote tons of songs, and everyone loved their work. I was just the guitar player that played with them. Since I was a sideman for so long, it took a while before I could really find the confidence to write my own songs.

HH: I got a used piano as a gift at one point. I’d really wanted one for a while, and I was living in my old loft apartment back in Bushwick. I was so excited! The piano was pretty bad, but I wrote one of my first songs on it that I ended up recording and putting out. In a romantic sense, I remember writing it and immediately thinking about how much I love writing songs.

It was one of those magical moments where the song comes really fast. Obviously, that's not the case all the time, but that experience made me want to keep writing, even if no one was going to listen. Also, two of my good friends Raffaella and Jake Luppen were the first ones to really believe in me and take [my work] seriously. I showed them some of my songs and they liked my ideas, so we started writing together. Those songs ended up landing on my first EP, Call Me Hank. As time went on, I sort of fell into it and saw that people wanted to hear more.

HH: It was "One True Dear." I was really sad that day.

HH: Great question. I had a lot of songs written, and a lot of those songs started as ideas. I wasn't even thinking about a record at the time, because I just didn't think that was possible for me. It seemed daunting!

When we wrote the song “Reno,” though, that's the first track that made things click. I decided to think about the album through the eyes of a character. It was a character's journey, which was a personal journey in reality. It's easier to talk about life when you put yourself into a character's perspective. When we wrote that, I was able to fully see the world of Loaded Dice. It was super helpful, I think. I know a lot of artists don’t enjoy making the whole visual world. To me, though, I think it's really fun to fully immerse yourself.

HH: Exactly.

HH: I'm sure there are so many moments I could choose, but again, the creation of “Reno” stands out. I think that song really set up not only who I was for Loaded Dice, but who I’d be afterwards. Being seen by both of them throughout the whole process was such a great feeling.

HH: Exactly. It’s a beautiful thing to be seen by your producer, or whoever you're working with, because when you don't, it's so hard. Very lonely and frustrating.

HH: Raffaella and I definitely continue to work together. I’ve definitely sent Jake some of the songs, too. Loaded Dice was so produced out, which I think is such a vibe, but for this next round of songs, I wanted them to feel as if you're hearing them live. There weren't even that many live instruments on Loaded Dice except the guitars, which were really processed. That made a cool sound, but now I’m going to the other side of the spectrum, and I want to do it all in live takes.

Also, the next batch of songs was really inspired by living in New York, right here in Brooklyn, so I decided that I wanted to create it here too. I made it here with a really awesome producer, Philip Weinrobe, who did Adrianne Lenker’s record. He's really known for his rules about making things live. It was daunting, but I had to just go for it.

HH: Totally. I really wanted the features to be people that I was already comfortable with. I’m a huge fan of Beach Bunny, and she’s so nice. After we met, I had a song I knew she would just kill, and what an honor it would be to collaborate with her. She was so hyped and happy, and that meant so much to me. She wrote her verse for it. I had written one, but she's such a good writer, so of course she ended up writing [it] on her own.

I'm such a fan of Renny's music too, and we're such close friends. I think it's really sweet to have a friend who's that talented. I don't know, I feel like if he read this, he'd be like, “Wow, Hank, I didn't know you felt that way about me.” We're so similar that he feels like a brother sometimes. I really feel this kinship to him. So I immediately thought he’d crush the song.

HH: Oh, yeah. I think you can also tell when the love is there in the music.

HH: I'm so excited. Like I said, I’ve gone from one extreme to the other. As much as I love Loaded Dice and everything about it, I think so much time passed between the time I finished making the record to the time it was released. So once it came out, as much as I loved the project, I really missed hearing the sound of my voice live, just as one example. Obviously, in this day and age, people see clips of me playing songs on social media and sometimes want that stripped-away version. No processing, just me singing. I see those comments and hear their thoughts. So I’m excited to move into that style more.

Also, I’m a guitar player, so I want to hear the musicians play more, and really hear these parts. Honestly, I got exactly what I wanted. I went to Philip Weinrobe, even though I had never worked with another producer on a full project who wasn't Jake. It was kind of scary, but we were really able to capture everything in the moment, with an amazing band full of people that I admire as musicians. I'm thinking to myself, “Dang, they're all really gonna play on this record.” It was a really magical few days of recording in Brooklyn, right down the street. Like you said, he and the band really made me feel like I was being seen. I don't even know how to put it into words, but it was amazing.

HH: Totally. I'm definitely going to play a few on this tour. It's been really fun to introduce these new songs into the world so far.

HH: Yeah. I was really excited when I heard the news. My first instinct was disbelief, so I have no idea what that's gonna look like. I'm really excited, though, and I also feel very honored to even have been asked to play a show there, because I feel like people in London always have their finger on the pulse. So hopefully that's a good sign!

London is also one of my favorite cities. We’re playing Pitchfork Paris after London, and Renny will be there too.

HH: Yes, I was actually just there last week.

HH: It was - I was there writing with my friend Claud.

HH: Obviously I love the Hut Boys, Renny and Darryl. They can rip it live. I love my friend Grumpy, too. Also, this person has been playing since I've been in New York, but I think everyone could always use a shout-out: The Cradle. They’re awesome, just a brilliant songwriter and a beautiful guitar player. I would definitely check out their album called Bag of Holding.

HH: I love all the new Geese. Cameron Winter is incredible. To be so young and to have found your voice like that.. I’m always so stunned. Also, I love the Water From Your Eyes record, and all of Wednesday’s new stuff. Alex G can do no wrong in my opinion, too.

HH: Wow. This is such an obvious, almost throwaway answer, but when we were in London last week, we went to see Chappell Roan. Oh my god, I was moved to tears. It's a powerful show, but what I love about Chappell is that she came up in such a similar scene as my friends and I. It's so great to see, because it doesn't feel like she ever went “industry.” I'll think about that set for years to come.

HH: Just to keep an eye out for the new music. I'm really excited about it. Thank you!