Some demos
It’s been kind of quiet on the Seedlings front for the past couple months. Mallory and Ryan have been running around the country with The River Monks. Nels has been working on his new project GoodCat.
And Connor and me, well, we started new jobs, so we’ve been pulling the old men cards for the past couple months. However, we are working on some new music. We’re pulling together some merch. And we’re finally working on releasing Why We Grow Old on vinyl…like 9 months later than we thought we would.
Anyways, I recently sat down and recorded a couple demos. We’re working on pieces and parts, but I thought we’d share where we are for now — starting back at the beginning.
So sit back, push play, and let us know what you think: Click Here.
A video of me performing the Seedlings song, “Near the Pine.” by @DanWelk with @Kino323
The album is for sale on iTunes, Amazon, & Google Play. You can also listen on Spotify.
Recorded in Des Moines during 2011 and the first part of 2012, the album includes 10 new songs and a remix by St. Paul- and Des Moines-based electronic artist Olsen Twinns. In Seedlings fashion, each song is structured around harmonies and folk instruments – guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, cello, drums and an occasional trumpet.
“We’re thrilled to finally release this collection of songs,” lead singer and songwriter Danny Heggen said. “Not only do they represent how our sound has grown, but they represent how our relationships with each other, our community and our loved ones has grown.”
The first single “Between Us” (and a couple others) is about Danny’s wife, but the album is full of other emotional songs. Specifically, track 9 “Near the Pine” is about Danny’s best friend from high school who passed away after suffering through brain cancer.
“It’s the first song I’ve been able to write about him,” Danny noted. “And we have yet to perform it live because Mallory, my sister, begins to cry every time she hears it.”
It’s been a big year so far for Seedlings’ members Danny Heggen, Mallory Heggen, Ryan Stier, Connor Moore and Nels Dovre. This spring they opened an event for President Obama. This summer they performed with DevotchKa (the band who did the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack) and at 80/35.
This music and these experiences have brought them all closer together, and that’s what this album is all about: the purpose we find in aging with those we love and the pieces of our past we carry along.
Haven’t stopped smiling since we heard this remix of our song “Between Us.”
Thanks so much @olsen_twinns!
This is honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of.
Des Moines/St. Paul-based Olsen Twinns, an electronic musician, remixed Seedlings’ (my band) single “Between Us.”
Share it with the world!
Every summer needs a love song.
Our latest single “Between Us” is a getting set to release on iTunes, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Written by Danny for his wife, it is a love song that captures the fun and intimate times in their relationship. And it all points to the thing he loves most: following his heart.
It’ll make you dance. It’ll make you sing along. And it’ll make you remember what summer is all about: love and the time of your life.
“Between Us” the first single from our upcoming album is out today! We are so excited to finally start sharing these new songs with you.
Enjoy: http://bit.ly/qYVl7Y.
We’ve been selected as one of the bands for the 80/35 Play In Competition!
From more than 80 bands that submitted, we are one of 8 finalists who get to perform live on Iowa Public Radio. Mark your calendar: We’ll be live at 7:30pm on May 7th.
The other bands:
- Ladysoal
- Emperors Club
- The White Elephant
- The Beat Strings
- The Wire Frames
- Holy White Hounds
- Love Songs For Lonely Monsters
What You Can Do Now:
- We have some new tunes streaming on Sound Cloud. (If you haven’t clicked the link above, it’s not too late!) If you ask nicely, we might post another song. But just for you.
- Come out to our show next Thursday, May 3rd!
- Tune in on Monday, May 7th.
- Check out the other bands. This is a great opportunity for all of us!
So for now, we send our love through these new tunes. And when we see you next, we’ll be ready for a hug or handshake.
Best,
~ Seedlings
A couple years ago, I set out to cover some of my favorite songs slowly and sweetly.
This is “My Girl”.
Want to Hear Something New?
So we decided to submit a couple songs for this competition 80/35, Wellmark and Iowa Public Radio are putting on.
Though our new album isn’t out yet (or titled), we sent the selection panel a couple new songs so we can start getting them out there — because we’re super excited to start playing them and sharing!
About the 2 tracks
1. “Take the Streets”: This is about as anthem-esque as we might ever get as Seedlings. We wrote it after the Arab Spring events occurred. Love, love, love performing this song.
2. “Between Us”: Our goal was to create a groove and the result has had us tapping our toes ever since.
We had an awesome time pulling all these songs together and are even more excited to start sharing them with everyone.
For Now:
For the next couple weeks, these songs will be live on our Sound Cloud page: http://bit.ly/g2y1O9.
We invite you to listen, share, and let us know what you think.
Much love,
Seedlings
Our Mission:
We want you to grow old with us. As a collection of friends, we find that playing music is one thing we can all come together and share with the world. By listening, we get to go through it all together.
And we’ll be there when you reach out.
Much love,
Danny, Mallory, Ryan, Connor, Andrew, Kate & Nels
