June 10, 2025 • 37 mins
What happens when a band decides to record not just one album, but a complete 52-song deck of cards? Ryan Walsh of Hallelujah the Hills takes us deep into his most ambitious creative undertaking yet.
"DECK" represents what Walsh calls "revenge creativity" – a defiant response to the pandemic that halted their momentum following their acclaimed 2019 album "I'm You." Rather than producing a standard follow-up, Walsh finally brought to life an idea he'd contemplated for two decades: creating a complete musical deck of cards with four distinct "suits" (albums) each containing thirteen songs.
The concept is brilliantly executed – Diamonds features polished, radio-friendly tracks; Clubs delivers faster, punkier "bangers"; Hearts showcases emotionally vulnerable material; while Spades explores experimental territory. Beyond the musical organization, Walsh designed custom artwork for each song, available as an actual playable card deck that fans can purchase alongside the music.
Most fascinating is how the project reimagines listener engagement in the streaming era. Walsh encourages fans to "shuffle the deck" by randomly selecting 13 songs to create unique playlists that statistically no one else will ever duplicate. This transforms passive consumption into something participatory and personal, giving listeners agency in how they experience this massive body of work.
The album features notable collaborations including Cassie Berman (Silver Jews) and Jeremy Gaudet (Kiwi Jr), reflecting Walsh's collaborative songwriting approach. As Hallelujah the Hills celebrates its 20th anniversary in November 2025, "DECK" stands as both an artistic milestone and a defiant statement against disposable music culture: "You work on something for two years. It gets attention for 48 hours and then everyone's on the next thing... we made this in defiance of that idea."
Listen to "DECK" when it releases this June and catch Hallelujah the Hills on tour across the Northeast as they share this extraordinary musical achievement with the world.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm alone.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm in love.
I can barely keep up.
I thought I overdid it, but Iguess I didn't do it enough
(00:31):
welcome back everyone to anotherepisode of viewer podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
what a treat, people.
What a treat.
I am reaching down to denim,massachusetts, denim, from and
I'm coming in from Dunham,quebec, from Dunham to Denham
Bingo, I mean you can't get muchbetter than that, Ryan.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I'm about 500 yards from Denham.
I'm technically in Boston, butDenham is.
I can see it.
I can see it.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Then we're counting it because it matches up too
nicely.
That's where I grew up.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Did you grow up in Dunham?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yes, I did, matches up too nice.
That's where I grew up.
Did you grow up in dunham?
Yes, I did, I sure did.
I mean I've moved since, but um, yeah, totally.
It's a sleepy little beautifulcountry town.
Um, love it.
I love country life, but I lovethe city as well.
Um, so I like to go back andforth from city to country, city
to country, never too long atany one, because then, well, it
(01:34):
just gets dull.
So Ryan Walsh, fromMassachusetts, is coming in
Hallelujah to Hills, previous ofthe stairs singer-songwriter,
author, filmmaker, just acreative individual who's going
to come and shed some of thatcreativity all over us as we
wrap up this week of some wouldsay drudgery.
(01:54):
Others would say let's just nottalk about it and onward we
move.
So, ryan, thanks so much forhopping on here and joining me
today.
Thanks for having having me,chris.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Oh, it's been such a pleasure.
I've been listening to yourmusic for a long time, starting
with the Stairs, and some ofyour solo stuff too, Like some
of those singles that you'd putout solo-wise are just great.
And now Howlouya the Hills hasbeen around for a long time.
Your catalog is tremendous andwe're going to get into this new
(02:27):
record that's coming out inJune called Deck.
But before we start that, Ryan,I'd love to poke your brain a
little bit about what were someof your tipping points in your
career.
Where things change suddenly.
Where things change suddenly,you know, when we have these
(02:48):
chance encounters or you know,something happens.
It kind of changes ourdirection a little bit.
Can you share any of those withus about your music and like
where it kind of like started tobe like hey, this is something
I might like to do.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Hmm.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
It's interesting.
In hindsight you can always putthose moments, you can identify
those moments, but in realityit's just like endless long
periods of drudgery where yousuck and suck, and suck and then
you suck a little less and thenyou're getting a little less
sucky than that, but I mean some.
Um, you know, one thing thatI've been thinking about a lot
(03:28):
is, you know, when we startedthe hills it's what we now think
of as like the blog explosionwhere there was so much writing
about music and some of theseblogs were being weighted as
heavily as like rolling stone orpitch.
You know, you've got somewrite-ups on these music blogs,
(03:49):
as we did, and it led to likefour label offers, and so I was
thinking about how unique thatperiod was and interesting, and
so that was definitely a turningpoint, because to start a new
band and instantly have a littlebit of a leg up and people
(04:09):
interested was super excitingfor us.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, what was that leg up like?
What was that interest comingin?
What did they offer?
That was like holy shit.
Money Like money and studiotime, I imagine, and time for
you to record.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Yeah, money and studio time, I imagine, and like
well, I mean for you to record,and yeah, I mean it's always
been about money for uhproduction costs or travel costs
.
Really, I mean, you know, um,it's so difficult to uh turn any
creative endeavor into yourliving.
One thing I think that has ledto the longevity of this band is
we said let's not worry aboutthat and we'll take it seriously
(04:48):
, we'll work very hard on it,but, um, let's, let's put most
of what we earn into making morecool stuff.
So that's kind of always beenour policy and so, you know, I
remember getting that um checkfrom miz records and turning
around and buying a tour band,because I think Corey Brown
literally said what do you need?
To be more of a real band?
(05:09):
And I said a tour band.
And so that was a good moment.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
That's cool.
And what was it that sparkedthat initial connection with the
label?
Because it's hard to get, Imean, I imagine nowadays even
more so, but I mean, even backthen it was, it wasn't not every
band was getting offered alabel, um contract, like how did
how did that come to be, thatthat connection, that
(05:36):
collaboration you had?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
I don't, you know it's.
It's kind of a mystery to me.
You start putting stuff out andyou call yourself a name and
then you get some write-ups andif enough of that happens, it's
either people reacting purely tothe music, which I think is
pretty rare, or it's acombination of reacting to the
(05:59):
music and perceiving there'ssome kind of excitement around
your band or your songs orwhatever.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
So in that moment, um , I don't know, people uh were
interested and and it's a betterquestion for the people who
offered us a record I think Iguess you can't read their minds
but your sense of it, like sothe stairs kind of ended and
(06:28):
then did the hill start up rightaway, or is there a transition
period where you were puttingout your own stuff, I think
under your name, or was it rightinto?
Speaker 4 (06:36):
the hills, it was pretty right into the hills.
I remember we played the laststair show in New York in like
July, played the last air showin new york in like july, and on
the drive home me and thedrummer, who were the ones
staying, said how can we, let's,let's figure this out.
Uh, what's the next band?
And by august we wererehearsing.
So you know, the the releasesunder my name or other names
(06:58):
were scattered in there andweren't related to that small
gap.
But, um, you know, the stairstoiled in complete obscurity
until like the last six monthsand then people took notice of
us and that was fun and and thatgot eric and I thinking like
let's try to build on thismomentum and and just reform
with a different name as soon aswe can.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
So absolutely and did you?
Did you guys want to have adifferent personality than the
stairs?
I mean, I imagine when you'restarting up something new, you
want it to feel new.
Yeah Well, what in yoursongwriting did things change in
your mindset of how you weregoing to approach a hallelujah
the Hills?
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I think so I mean, I think I'm always changing is
like most humans are, especiallyif you're interested in in
changing or like growing and um,but also it was you know it was
suddenly going to be.
I was the primary songwriter,which I had never had that
position.
So, um, I I just felt I hadcontrol of the narrative in a
(08:02):
way, like the the thing thingwith the stairs, evan and I,
evan Sikoranza and I, you knowkind of 50, 50 with Rob and Lee,
or popping in with one or twohere and there, and then so, and
then you know just a differentlineup and and, uh, yeah, I
(08:22):
wanted it to be different and itjust naturally was.
It was different people and Ihad a little more confidence, I
think.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Right, and what was your initial approach to
songwriting with the Hills?
Like, did your process changemuch from how you were writing
songs prior to that, or did itmorph a little bit?
Or did you want to approach itin a different way, like your
process of putting songstogether?
Was there a lot of shiftingthat went on in between that
(08:52):
transition?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
I don't think so, because I remember there was one
batch of demos that could havebeen stair songs but then ended
up as hill song.
So, okay, as far as like how Iwrote, I think that stayed
pretty similar.
But as soon as we startedrehearsing, I thought, oh, let
me, you know, I'm thinking like,oh, there's trumpet and cello,
now let me, maybe we write.
Uh, thinking of that in in mind, but, um, you know, I can't
(09:19):
remember if I made this up afterthe fact or if it was real, but
you, the original lineup of theband was every instrument on
strawberry fields forever, whichis one of my favorite songs of
all time, but you got the cello,the trumpet, the synthesizer,
the.
You know, I think that was ahook I made up after the fact.
Though, who are the nice peoplewe know in Boston who played
(09:42):
instruments, who would be coolto be in a band with?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Amazing.
And was that, too, like theidea that you wanted a variety
of instrumentation involved,like it wasn't going to be just,
you know, your standard guitar,bass, drum, vocal.
Like you wanted more stuff inthere.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah, I thought that would.
That would be A be aninteresting thing to try and B
would instantly set it apart forbetter or worse.
And you know there were.
Sometimes I wonder you know,what would it have been like if
I had done a power tree orsomething.
But you know, who knows?
(10:18):
I'm glad we did it this way.
I'm glad we did it this way.
But a funny thing is that youknow we'll get to it in a bit,
but On Deck features almost allof the stairs as guests and all
of the primary singers in thestairs sing their own song on
(10:39):
deck.
So in a beautiful way it waskind of full circle and working
with all those old friends againand it was a very nice thing.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
That's cool.
So I imagine that yourcollaboration I mean always was
a part of how you wanted to goabout creating songs and making
records.
Is that having people come inand the participation kind of
this open idea where you wouldwant lots of different thoughts
and ideas in.
Um, I guess I'm trying to getat, is, when you brought a song
(11:10):
in, did you have an idea of whatyou wanted the sound to be or
were you very here's what I have.
What do you guys think trystuff out like?
How was your approach when youwere bringing these songs to
your collaborators?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Oh, it's always the latter, it's.
It's always I'm more interestedin what they are going to think
and think to bring to it,because it's always surprising
to me and it's it's like the,the arranging that we all do
together is like another layerof writing.
I think of it and it's.
Songs, I think are going to beslow, end up real fast and fast.
(11:48):
Songs end up slow or sparser,or dancer, um, that's, that's
one of my favorite parts isbringing in new songs to see
what the rest of the band willdo with it, because, um, so much
happens right then and you, um,and there are times when it's a
slog and it's like, yeah, we'retrying this, we're trying that,
but there's when it's workingfor everybody and everyone
(12:10):
really latches onto the songright away.
Those like 30 minutes, initial30 minutes, are magic well,
that's cool we're like oh my god, I like that.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Oh, that's good, do that a bit like, pull that out a
bit more.
Oh yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
But you know, I yeah, I try to be very open-minded
and democratic.
I'm the opposite of brianwilson, you know I was.
I always admire that, but Ijust I, a, I couldn't do it, and
b, um, b, it's more interestingthe other way, but then again,
(12:50):
yeah, but then again, um well,we'll get into it later, but
that, that changed a little biton deck, I guess right, right,
um, and like, how do you knowwhen a song is there, like when
it's ready to come into the, tothe shared space and for you to
show it or let others listen toit and have their input?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
What's the feeling you have, or that you get, that
this is something that I willpush forward, rather than, you
know, tossing it aside andsaying I'll just shelve that for
a later date?
What's the feel that you getfrom your songs when you know
you're onto something?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I think it's when I when I want to listen to the
demo over and over that's agreat sign and when I feel good
about it.
If I feel, well, I used towonder if I feel embarrassed
about this song, that means it'sbad.
But then I threw that idea out.
I was like that's probablywrong.
You know, that might be thebetter songs, because I'm you
(13:48):
know, I feel like I'm exposingsomething or risking something.
So it's just a.
It's just a song by song basisand I can tell if the band likes
it pretty quickly.
They're so polite and they willtry things for a while, but I
(14:10):
know you everyone I think cantell pretty quickly whether it's
going to work or not.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Like it comes together pretty quickly like the
idea is.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
There's a plethora of ideas.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah yeah, great, that's wicked.
So do you ever get into a statewhere you're like I don't know
what to write anymore?
Like I just think about themass amounts that you've written
and your book?
Throw that in there too?
You know Astral Weeks, A SecretHistory of 1968.
(14:40):
I mean, you're prolific in yourwriting of songs and of literary
Like what happens when you kindof hit that wall of like I'm
done, I'm empty, I got nothing,like do you ever get to that
state where it's like a strugglefor you to to sit down and and
try to write a song?
And if that's the case, what doyou do to kind of contour that,
(15:02):
to deal with it?
Speaker 4 (15:05):
there are times when, uh, I was told, like you have
to make room for inspiration andand so, like I try to sit down
even if I don't feel like it.
But you know, sometimes there'sstuff where nothing comes or
nothing interesting comes, but Inever think of that as a
failure.
I don't know, I've never.
You know, one of my heroes isbob pollard, so I was raised up
(15:28):
believing that I think.
What does he say?
Writers block those for pussiesor something.
I would put her a little nicer,but, uh, I don't know that I'm.
I've come to learn that maybeone of my big assets in life is
that I'm endlessly curious and Ireally want to know how people
(15:50):
work and how institutions workand how things work and cultures
and scenes, and so if you keepyour curiosity cooking, I do
think there's no bottom of thewell of what you can write about
.
So, and then, with this projectespecially, you know, setting
out to write 52 songs, I thoughtif I brought one in a week I
(16:12):
couldn't lose.
You know, that would keep me onpace.
And then, once I told myselfand the world that we were doing
this, suddenly the flood goatsjust opened more than usual, and
at the end.
I almost couldn't stop it.
I was right.
You know we cut songs.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, because it was like you put out.
I'm you in 2019, yes, and we'rehere, 2025.
Now, like, how long has dexbeen kind of in the works?
How long have you been, um, youknow, dabbling around in it to
it coming out in june?
Speaker 4 (16:48):
well, the weird thing is I, I think I've had this
idea for 20 years, I think,during the stairs, I would, you
know, probably after a few beers, and it should be like a dead
car.
You know, I had the big ideaand every couple of years I
would blather about it.
But you know, after COVID theytalked about something called
revenge spending.
(17:08):
Did you hear that term?
Revenge spending, where peoplewere like going on vacations
because they lost all this time.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Okay, right.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Okay, and I feel like Dec is our expression of
revenge, creativity, where it'slike we did Because I'm you, was
so well received and the tourwas just starting in March of
2020.
And all these good things werehappening and we were sidelined,
and I was sad, but so was theworld, and so, you know, we were
all sidelined but, um,something about, uh, yeah it.
(17:40):
Just when we came out of it, Isaid, well, why don't I put my
money where my mouth is, andthat idea I've been talking
about for 20 years, let'sactually do do it.
And I thought maybe the bandwould say, yeah, maybe not.
And they were like, yes, sothen I had no more excuses and
then we were off to the races.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
So that's how it went , the concept album.
I love the idea that it's adeck of cards and each of the
records represents one of theicons of a deck of cards clubs,
diamonds, spades, etc.
Um are, are the?
Are the records um themed like,yeah, is it a theme for?
(18:19):
And can you expand on that abit like what's the difference
between the four records?
That well, the four songs.
Uh, not four songs, but fourthemes.
I guess that embody the 52songs.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Well, there's the four suits of the deck of cards,
yep, and they each have theirown sort of signature sound and
themes on those records.
But also we built it so that itcould also be shuffled, because
we want people to pull random13 songs, make that playlist and
that's kind of theirs.
(18:51):
Statistically speaking, you'rethe only person to ever pull
that order ever.
So we thought that was prettyappealing.
But you know, diamonds is sortof like you know what we thought
was like the most polishedfollow-up to I'm you like the
real well, diamonds I mean, I'mright, it's going to get pretty
thought was like the mostpolished follow-up to I'm you
like the real vault diamonds Imean, I'm, it's gonna get pretty
(19:12):
cheesy here in a second seewhat I'm doing and and so that
was sort of like the marqueesongs we felt we had.
That would have been just thefollow-up to I'm you if we just
did that.
But then clubs became this kindof thing where it was like the
faster, punkier, anthemicbangers and the kind of songs we
(19:35):
would play in clubs.
Tell me when you've got it.
And then we actually the studiowas a club that we recorded
basics for that, a club, uh,that we recorded basics for that
(19:57):
.
And then hearts um is this issparser, um, and you know more
emotional, bare, uh, heart onthe sleeve kind of thing, and
some of those are really sparse.
You know, um, it's heartswouldn't exist if we were just
making one record.
You know, that's what wasinteresting to me about, about
this process.
it forced us to make thesethings we never would have made
right and then having thosethemes in your head, like
(20:19):
sticking true to the the soupexactly, yeah, so we, you know
we're writing, we're on thatmight be end up in spades, and
you know.
And then spades, the final oneis sort of you know, spades is a
shovel and so we're digging anduh, it's kind of experiments
and the weirder ones and alsosort of like tying up a lot of
(20:43):
loose ends that we've introducedthrough the other ones into,
hopefully, some kind ofsatisfying conclusion
Interesting, and you threw acouple of jokers in there as
well.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
There were two jokers , yes, and I imagine those are
singles.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I mean it's an.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
EP of two songs.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
We'll find out sooner enough.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
actually we will.
Yeah, we'll all find out soonerenough.
Amazing amazing.
Actually we will.
Yeah, we'll all find out sooneror not.
Amazing, amazing.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
And what is your?
What is your feel now?
Kind of looking back over these52 songs, like I'm sure you've
just been inundated withlistening to them over and over,
and the minutiae that happenswhen you're putting a record out
, putting a record out, how doyou kind of like, if you kind of
pull back a little bit, how doyou feel about this creative
(21:36):
process that you've gone throughand this new record that you're
about to share with the world?
Speaker 4 (21:40):
oh, I, um I feel a lot of big emotions and complex,
uh, but just really kind ofgrateful and psyched.
I mean psyched that we did it,grateful that just all these
incredible people are in my life, that we all work together to
make this thing.
Um, you know, diamonds was thefirst one finished.
(22:01):
I've never sat on a record thislong.
That was finished a coupleyears ago.
This whole process was abouttwo and a half years ago.
I've never sat on a finishedrecord and not released it for
this long.
So that's a wild feeling.
By the time I'm improvingMasters for Spades, diamond
sounded like old news to me, butno one's even heard it at all.
So that was a strange feeling.
(22:22):
It'll come to me Well, so thatwas a strange feeling.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I mean it.
Just just the idea too, thathaving these records ready to go
and like wanting to I imagineyou want to like when you put
all that effort and energy inthe journey and like you want it
out there in the ether so thatpeople you know react to it and
listen to it.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
You know it's hard to .
It's hard to get anyone toblink an eye at you about
anything you make in the currentculture, and so you know one
aspect of this was well, peoplewill have to.
I assume people might slow downbecause this is so crazy.
Someone would do this or soaudacious, or whatever you want
(23:03):
to say.
It was that.
And then there's also the thingwhere I wanted to uh
approximate or prove, you know,like back in the 70s in the in
the label system, you know, youmake two records that sold
nothing and then the label wouldbe like, well, do you want the
philharmonic string section onyour next record?
Like you would get a biggerbudget, like there was artist
(23:24):
development and there was moneyto make these big, ambitious
things.
And my question was this iscould I approximate that
ambition and that grandness justby, you know, with the small
little cult band we are, butjust giving it this obsessive
attention and the hardcore fanshelping us pay for it all with
(23:46):
the patreon?
And just I was just trying tofigure out, could it be done?
And um, and I think we did it,you know it's, it's here.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
I see it on bandcamp, that's for sure.
I mean it it's.
I love the design of it too,like do you do most of your
album work?
Uh, ryan, is that I do?
Really love the design of ittoo.
Do you do most of your albumwork, ryan?
Is that I do?
I really love the aesthetic ofyour record.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
I love design and collage.
The last one, 2019's I'm you,is a very old painting, so that
one, no, but the other one's yes.
And not only did I do the coverart, you know, I designed 52
cards, because each song has acard that you know ties to the
(24:33):
actual song.
I'm going to share somethingwith you.
Wow, that's so cool.
I love it.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
So you know 52 covers of your own making.
They all seem different too,like similar aesthetic Little
collages.
All seem different too.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Like similar aesthetic, or drawings or
artwork.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Amazing.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
And so you'll one of the formats.
You can buy an actual deck ofcards.
That are those cards.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Amazing, Cool, and I know that you collaborated a lot
and one of the collaborations,Cassie Berman, was popped out at
me and great song fake flowersat sunset.
Great song Fake Flowers atSunset.
How did that collaborationbegin between you and Cassie?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
if you don't mind me asking Sure Well, founding
co-founding member, joe Merritt,bass player.
Briefly, other instruments, butmostly bass.
His sister is Cassie, okay, butmostly bass.
Uh, his sister is cassie okay.
And when joe and I first met Ididn't know that and I had
weirdly already started thiskind of pen pal friendship with
(25:32):
david berman, and so when thatwe all learned that everyone
went what?
Oh, wow, wow, anyways.
Uh, you know, they're uh,cassie's just the best.
And you know we toured with theSilver Jews back in the 00s and
on our second album, colonialDrones, she sang a duet with me.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
It's called Classic Tapes and so so this is the
first collaboration that you'vedone.
You've worked together beforeshe sang on.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, she sang on one other song of ours a long time
ago.
But she sang on.
Yeah, she sang on one othersong of ours a long time ago.
Um, but she sings on two hereon diamonds both of them are in
diamonds and um, yeah, I justlove her voice yeah, what a.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
What a chance connection too, like, wow, like,
plus with the stairs, I don'tyou know for listeners out there
.
Um, ryan and the stairs put outthe unnatural bridge, which was
the cover of natural bridgefrom start to finish, which is
such a great I mean, I don'tknow how many times I've
listened to that record, butreally oh god, I love it like
(26:36):
wow.
I mean that was one of myfavorite silver jews.
Record that their second realfull record, studio record.
Just I think I burnt that cd outjust from overplaying, and then
yours opened up all these newdoors which I just so good you
know, in hindsight I think Iprobably made it to impress
(27:00):
david, where he would be friendswith me, and it worked.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
What a great idea, though, I handed it to him at a
poetry reading in AmherstMassachusetts and he signed my
copy of actual air Jesus Christ.
I can't believe it, cause hewas.
He was astounded, anyone?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
would do this.
You know, right, right, I mean,what an endeavor.
And that was kind of your lastwith the stairs, your last full
release that you guys put out,or were there others that came
out after that that?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
was definitely before .
Yeah, the final thing is onsleep lab, which is the kind of
the second full-length albumthat came out no five amazing.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Well so, ryan, as we kind of wrap up here again,
thanks so much for this.
Um, I've so enjoyed talkingwith you Um, great stories,
great storyteller, um which I'veheard that you are, and
obviously, if you're writing soprolifically, you're great at
storytelling.
What, what can we look forwardto in 2025?
So the record comes out in Juneand are you, do you hit the
(28:06):
road after the record hits, hitsthe ground, or what?
What can we look forward to in2025 from Hallelujah the Hills?
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Well, yeah, as much live shows as we can, as we can
do, I mean, the week after itcomes out.
We're in Providence, rhodeIsland and, of course, boston
mass for the hometown releaseshow, and then we'll do New York
, ph Island, and, of course,boston Mass for the hometown
release show, and then we'll doNew York, philly, baltimore in
July, and we'll just kind ofkeep getting out when we can to
cities nearby that are drivable.
(28:35):
We'd love to go wider, butwe'll see.
Some of it depends on all thesevariables you can't predict at
this point.
But in November it depends onall these variables you can't
predict at this point, but innovember it'll be 20 years of
this band and so, uh, which isastounding, and um, we'll
probably we'll play, we'llcertainly play a show to
commemorate that and uh, youknow, just hopefully I've I'd
(28:59):
love to make a bunch of videosfor all these songs and um, and,
and talk to people about it andhave fun with it.
You know, it's me, it's, it'smeant to be a thing you play
with or get messy with, and andI tried, we tried to make
something that's just like notdisposable or not.
(29:21):
You know, this world is crazy.
You work on something for twoyears.
It gets attention for 48 hoursa week and then just everyone's
on the next thing and that islikely what will happen here.
I get it, but we made it indefiance of that idea being, uh,
the definite outcome.
So, um, you know, I was sohonored and touched about how
(29:44):
people reacted to I'm you andstill do, they say you know the
most touching crazy stuff aboutit and it just means the world
to me and the band and it justgave us all this confidence to
go bigger.
And here we are.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
It's amazing.
I love, love, too, what yousaid about that getting getting
the listener involved in theprocess to an extent because
they can create.
I love that idea of creatingyour own playlist, like yeah,
wow, you know, well, you know, Ilove that everyone, all
musicians, complain aboutstreaming, including me, because
there's so much to complainabout.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
A lot of it's garbage .
But I was trying to think whatis the?
What is the benefit, what isthe good thing?
That that I could not complainabout, and it is the easy,
endless playlist capabilities.
So the fact you know leverage,leveraging that to say, you know
, make every day you could makea different version of deck,
pull 13 cards, make thatplaylist, and so you know,
(30:49):
trying to turn these negativesinto working to your advantage
just a little bit.
Yeah, absolutely One thing westrive for.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I love it.
I love it.
Well, I wish you all the best.
With deck, I mean so far, withthe four songs that are out that
we're able to listen to.
It's just.
I can't wait.
The three that you have thatare on, let me get it right, I
don't on Diamonds, wow, yes,like those three singles are so
good and I like the banger tooon Diamonds.
(31:19):
On Clubs I mean what a bangingsong that is.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
It's so fun Now now, chris, do you know who else is
on clubs?
I gotta bring it back to yepjanitor.
Here jeremy gadet from kiwijunior sings lead on a song
called I'm your palindrome onclubs cool.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Well, I love kiwi junior, they're great.
Yes, so good, awesome.
Well, I I hope that you comefind your way back up here north
.
I mean, we're just a spitacross the border from you, ish,
and we'll let you go back tothe states too.
(32:01):
We won't try to like send youto a gulag or anything.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I just got to know we're joking, truly too.
So we don't cry because it is.
It's just unbelievableSometimes.
It's going on right now.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Disgusting, but your music is a great cure and remedy
for all this chaos because itdoes bring such joy.
So thank you for putting this,these, these records out, your
music, out your books, yourfilms just such a creative
person.
I just I'm in awe of you really, Ryan, and I appreciate so much
(32:36):
you taking time and sharingsome of your stories and your
journey with us today.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Chris, truly Thanks a million.
That was very, very kind, thankyou.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Real pleasure, thank you guitar solo.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I love you like a human being does.
I love you beyond repair.
I love you inside out andfalling.
So, daughters, please beware.
I wonder where all of the timegoes Looking.
It's not there.
(34:14):
We waste our time keeping trackof time.
We know that time don't care.
We know that time don't care.
Fake flowers at sunset causeearthquakes, don't apologize.
Rivers never tell.
(34:36):
The lies, wind, it never stopsand cries.
But I do, thank you.
(35:55):
I'm going to go get some food.
Four, three, two, one, allright, all right, all right.
Take flowers at sunset becauseearthquakes don't apologize and
rivers never tell the lies, thewind.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
It never stops and cries, but I do ¶¶.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
So I love you like a human being does.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
I love you beyond repair.
I love you inside out and faraway.
So, goddess, please beware, sogoddess, please beware, so,
goddess, please beware.
So Dallas, please beware, soDallas, please beware, so Dallas
(37:19):
, please beware.
I'm alone.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm in love.
I can barely keep up.
I thought I overdid it, but Iguess I didn't do it enough
(00:31):
welcome back everyone to anotherepisode of viewer podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
what a treat, people.
What a treat.
I am reaching down to denim,massachusetts, denim, from and
I'm coming in from Dunham,quebec, from Dunham to Denham
Bingo, I mean you can't get muchbetter than that, Ryan.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I'm about 500 yards from Denham.
I'm technically in Boston, butDenham is.
I can see it.
I can see it.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Then we're counting it because it matches up too
nicely.
That's where I grew up.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Did you grow up in Dunham?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yes, I did, matches up too nice.
That's where I grew up.
Did you grow up in dunham?
Yes, I did, I sure did.
I mean I've moved since, but um, yeah, totally.
It's a sleepy little beautifulcountry town.
Um, love it.
I love country life, but I lovethe city as well.
Um, so I like to go back andforth from city to country, city
to country, never too long atany one, because then, well, it
(01:34):
just gets dull.
So Ryan Walsh, fromMassachusetts, is coming in
Hallelujah to Hills, previous ofthe stairs singer-songwriter,
author, filmmaker, just acreative individual who's going
to come and shed some of thatcreativity all over us as we
wrap up this week of some wouldsay drudgery.
(01:54):
Others would say let's just nottalk about it and onward we
move.
So, ryan, thanks so much forhopping on here and joining me
today.
Thanks for having having me,chris.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Oh, it's been such a pleasure.
I've been listening to yourmusic for a long time, starting
with the Stairs, and some ofyour solo stuff too, Like some
of those singles that you'd putout solo-wise are just great.
And now Howlouya the Hills hasbeen around for a long time.
Your catalog is tremendous andwe're going to get into this new
(02:27):
record that's coming out inJune called Deck.
But before we start that, Ryan,I'd love to poke your brain a
little bit about what were someof your tipping points in your
career.
Where things change suddenly.
Where things change suddenly,you know, when we have these
(02:48):
chance encounters or you know,something happens.
It kind of changes ourdirection a little bit.
Can you share any of those withus about your music and like
where it kind of like started tobe like hey, this is something
I might like to do.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Hmm.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
It's interesting.
In hindsight you can always putthose moments, you can identify
those moments, but in realityit's just like endless long
periods of drudgery where yousuck and suck, and suck and then
you suck a little less and thenyou're getting a little less
sucky than that, but I mean some.
Um, you know, one thing thatI've been thinking about a lot
(03:28):
is, you know, when we startedthe hills it's what we now think
of as like the blog explosionwhere there was so much writing
about music and some of theseblogs were being weighted as
heavily as like rolling stone orpitch.
You know, you've got somewrite-ups on these music blogs,
(03:49):
as we did, and it led to likefour label offers, and so I was
thinking about how unique thatperiod was and interesting, and
so that was definitely a turningpoint, because to start a new
band and instantly have a littlebit of a leg up and people
(04:09):
interested was super excitingfor us.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, what was that leg up like?
What was that interest comingin?
What did they offer?
That was like holy shit.
Money Like money and studiotime, I imagine, and time for
you to record.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Yeah, money and studio time, I imagine, and like
well, I mean for you to record,and yeah, I mean it's always
been about money for uhproduction costs or travel costs
.
Really, I mean, you know, um,it's so difficult to uh turn any
creative endeavor into yourliving.
One thing I think that has ledto the longevity of this band is
we said let's not worry aboutthat and we'll take it seriously
(04:48):
, we'll work very hard on it,but, um, let's, let's put most
of what we earn into making morecool stuff.
So that's kind of always beenour policy and so, you know, I
remember getting that um checkfrom miz records and turning
around and buying a tour band,because I think Corey Brown
literally said what do you need?
To be more of a real band?
(05:09):
And I said a tour band.
And so that was a good moment.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
That's cool.
And what was it that sparkedthat initial connection with the
label?
Because it's hard to get, Imean, I imagine nowadays even
more so, but I mean, even backthen it was, it wasn't not every
band was getting offered alabel, um contract, like how did
how did that come to be, thatthat connection, that
(05:36):
collaboration you had?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
I don't, you know it's.
It's kind of a mystery to me.
You start putting stuff out andyou call yourself a name and
then you get some write-ups andif enough of that happens, it's
either people reacting purely tothe music, which I think is
pretty rare, or it's acombination of reacting to the
(05:59):
music and perceiving there'ssome kind of excitement around
your band or your songs orwhatever.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
So in that moment, um , I don't know, people uh were
interested and and it's a betterquestion for the people who
offered us a record I think Iguess you can't read their minds
but your sense of it, like sothe stairs kind of ended and
(06:28):
then did the hill start up rightaway, or is there a transition
period where you were puttingout your own stuff, I think
under your name, or was it rightinto?
Speaker 4 (06:36):
the hills, it was pretty right into the hills.
I remember we played the laststair show in New York in like
July, played the last air showin new york in like july, and on
the drive home me and thedrummer, who were the ones
staying, said how can we, let's,let's figure this out.
Uh, what's the next band?
And by august we wererehearsing.
So you know, the the releasesunder my name or other names
(06:58):
were scattered in there andweren't related to that small
gap.
But, um, you know, the stairstoiled in complete obscurity
until like the last six monthsand then people took notice of
us and that was fun and and thatgot eric and I thinking like
let's try to build on thismomentum and and just reform
with a different name as soon aswe can.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
So absolutely and did you?
Did you guys want to have adifferent personality than the
stairs?
I mean, I imagine when you'restarting up something new, you
want it to feel new.
Yeah Well, what in yoursongwriting did things change in
your mindset of how you weregoing to approach a hallelujah
the Hills?
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I think so I mean, I think I'm always changing is
like most humans are, especiallyif you're interested in in
changing or like growing and um,but also it was you know it was
suddenly going to be.
I was the primary songwriter,which I had never had that
position.
So, um, I I just felt I hadcontrol of the narrative in a
(08:02):
way, like the the thing thingwith the stairs, evan and I,
evan Sikoranza and I, you knowkind of 50, 50 with Rob and Lee,
or popping in with one or twohere and there, and then so, and
then you know just a differentlineup and and, uh, yeah, I
(08:22):
wanted it to be different and itjust naturally was.
It was different people and Ihad a little more confidence, I
think.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Right, and what was your initial approach to
songwriting with the Hills?
Like, did your process changemuch from how you were writing
songs prior to that, or did itmorph a little bit?
Or did you want to approach itin a different way, like your
process of putting songstogether?
Was there a lot of shiftingthat went on in between that
(08:52):
transition?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
I don't think so, because I remember there was one
batch of demos that could havebeen stair songs but then ended
up as hill song.
So, okay, as far as like how Iwrote, I think that stayed
pretty similar.
But as soon as we startedrehearsing, I thought, oh, let
me, you know, I'm thinking like,oh, there's trumpet and cello,
now let me, maybe we write.
Uh, thinking of that in in mind, but, um, you know, I can't
(09:19):
remember if I made this up afterthe fact or if it was real, but
you, the original lineup of theband was every instrument on
strawberry fields forever, whichis one of my favorite songs of
all time, but you got the cello,the trumpet, the synthesizer,
the.
You know, I think that was ahook I made up after the fact.
Though, who are the nice peoplewe know in Boston who played
(09:42):
instruments, who would be coolto be in a band with?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Amazing.
And was that, too, like theidea that you wanted a variety
of instrumentation involved,like it wasn't going to be just,
you know, your standard guitar,bass, drum, vocal.
Like you wanted more stuff inthere.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah, I thought that would.
That would be A be aninteresting thing to try and B
would instantly set it apart forbetter or worse.
And you know there were.
Sometimes I wonder you know,what would it have been like if
I had done a power tree orsomething.
But you know, who knows?
(10:18):
I'm glad we did it this way.
I'm glad we did it this way.
But a funny thing is that youknow we'll get to it in a bit,
but On Deck features almost allof the stairs as guests and all
of the primary singers in thestairs sing their own song on
(10:39):
deck.
So in a beautiful way it waskind of full circle and working
with all those old friends againand it was a very nice thing.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
That's cool.
So I imagine that yourcollaboration I mean always was
a part of how you wanted to goabout creating songs and making
records.
Is that having people come inand the participation kind of
this open idea where you wouldwant lots of different thoughts
and ideas in.
Um, I guess I'm trying to getat, is, when you brought a song
(11:10):
in, did you have an idea of whatyou wanted the sound to be or
were you very here's what I have.
What do you guys think trystuff out like?
How was your approach when youwere bringing these songs to
your collaborators?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Oh, it's always the latter, it's.
It's always I'm more interestedin what they are going to think
and think to bring to it,because it's always surprising
to me and it's it's like the,the arranging that we all do
together is like another layerof writing.
I think of it and it's.
Songs, I think are going to beslow, end up real fast and fast.
(11:48):
Songs end up slow or sparser,or dancer, um, that's, that's
one of my favorite parts isbringing in new songs to see
what the rest of the band willdo with it, because, um, so much
happens right then and you, um,and there are times when it's a
slog and it's like, yeah, we'retrying this, we're trying that,
but there's when it's workingfor everybody and everyone
(12:10):
really latches onto the songright away.
Those like 30 minutes, initial30 minutes, are magic well,
that's cool we're like oh my god, I like that.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Oh, that's good, do that a bit like, pull that out a
bit more.
Oh yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
But you know, I yeah, I try to be very open-minded
and democratic.
I'm the opposite of brianwilson, you know I was.
I always admire that, but Ijust I, a, I couldn't do it, and
b, um, b, it's more interestingthe other way, but then again,
(12:50):
yeah, but then again, um well,we'll get into it later, but
that, that changed a little biton deck, I guess right, right,
um, and like, how do you knowwhen a song is there, like when
it's ready to come into the, tothe shared space and for you to
show it or let others listen toit and have their input?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
What's the feeling you have, or that you get, that
this is something that I willpush forward, rather than, you
know, tossing it aside andsaying I'll just shelve that for
a later date?
What's the feel that you getfrom your songs when you know
you're onto something?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
I think it's when I when I want to listen to the
demo over and over that's agreat sign and when I feel good
about it.
If I feel, well, I used towonder if I feel embarrassed
about this song, that means it'sbad.
But then I threw that idea out.
I was like that's probablywrong.
You know, that might be thebetter songs, because I'm you
(13:48):
know, I feel like I'm exposingsomething or risking something.
So it's just a.
It's just a song by song basisand I can tell if the band likes
it pretty quickly.
They're so polite and they willtry things for a while, but I
(14:10):
know you everyone I think cantell pretty quickly whether it's
going to work or not.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Like it comes together pretty quickly like the
idea is.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
There's a plethora of ideas.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah yeah, great, that's wicked.
So do you ever get into a statewhere you're like I don't know
what to write anymore?
Like I just think about themass amounts that you've written
and your book?
Throw that in there too?
You know Astral Weeks, A SecretHistory of 1968.
(14:40):
I mean, you're prolific in yourwriting of songs and of literary
Like what happens when you kindof hit that wall of like I'm
done, I'm empty, I got nothing,like do you ever get to that
state where it's like a strugglefor you to to sit down and and
try to write a song?
And if that's the case, what doyou do to kind of contour that,
(15:02):
to deal with it?
Speaker 4 (15:05):
there are times when, uh, I was told, like you have
to make room for inspiration andand so, like I try to sit down
even if I don't feel like it.
But you know, sometimes there'sstuff where nothing comes or
nothing interesting comes, but Inever think of that as a
failure.
I don't know, I've never.
You know, one of my heroes isbob pollard, so I was raised up
(15:28):
believing that I think.
What does he say?
Writers block those for pussiesor something.
I would put her a little nicer,but, uh, I don't know that I'm.
I've come to learn that maybeone of my big assets in life is
that I'm endlessly curious and Ireally want to know how people
(15:50):
work and how institutions workand how things work and cultures
and scenes, and so if you keepyour curiosity cooking, I do
think there's no bottom of thewell of what you can write about
.
So, and then, with this projectespecially, you know, setting
out to write 52 songs, I thoughtif I brought one in a week I
(16:12):
couldn't lose.
You know, that would keep me onpace.
And then, once I told myselfand the world that we were doing
this, suddenly the flood goatsjust opened more than usual, and
at the end.
I almost couldn't stop it.
I was right.
You know we cut songs.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, because it was like you put out.
I'm you in 2019, yes, and we'rehere, 2025.
Now, like, how long has dexbeen kind of in the works?
How long have you been, um, youknow, dabbling around in it to
it coming out in june?
Speaker 4 (16:48):
well, the weird thing is I, I think I've had this
idea for 20 years, I think,during the stairs, I would, you
know, probably after a few beers, and it should be like a dead
car.
You know, I had the big ideaand every couple of years I
would blather about it.
But you know, after COVID theytalked about something called
revenge spending.
(17:08):
Did you hear that term?
Revenge spending, where peoplewere like going on vacations
because they lost all this time.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Okay, right.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Okay, and I feel like Dec is our expression of
revenge, creativity, where it'slike we did Because I'm you, was
so well received and the tourwas just starting in March of
2020.
And all these good things werehappening and we were sidelined,
and I was sad, but so was theworld, and so, you know, we were
all sidelined but, um,something about, uh, yeah it.
(17:40):
Just when we came out of it, Isaid, well, why don't I put my
money where my mouth is, andthat idea I've been talking
about for 20 years, let'sactually do do it.
And I thought maybe the bandwould say, yeah, maybe not.
And they were like, yes, sothen I had no more excuses and
then we were off to the races.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
So that's how it went , the concept album.
I love the idea that it's adeck of cards and each of the
records represents one of theicons of a deck of cards clubs,
diamonds, spades, etc.
Um are, are the?
Are the records um themed like,yeah, is it a theme for?
(18:19):
And can you expand on that abit like what's the difference
between the four records?
That well, the four songs.
Uh, not four songs, but fourthemes.
I guess that embody the 52songs.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Well, there's the four suits of the deck of cards,
yep, and they each have theirown sort of signature sound and
themes on those records.
But also we built it so that itcould also be shuffled, because
we want people to pull random13 songs, make that playlist and
that's kind of theirs.
(18:51):
Statistically speaking, you'rethe only person to ever pull
that order ever.
So we thought that was prettyappealing.
But you know, diamonds is sortof like you know what we thought
was like the most polishedfollow-up to I'm you like the
real well, diamonds I mean, I'mright, it's going to get pretty
thought was like the mostpolished follow-up to I'm you
like the real vault diamonds Imean, I'm, it's gonna get pretty
(19:12):
cheesy here in a second seewhat I'm doing and and so that
was sort of like the marqueesongs we felt we had.
That would have been just thefollow-up to I'm you if we just
did that.
But then clubs became this kindof thing where it was like the
faster, punkier, anthemicbangers and the kind of songs we
(19:35):
would play in clubs.
Tell me when you've got it.
And then we actually the studiowas a club that we recorded
basics for that, a club, uh,that we recorded basics for that
(19:57):
.
And then hearts um is this issparser, um, and you know more
emotional, bare, uh, heart onthe sleeve kind of thing, and
some of those are really sparse.
You know, um, it's heartswouldn't exist if we were just
making one record.
You know, that's what wasinteresting to me about, about
this process.
it forced us to make thesethings we never would have made
right and then having thosethemes in your head, like
(20:19):
sticking true to the the soupexactly, yeah, so we, you know
we're writing, we're on thatmight be end up in spades, and
you know.
And then spades, the final oneis sort of you know, spades is a
shovel and so we're digging anduh, it's kind of experiments
and the weirder ones and alsosort of like tying up a lot of
(20:43):
loose ends that we've introducedthrough the other ones into,
hopefully, some kind ofsatisfying conclusion
Interesting, and you threw acouple of jokers in there as
well.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
There were two jokers , yes, and I imagine those are
singles.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I mean it's an.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
EP of two songs.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
We'll find out sooner enough.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
actually we will.
Yeah, we'll all find out soonerenough.
Amazing amazing.
Actually we will.
Yeah, we'll all find out sooneror not.
Amazing, amazing.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
And what is your?
What is your feel now?
Kind of looking back over these52 songs, like I'm sure you've
just been inundated withlistening to them over and over,
and the minutiae that happenswhen you're putting a record out
, putting a record out, how doyou kind of like, if you kind of
pull back a little bit, how doyou feel about this creative
(21:36):
process that you've gone throughand this new record that you're
about to share with the world?
Speaker 4 (21:40):
oh, I, um I feel a lot of big emotions and complex,
uh, but just really kind ofgrateful and psyched.
I mean psyched that we did it,grateful that just all these
incredible people are in my life, that we all work together to
make this thing.
Um, you know, diamonds was thefirst one finished.
(22:01):
I've never sat on a record thislong.
That was finished a coupleyears ago.
This whole process was abouttwo and a half years ago.
I've never sat on a finishedrecord and not released it for
this long.
So that's a wild feeling.
By the time I'm improvingMasters for Spades, diamond
sounded like old news to me, butno one's even heard it at all.
So that was a strange feeling.
(22:22):
It'll come to me Well, so thatwas a strange feeling.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, I mean it.
Just just the idea too, thathaving these records ready to go
and like wanting to I imagineyou want to like when you put
all that effort and energy inthe journey and like you want it
out there in the ether so thatpeople you know react to it and
listen to it.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
You know it's hard to .
It's hard to get anyone toblink an eye at you about
anything you make in the currentculture, and so you know one
aspect of this was well, peoplewill have to.
I assume people might slow downbecause this is so crazy.
Someone would do this or soaudacious, or whatever you want
(23:03):
to say.
It was that.
And then there's also the thingwhere I wanted to uh
approximate or prove, you know,like back in the 70s in the in
the label system, you know, youmake two records that sold
nothing and then the label wouldbe like, well, do you want the
philharmonic string section onyour next record?
Like you would get a biggerbudget, like there was artist
(23:24):
development and there was moneyto make these big, ambitious
things.
And my question was this iscould I approximate that
ambition and that grandness justby, you know, with the small
little cult band we are, butjust giving it this obsessive
attention and the hardcore fanshelping us pay for it all with
(23:46):
the patreon?
And just I was just trying tofigure out, could it be done?
And um, and I think we did it,you know it's, it's here.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
I see it on bandcamp, that's for sure.
I mean it it's.
I love the design of it too,like do you do most of your
album work?
Uh, ryan, is that I do?
Really love the design of ittoo.
Do you do most of your albumwork, ryan?
Is that I do?
I really love the aesthetic ofyour record.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
I love design and collage.
The last one, 2019's I'm you,is a very old painting, so that
one, no, but the other one's yes.
And not only did I do the coverart, you know, I designed 52
cards, because each song has acard that you know ties to the
(24:33):
actual song.
I'm going to share somethingwith you.
Wow, that's so cool.
I love it.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
So you know 52 covers of your own making.
They all seem different too,like similar aesthetic Little
collages.
All seem different too.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Like similar aesthetic, or drawings or
artwork.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Amazing.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
And so you'll one of the formats.
You can buy an actual deck ofcards.
That are those cards.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Amazing, Cool, and I know that you collaborated a lot
and one of the collaborations,Cassie Berman, was popped out at
me and great song fake flowersat sunset.
Great song Fake Flowers atSunset.
How did that collaborationbegin between you and Cassie?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
if you don't mind me asking Sure Well, founding
co-founding member, joe Merritt,bass player.
Briefly, other instruments, butmostly bass.
His sister is Cassie, okay, butmostly bass.
Uh, his sister is cassie okay.
And when joe and I first met Ididn't know that and I had
weirdly already started thiskind of pen pal friendship with
(25:32):
david berman, and so when thatwe all learned that everyone
went what?
Oh, wow, wow, anyways.
Uh, you know, they're uh,cassie's just the best.
And you know we toured with theSilver Jews back in the 00s and
on our second album, colonialDrones, she sang a duet with me.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
It's called Classic Tapes and so so this is the
first collaboration that you'vedone.
You've worked together beforeshe sang on.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, she sang on one other song of ours a long time
ago.
But she sang on.
Yeah, she sang on one othersong of ours a long time ago.
Um, but she sings on two hereon diamonds both of them are in
diamonds and um, yeah, I justlove her voice yeah, what a.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
What a chance connection too, like, wow, like,
plus with the stairs, I don'tyou know for listeners out there
.
Um, ryan and the stairs put outthe unnatural bridge, which was
the cover of natural bridgefrom start to finish, which is
such a great I mean, I don'tknow how many times I've
listened to that record, butreally oh god, I love it like
(26:36):
wow.
I mean that was one of myfavorite silver jews.
Record that their second realfull record, studio record.
Just I think I burnt that cd outjust from overplaying, and then
yours opened up all these newdoors which I just so good you
know, in hindsight I think Iprobably made it to impress
(27:00):
david, where he would be friendswith me, and it worked.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
What a great idea, though, I handed it to him at a
poetry reading in AmherstMassachusetts and he signed my
copy of actual air Jesus Christ.
I can't believe it, cause hewas.
He was astounded, anyone?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
would do this.
You know, right, right, I mean,what an endeavor.
And that was kind of your lastwith the stairs, your last full
release that you guys put out,or were there others that came
out after that that?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
was definitely before .
Yeah, the final thing is onsleep lab, which is the kind of
the second full-length albumthat came out no five amazing.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Well so, ryan, as we kind of wrap up here again,
thanks so much for this.
Um, I've so enjoyed talkingwith you Um, great stories,
great storyteller, um which I'veheard that you are, and
obviously, if you're writing soprolifically, you're great at
storytelling.
What, what can we look forwardto in 2025?
So the record comes out in Juneand are you, do you hit the
(28:06):
road after the record hits, hitsthe ground, or what?
What can we look forward to in2025 from Hallelujah the Hills?
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Well, yeah, as much live shows as we can, as we can
do, I mean, the week after itcomes out.
We're in Providence, rhodeIsland and, of course, boston
mass for the hometown releaseshow, and then we'll do New York
, ph Island, and, of course,boston Mass for the hometown
release show, and then we'll doNew York, philly, baltimore in
July, and we'll just kind ofkeep getting out when we can to
cities nearby that are drivable.
(28:35):
We'd love to go wider, butwe'll see.
Some of it depends on all thesevariables you can't predict at
this point.
But in November it depends onall these variables you can't
predict at this point, but innovember it'll be 20 years of
this band and so, uh, which isastounding, and um, we'll
probably we'll play, we'llcertainly play a show to
commemorate that and uh, youknow, just hopefully I've I'd
(28:59):
love to make a bunch of videosfor all these songs and um, and,
and talk to people about it andhave fun with it.
You know, it's me, it's, it'smeant to be a thing you play
with or get messy with, and andI tried, we tried to make
something that's just like notdisposable or not.
(29:21):
You know, this world is crazy.
You work on something for twoyears.
It gets attention for 48 hoursa week and then just everyone's
on the next thing and that islikely what will happen here.
I get it, but we made it indefiance of that idea being, uh,
the definite outcome.
So, um, you know, I was sohonored and touched about how
(29:44):
people reacted to I'm you andstill do, they say you know the
most touching crazy stuff aboutit and it just means the world
to me and the band and it justgave us all this confidence to
go bigger.
And here we are.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
It's amazing.
I love, love, too, what yousaid about that getting getting
the listener involved in theprocess to an extent because
they can create.
I love that idea of creatingyour own playlist, like yeah,
wow, you know, well, you know, Ilove that everyone, all
musicians, complain aboutstreaming, including me, because
there's so much to complainabout.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
A lot of it's garbage .
But I was trying to think whatis the?
What is the benefit, what isthe good thing?
That that I could not complainabout, and it is the easy,
endless playlist capabilities.
So the fact you know leverage,leveraging that to say, you know
, make every day you could makea different version of deck,
pull 13 cards, make thatplaylist, and so you know,
(30:49):
trying to turn these negativesinto working to your advantage
just a little bit.
Yeah, absolutely One thing westrive for.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I love it.
I love it.
Well, I wish you all the best.
With deck, I mean so far, withthe four songs that are out that
we're able to listen to.
It's just.
I can't wait.
The three that you have thatare on, let me get it right, I
don't on Diamonds, wow, yes,like those three singles are so
good and I like the banger tooon Diamonds.
(31:19):
On Clubs I mean what a bangingsong that is.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
It's so fun Now now, chris, do you know who else is
on clubs?
I gotta bring it back to yepjanitor.
Here jeremy gadet from kiwijunior sings lead on a song
called I'm your palindrome onclubs cool.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Well, I love kiwi junior, they're great.
Yes, so good, awesome.
Well, I I hope that you comefind your way back up here north
.
I mean, we're just a spitacross the border from you, ish,
and we'll let you go back tothe states too.
(32:01):
We won't try to like send youto a gulag or anything.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
I just got to know we're joking, truly too.
So we don't cry because it is.
It's just unbelievableSometimes.
It's going on right now.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Disgusting, but your music is a great cure and remedy
for all this chaos because itdoes bring such joy.
So thank you for putting this,these, these records out, your
music, out your books, yourfilms just such a creative
person.
I just I'm in awe of you really, Ryan, and I appreciate so much
(32:36):
you taking time and sharingsome of your stories and your
journey with us today.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
Chris, truly Thanks a million.
That was very, very kind, thankyou.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Real pleasure, thank you guitar solo.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I love you like a human being does.
I love you beyond repair.
I love you inside out andfalling.
So, daughters, please beware.
I wonder where all of the timegoes Looking.
It's not there.
(34:14):
We waste our time keeping trackof time.
We know that time don't care.
We know that time don't care.
Fake flowers at sunset causeearthquakes, don't apologize.
Rivers never tell.
(34:36):
The lies, wind, it never stopsand cries.
But I do, thank you.
(35:55):
I'm going to go get some food.
Four, three, two, one, allright, all right, all right.
Take flowers at sunset becauseearthquakes don't apologize and
rivers never tell the lies, thewind.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
It never stops and cries, but I do ¶¶.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
So I love you like a human being does.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
I love you beyond repair.
I love you inside out and faraway.
So, goddess, please beware, sogoddess, please beware, so,
goddess, please beware.
So Dallas, please beware, soDallas, please beware, so Dallas
(37:19):
, please beware.
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