RockOm

RockOm August 2008 Featured Article

Ken Block is the lead singer for the platinum selling group Sister Hazel. For over 15 years, Ken and Sister Hazel have been at the front edge of making music that matters and performing powerful, live shows that take you higher and leave you feeling like you know the band personally. One can sense this is the band’s ultimate goal: to meet every fan, befriend every fan personally, and show them as much fun and passion for life as they can handle. There’s a reason why so few bands are as successful as Sister Hazel and continue to matter, year after year. These guys haven’t forgotten the fact that it’s all about honest music, treating fans to as many different experiences as one can imagine and giving of themselves in ways that other “Rock Stars” wouldn’t dare to. RockOm's Tom Crenshaw had an opportunity to speak with Ken Block in Due West, South Carolina, at Erskine College in April of this year.

RO: You guys are out on the road touring colleges in the southeast.

Ken Block: Colleges have always been a central part of our touring plan throughout the year. We started in a college town, Gainesville, Florida, so we feel really at home at colleges. We learned early on that college is the time in people’s lives when music plugs in and plays such an important role that for the rest of your life you kind of attach yourself to a band and music. We’ve just really been fortunate that we continue to resonate with the college campuses. We make a concerted effort to make sure we plug in several college dates throughout the year. This spring has been really heavy.

RO: Sister Hazel has a new CD out, Before The Amplifiers: Live Acoustic. Tell me a little about that CD.

Ken: One of my favorite things about being in Sister Hazel is that we all love to break it down just as much as we love to crank it up, and we get to do a ton of rock shows a year. But, when we get the opportunity to break it down, we can create a real intimate evening- even in that setting, we can create some high energy moments. It enables us to have different interpretations of songs. Sometimes the groove and the drums and bass are way out front at the bigger rock shows. This time the intricacies of the harmonies and the lyricism really get to shine. The new CD has 16 tracks, and it covers a big chunk of our career. We have a bunch of records. It’s hard to get them all on there.

RO: Your last CD in 2006, Absolutely , was a CD that you took an entirely different approach to recording. What was it like to take a step back and record that CD?

Ken: I wouldn’t say entirely different. You take with you what you learn on the journey. We tried to take the best things of all the sessions throughout the years and really go into the studio to have fun and not tear things apart. Go in and feel it a lot more. We demo-ed over 70 songs for that record. Andrew and I still live down in Gainesville; the guys came down a couple of times, and we’d lock ourselves in this warehouse, right where we made our first recordings about two blocks from our first home- club. We’d be locked in there all day. We’d go in with these songs and hammer them out and have a great time. It was just like back when we got started. The spontaneity and the energy of the songs were really great. There were a few different writing sessions. When we got in studio mode in Dark Horse Studios outside of Nashville, we all stayed there, like a communal living - we cooked out, got up in the mornings, had coffee and just hammered that record out. As close as we are, those opportunities to bond still happen. We had a great time making the record, and I think it shows.

RO: How long did it take to make that record?

Ken: I think we did it in a couple of sessions. It was over the course of a six or eight month period. We did some recording in the fall and then the next spring. We were all really excited with it.

RO: When Sister Hazel started did you have any idea you would end up where you are?

Ken: Well, certainly I don’t think anybody can have a real foresight into what lies ahead but, I can just say that all of us were really passionate about music from the time we were kids. All of us, together, we were very focused on trying to write great songs, trying to write songs that we were proud of...trying to create unique and powerful live shows and as important as all that is- take good care of the people coming to see us. We enjoy that element of it. From the first time we all got together and started playing, there was a real strong connection with the people coming to see the band. It’s been a great ride ever since.

RO: Speaking of your broad fan base and support- it’s legendary. What can you tell younger bands and musicians about building their support base?

Ken: There are a lot of different elements. First and foremost the music and lyrics have to come from your heart- it’s got to be honest or people see right through it. Find your voice; find what you want to say and how you want to say it. Take care of the people. Try to develop that community around you so it’s not just about a song- it’s about an experience. It’s not just about one CD or one show. We try to create these other events throughout the year, where we can get together and have some quality, bonding experiences along with two-way dialogue with the fans.

We started the “Rock The Boat” and it’s been incredible how that’s taken off. Initially it was an end of the tour party- we wanted to thank the hard core fans and do something special. We took half a cruise ship over and it went remarkably well. We took the whole cruise ship the next year, it sold out and we said, “We’re on to something here!” Now, we take over the whole boat, and we bring a bunch of bands with us so that every little club and nook and cranny - the poolside even - there’s music all the time… people jamming…the camaraderie of the bands. We always have felt like it’s not a competition. It’s about camaraderie.

It’s about all of us trying to get to the same place; and, so we set that tone and all the bands, they get it! Sometimes they were scratching their heads a little bit before they get out there. From the outside looking in, it’s really hard to understand. From the inside looking out, it’s really hard to explain!

RO: It’s great to be inside!

Ken: It’s great to be inside! [laughs] There’s something about seeing shows with people of like-minds. See shows with them and then you see them at breakfast, by the pool, and then you do some excursion in Jamaica together. You climb a waterfall and then you get back on the boat. There’s something about day after day- seeing that connection between people. It’s really remarkable.

We do a ski event called “Rock The Slope” in Colorado. We do the “Hazel Nut Hang” in South Carolina, where we spend three days and nights doing unplugged shows and having informal meetings with fans. We ask what went well this year, what would you like to see more of? We play golf together and play volleyball on the beach. We BBQ and bring guitars. It’s really been great to have that kind of connection with our fans. You’ve got to think outside the box because it’s about the experience. It’s not just a song… or your picture in a magazine. It’s about real, tangible things that people can see, taste, feel and touch.

RO: I think a lot of bands want to do that but they’re stuck in this mold. They think they have to do this Rock Star thing, and they can’t get out of it even though they may want to. I feel for them.

Ken: I do too. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a little bit different result each time… and that’s what you’re going to get. You get the same things if you keep doing the same things. We try and shake it up and see what works and what feels right for us and, so far, that’s felt right for us, and we’ve carved out nice way to make a living.

RO: On you personal Myspace page you mention something called the Inner Peace Corp.

Ken: I had this idea for a long time and I’m really just sort of developing it right now. People follow different paths and I think that’s exciting. There are so many different paths to finding happiness or serenity, or understanding, or acceptance. There seems to be a lot of extremes where people get locked into one way of thinking. Religious doctrine, metaphysical stuff - there’s some wonderful stuff. I want to take all this and bring it together. For me, I don’t think spirituality has to be fear based - that’s for sure. I think it’s best when we can take the adventure and the journey and experiences and couple it with the introspection and the quiet moments. It’s all about balance. Life isn’t about taking one little path, it’s about experiencing everything we have to experience.

I don’t think spirituality has to be boring, not at all… and I don’t think it has to be fearful. I think it can Rock, and it comes in so many forms. When people talk about a higher power or God [pauses] … I think that we’re stuck within the moral framework of trying to use our words, and it’s so completely inadequate to try and explain what God or higher power is. It’s much more about a feeling, an experience, something that’s much bigger than all of that.

RO: Which Sister Hazel or Ken Block solo song emanates that essence without blatantly beating you over the head with it? Spirituality can be blissful and yet not beat you over the head.

Ken: One of the things that I try to contribute as a songwriter is sharing my journey. I can’t pick one particular song, but I could point out a couple. I think that when we talk about the struggles that life presents and we’re honest about that- we put it out there. A lot of times people stop at the problem (in the song) and say, “This is where I am!” I take that path and, then at the end of the song, I stick my hand in a little bit of optimism and hope and sprinkle that on top and say, “We did go through this. That’s part of the whole deal, and what are we going to do next? What’s next?”

I think the simplest song that I’ve written that resonates with the most people is a song called “Change Your Mind.” I knew it meant something for me- it was really a song about perspective and how it’s not your life, but how you choose to look at your life. That song has resonated so powerfully with people. We received thousands of emails and testimonials saying, “Something just clicked, something resonated.” People said things like, “I got out of an abusive relationship,” or “I always wanted to start this business and something clicked and I did it!” or “I needed to lose weight and I did it,” or “I got clean and sober.” Something about that song just resonated. It’s so empowering. You want to be someone else - change your mind. That’s looking inward and experiencing things outward. It’s been really neat to see how that song has affected people.

RO: Who inspires you musically?

Ken: Right now I’m in a retro phase. I’m going back and listening to things that I liked a lot when I was a kid. I’m listening to the way Simon & Garfunkel took the lyrics and weaved those harmonies together. The next step of that for me were bands like Fleetwood Mac who had a ton of drama in their camp. The art that came out of that drama was so intense, powerful and beautiful. There are so many crazy imperfections that make the album Rumors perfect. I’ve been listening to a lot of that old stuff.

My father’s a great musician, has a music degree at NYU. He’s a phenomenal piano player. We’ve written a couple of songs together. We used to have people come to my house when I was a kid. We lived at the beach, and people would bring guitars or fiddles or banjos. It was very safe, a little bit bohemian, but quite safe! It was very community and family oriented. There were people of all walks of life stumbling in. It was really incredible. I was mesmerized by the storytellers. There was this one guy who used to play these quirky little songs. I found out later that a lot of those songs were Shel Silverstein songs.

Shel wrote “The Missing Piece” and “Boy Named Sue.” I was mesmerized by them. So, I started. I was probably 10 years old when I picked up a guitar and started trying to emulate that. I try and make people feel that same feeling that I had as a kid with my folks.

RO: What do the next 10 years hold for you and Sister Hazel?

Ken: We were talking about that this morning as a matter of fact! It’s interesting. Life is interesting. We’ve been together since college, all of us. We’ve seen each other go through a lot of ups and downs; marriages and struggles within relationships, kids, and sobriety. We’re getting along better than we’ve ever gotten along, and we are communicating in a healthy way. It’s tough to show in interviews like this, but we have a really healthy sense of humor! [laughs] You were outside watching the sound check, and we’re up there goofing off and messing around! We’re a really close bunch of guys. It’s fun creating music together. We went from being a band traveling in a trailer for years to having a platinum record and selling a couple of million records… going through a lot together. Everyone is trying to find their way. I think what’s happened over the last few years is that everyone’s embraced their gift, what they bring to the table. Everyone doesn’t have to be in on every single decision about a tambourine part or a pre-chorus.

One of the approaches that I brought to the table in the last year is giving everyone more ownership in certain things. What I mean by that is we did a holiday /Christmas record and what we did was say that everyone can pick three songs- bring in three songs. It could be standards, classical, traditional songs or you can write something, and we will serve your vision. The rest of the guys will serve your vision.

Everyone’s eyes lit up. Mark, our drummer was really excited. He has grand ideas a lot of times that we can’t always pull off. He brought in choirs and all kinds of stuff! We did this huge version of “O Holy Night” that makes me weak in the knees. I brought in an original song and a funk version of “Little Drummer Boy” that my friend David inspired. We’re an inclusive band so I decided to do "The Dreidel Song," and I asked myself, "how would someone Jewish never think to do the Dreidel song? " Bluegrass! [laughs] So, we did a bluegrass version of "The Dreidel Song"!

When we took the holiday/ Christmas CD on tour- it was the hit of the evening. With that project, Mark began to take a lead role. We arranged with performing arts high schools and schools with choirs and strings. Every city we played, the schools would come out. The music was scored and the kids would come out after rehearsing a couple of weeks and play with us. The energy level was fun with the kids. It elevated the shows.

We’re about to go back in to the studio and I think we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to co-write and do different things together. We’ll kind of serve everyone’s vision and I think that’s how our sound will continue to evolve a little bit. There are no rules. That keeps it fun. We have a lot of things to balance. I’m a married father of three- been married 11 years. Andrews and Jett both have three kids. Mark and his wife are about to have their first kid.

Our families come first. When things aren’t good at home, they’re not good anywhere else. So, we’re all lucky that everyone understands that. We’re trying to find that balance between touring enough dates to have a good time with it and to serve… the United States is a big place, man! You go to Europe and can tour it in a blink of an eye; but the United States is a big place. So, we try to cover different regions throughout the year and put out multiple things that people can listen to. We try to raise the bar on our events - Rock The Boat, Rock The Slope, Hazel Nut Hang.

Charity has been big for us too. [pause] My little brother Jeffrey died from cancer when he was 18 and I was 20. He was sick for about four years. When people would ask us to do charity events, we always thought that was a great opportunity for us to serve. We named our band Sister Hazel after a black minister named Sister Hazel Williams who has run a homeless shelter since I was a little kid. I used to say to my mom, “That lady helps out people she doesn’t even know?” And mom would say, “Yeah.” And I would say, “That’s crazy!” Regardless of race, religion, age, sexual orientation… anything- she would help those street people out. I thought that was remarkable.

When it was time for us to take some ownership in a charity we could embrace I brainstormed this thing called Lyrics For Life. At Lyrics For Life we get artists like Elton John to John Mayer, The Indigo Girls to you name it- to write hand written lyrics on anything.

Edwin McCain is a pilot. He wrote “I’ll Be” on an airplane propeller. I grew up surfing in Florida, so I wrote “Change Your Mind” on a long board. Then we would auction these off. Even lyrics on a barf bag from a Delta flight, you know? We’ve raised almost a million dollars for childhood cancer as well as support and services for the families because cancer impacts the whole family. As a sibling, I know. Both my parents are cancer survivors too, so there’s a nasty little dance around my house. Lyrics For Life is a way for me to scratch that itch and to have impact.

We’re proud of Lyrics For Life. There’s a group of Hazelnuts that started a thing called Operation Swan Dive, named after one of our songs called “Swan Dive.” You know how some people get sponsored to walk or race for Relay for Life and such. Our fans in Operation Swan Dive get sponsored to parachute jump out of perfectly good airplanes! They’ve raised close to $60, 000. So, we’re doing that again in August. Between touring, writing, the events, parenthood, our families, Lyrics For Life, we’ve found some pretty good balance. It takes constant tweaking but, it’s exciting!

RO: Sound like you’ve reached a point where you realize that giving is truly receiving.

Ken: Actually, there’s no doubt about that. If I’m just writing a song, or touring, or just in my own bubble all the time, I am not living. That’s shutting things out. My mom used to say, “You’ve got your soapbox, what do you want to say now?” I really love the community that’s gathered around us. Where the ripples have gone has blown my mind. The impact, these things we have no idea about sometimes, where those ripples go is amazing. If our vehicle can draw attention to worthy causes, we’re eager and happy to do it. We’re lucky that all of us are pretty like-minded even though there are lots of different beliefs about things [laughs]. We know how to sort of agree to disagree on certain things and respect each other.

www.sisterhazel.com

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[Edited by Dorothy Berry]

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