When Ari Herstand took the call to interview with The Daily Cardinal, he had just stepped out of the vocal booth.
The singer/songwriter from L.A. has been recording his newest album, currently unnamed, in Northfield, Minn., to add a Midwestern feel and match the energy and creativity the musicians Herstand is working with have brought. He says the new album is “honest” as well as “authentic” and will surprise long-time fans.
Herstand, born and raised in the region, hopes recording in Minnesota can help capture “that vibe and that energy of the Midwest.” A 100-year-old Minnesotan piano with “a very Minnesotan sound” was used in recording and he believes it will help add to this tone.
Herstand is best known for his use of the loop station, which layers together live recordings of different instruments and vocals to create an entertaining solo performance with astonishingly full sound.
“I got into looping to basically compensate for not having a band with me, but over the years the looping has kind of morphed into something pretty unique,” he said.
Looping is the aspect of his music people tend to remember most, but Herstand doesn’t let it dominate his songwriting.
In the studio and with the new album especially, Herstand has been working with his producer Paul Marino and musicians Dave King (drums), Jake Hanson (guitar) and Jim Anton (bass) in what he calls an “exciting” process of recording with a band that creates a “very live-sounding album.”
The group doesn’t let itself be constrained by working only with a loop station and Herstand said working with other artists brings a creativity to the music beyond what he initially envisioned.
“My fans who’ve been with me for a while [are] going to be quite surprised, I think, at this new direction,” Herstand said. “I’m really excited about it but it’s unlike anything I’ve done before.”
Since 2005, when he released Baby Eyes, his first studio album, Herstand has started his own music production company, Proud Honeybee Productions.
Through his “Build the Loop” project hosted on kickstarter.com, he raised over $13,000 from 222 backers to fund his new album without the help of a record label. But even the tremendous growth in the business side of his musical career can be overshadowed by the newfound depth Herstand recognizes in his music.
“These songs [on the new album] are much more honest than I’ve ever been,” he said. The best songs that ended up on the album “are the ones that are the most personal” for him.
This level of sincerity comes from the comfort Herstand finds in songwriting.
“I don’t restrict myself when I sit down to write a song because it’s so therapeutic for me,” Herstand said. “Songs are a snapshot of where I was when I wrote the song.”
At the same time, he faces an “internal battle” over the effect releasing such a personal album may have on those whose lives are drawn into his songs through his lyrics.
“[It’s] something I’m still struggling to figure out,” he said.
“Because these deal with relationships with people very close to me, sometimes I am hesitant [to release these songs on an album],” Herstand said. “I don’t know if it’s fair … to put them in the spotlight when they didn’t really ask for it. They don’t necessarily want their story shared with everyone who’s going to hear it.”
Herstand said most listeners will not know the specifics behind these personal details “but the people that are closest to me and to my close friends, they’ll know who I’m talking about,” he said. “That’s kind of more difficult.”
Nevertheless, Herstand plans on spending roughly half of Saturday night’s show performing songs from the new album.
Herstand plays at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 14 at the High Noon Saloon. He said he is excited to play at the venue, which he visited in 2006, as well as once with his high school band “way back in the day.”
Although he has lived in L.A. for two years now, Herstand said he frequently finds his way back to the Midwest in touring.
“I love playing in Madison,” he said. “This will be kind of one of the first opportunities I’m going to get to play these new songs.”
