It was another weekend of great Baltimore music at The Metro Gallery! I had the pleasure of catching Haint Blue’s record release party on Friday, March 15th. The night was an illustration of the great music that Baltimore has to offer!
Haint Blue released their first EP as a band in 2014 with Company of Ghosts. Then, over the past 5 years, the band has been performing and writing music together leading up to their first full length release, Overgrown. The packed Metro Gallery this past Friday was evidence of their devoted fan base and outstanding music. I was able to catch up with Mike Cohn, lead singer of Haint Blue, to ask him a few questions about the band and how it has developed over the last 5 years. Mike acknowledged the growing pains of creating music and recording, especially with a band consisting of 7 members:
“I think the band has grown into a more cohesive unit over the last five years. There’s this sense of being in the trenches when you push through a tough arrangement or beat your head against a wall trying to figure out the next movement of a song. And much of the recording process can be pretty grueling. So, with all that considered, we have “learned each other” over the years. I think that deep understanding of each other has really helped develop the band’s sound.”
Cohesive is definitely a great word to describe this band. I had the pleasure of seeing them for the first time at Charm City Bluegrass Festival in 2018. They performed on the side stage. The energy that they delivered on that tiny stage could have easily carried them as a more influential act on the main stage. The audience crowded around the band and they danced the entire time. That was my first experience with Haint Blue and they left quite an impression.
Seeing them take the stage this past Friday at Metro Gallery, all dressed in black and looking amazingly sharp, I could see their growth and cohesiveness. And their fan base, who were obviously extremely excited for this show, crowded the stage and sang and danced the entire set. I asked Mike which song they enjoyed performing live. His answer was the last track on their new album, “Where you go, There you are”. Mike explained, “It’s just a really fun and simple song, and we get to let loose and move around and be a little goofy on stage!”
We also chatted a bit about the genre of bluegrass. Mike admitted that he would not classify their band as bluegrass and I would agree. Haint Blue blends a lot of genres and produces a sound that is more fitting of Americana than Bluegrass. However, we did chat a bit about bands like Haint Blue that may lead their audience to discovering bluegrass. Mike said, “The nice thing is that the accessibility of our [music] and [bands] like us might bring people into the fold. I would never have known about Del McCoury if it wasn’t for Chris Thile of the Punch Brothers. And now I can’t get enough!”
Their performance this past Friday night at The Metro Gallery was fantastic, as anyone who was there would agree. I am looking forward to great things coming from this band. In closing, Mike discussed the challenge of growing up and becoming more responsible, both as an individual and with the band. He shared, “Learning to be responsible takes time. We as a band have grown in that way, because every year we take it another step further. We keep pushing ourselves to achieve more musically and otherwise.”
Take some time to follow this band on Facebook. Pick up their new album, Overgrown, and make sure you catch one of their live performances! You will not be disappointed. Enjoy these photos from Haint Blue performing at Metro Gallery on March 15th. All photos copyright and courtesy of Shantel Breen/These Subtle Sounds.
