$10 Cover @ the Door / Start 4:30pm / Doors 4m
New York’s Ransom Pier is built around the singularly evocative voice of lead vocalist Hayley Harrington and a rich catalog of songs drawn from the great American tradition of Bob Dylan, John Prine, and the Grateful Dead. Their “absurdly good” debut EP, If They Can’t Take a Joke, was released in 2015; and the ensuing three years of performances along the east coast have firmly established the band as a noteworthy voice in Americana music.
Ransom Pier
“Telling stories that are relatable and don’t try too hard is important to me,” says Ransom Pier’s Hayley Harrington as she sits at the table of her childhood home on the North Shore of Long Island. “Most songs start from a single lyric or concept and work their way outwards from there.” The way Hayley tells it, her obsession with lyrics and storytelling was born in middle school as she immersed herself in the work of Bob Dylan, the Band, CSNY, and the Grateful Dead. She honed her craft by composing new verses to her favorite songs before, eventually, building a collection of her own original material and searching for a band.
Formed in 2015, Ransom Pier has maintained an emphasis on intimacy and simplicity over the course of their young career. “Hayley played Love’s a Bitch at the jam session where we first met, and I remember being very struck by the bare honesty of her playing,” says bassist William Carrigan. “To this day, if we don’t love the way an idea sounds with just her or just the two of us, that idea isn’t ready to be a song just yet.” The resulting output has included extensive touring in the eastern United States behind two EPs - If They Can’t Take a Joke (2015) and Feels Like Home to Me (2019) - a studio album - Beauty & Demise (2017) - and a live album - New York, NY 12/15/18 (2019). Love’s a Bitch, Turn Your Head, Just Waiting, and the rest of the band’s catalog offer listeners music that feels familiar on first listen and has won glowing comparisons to Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, and Norah Jones.
Looking ahead, the now Brooklyn-based Americana duo aim to release two more EPs in 2019 and continue to build a regional and national following. “Our band does a great job of creating space and listening to one another,” says Hayley. “We’ve started approaching our studio sessions like live performances; so with minor exceptions, everything you hear on a Ransom Pier record was tracked live in a single take. That collective energy is everything.”
Hayley and William are generally joined by Evan Harris (Six Time Users, Robbing Johnny) on guitar and Max Maples (NOARU, Blak Emoji) on drums. To date, they have performed alongside the Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, the Other Favorites, Maelyn Jarmon, Copilot, Tom Walker, Mike & the Moonpies, Hannah Wicklund & the Stepping Stones, and Sarah Lee Guthrie. “Realistically, we’re just hitting our stride,” says William. “Each of us knows where we need to sit musically in order for the words and stories to shine through.” As Hayley’s voice soars over larger and increasingly delighted audiences, Ransom Pier’s future seems bright indeed.
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Andrew Hammond
Every artist is in search of a voice and Andrew Hammond has found a vast array. A dynamic storyteller and vocal powerhouse, Hammond is a Soul singer grounded in Folk roots. Years of vocal experimentation as a voice artist and poet, have bred a unique delivery, a massive range and an immersive live performance.
Hammond swings seamlessly from the the emotive ringing melodies of Roy Orbison to the dark rusty baritone of Johnny Cash. With a Dylan-like wit, lines of truth draw the bittersweet stories of heartbreak and repair, death and birth, humor and existence, all fed with the vocal circus that has come to define Hammond’s music. Andrew's Brooklyn ensemble serves as a backbone for passionate, clever songwriting. Hear Gospel music for a flock of Indie Folk nihilists, and Carl Sagan is the pastor.
From the foothills of the North Georgia mountains, Hammond narrates from the perspective of his barefoot childhood. Tall, thin and cherubic, baritone, soprano and tenor, Andrew Hammond is a speaking, singing, soulbending contradiction that will demand your full attention.