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Athens, Georgia's Summer Hymns arose several years ago from singer/guitarist Zachary Gresham's need for an outlet for songs not suited for a typical rock band. Many of these songs were informed by his experiences playing piano and singing hymns and folk songs at at his grandmother's house in rural Georgia. With that as the base for his songs, he added flavors inspired by contemporary artists like Neil Young, Robert Wyatt, Yo La Tengo, and Smog, and Summer Hymns was born.
Several years and several records later, over a dozen band members have passed through the Summer Hymns musical turnstiles, with Zachary and drummer Philip Brown the only constants. Since early 2004, the band, trimmed to a trio with bassist Chris Riser, has been working on new material for a new record.
A good deal of material was recorded in 2004 at Radium Recording and at the Downtown Athens Recording Company. In 2005, the band spent time recording with producer/engineer David McConnell (Elliott Smith, Folk Implosion, and others) in Athens and at Chris's Illuminati Audio studio in Lexington, Georgia.
The new record, Backward Masks, is scheduled for a fall 2006 release on Misra Records.
Non-album tracks from the Backward Masks sessions are included on three new compilation CDs. The improvisational "Stick and Leaf" appears on Appetizers and Leftovers, released by Austin's I Eat Records. Live favorite "What Kind of Bird" is included on the 2006 AthFest 10th Anniversary compilation CD. A live acoustic version of "Bombay Brown Indian Ink" is on the recently-released WUOG Live in the Lobby CD compilation of live radio performances.
With a wealth of material written and recorded, there are tentative plans for a handful of additional releases in the near future, including a one-sided vinyl LP, with an etching on the reverse, on Burnt Toast Vinyl, the second in the band's "Value Series" of EPs, and a live EP of acoustic material.
Look for new songs on the band's MySpace player throughout the year.
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