Hem (band)

Hem
Hem playing The Knitting Factory, 2006
Background information
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, folk
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Nettwerk, Rounder
Website	www.hemmusic.com
Members	Mark Brotter Steve Curtis Sally Ellyson Bob Hoffnar Gary Maurer Dan Messé George Rush Heather Zimmerman

Hem is a musical group from Brooklyn, New York. Band members include Sally Ellyson (vocals), Dan Messé (piano, accordion, glockenspiel), Gary Maurer (guitar, mandolin), Steve Curtis (guitar, mandolin, banjo, back-up vocals), George Rush (bass guitar), Mark Brotter (drums), Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel guitar), and Heather Zimmerman (violin). The group sometimes expands to include other musicians and orchestral accompaniments.

Their music has been variously described as "folk", "indie", "Americana" and "roots". Stylistically, their songs bridge 19th-century American parlour music, Appalachian folk music, gospel music, traditional American ballads, the European art song, early jazz and even contemporary classical music.

In 1999, songwriter Dan Messé and producer Gary Maurer teamed up and decided to produce a record. A mutual friend, Steve Curtis, joined them. None of them knew any potential singing talents for the band, so they placed an advertisement in The Village Voice. Overwhelmed by an onslaught of bizarre and unlistenable demo tapes, the three friends soon abandoned their quest.

Months later Sally Ellyson called Messé in response to the ad, cautioning that she was not really a "singer". A skeptical Messé asked Ellyson for a demo tape and was greatly surprised when he heard the very spare recording, which featured Ellyson's a cappella renditions of several old-time lullabies that she had recorded for the infant son of a long-time friend. Messé was impressed — and Hem had finally found itself a singer. Ellyson was soon whisked into New York recording studio, Stratosphere sound, to record vocals on tracks that would later become the album Rabbit Songs.