Written by Aaron Gilliam
Listen to Paper Castle here
The modern album isn’t what it used to be. In the days of classic rock & roll, it wasn’t easy to put on singles and be able to listen to multiple artists in a short amount of time. Let’s just admit it; records aren’t the proper medium for flipping through your favorite artists one song at a time. Setting aside an hour to listen to your favorite album start to finish seems like ancient history.
Joe Hertler of Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers is no stranger to this concept. “Basically the average music listener is not likely going to listen to the entire album,” it’s something the modern day musician just has to come to terms with. Albums are beginning to feel top heavy with all of the tasty treats crammed in the beginning leaving the second half lacking. It’s refreshing to find one that flows nicely from start to finish, never giving you the chance think about a skip. This is exactly what you’ll find in Paper Castle, the 4th studio album from Pop/Rock group Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers. “We try to design it like a set,” Hertler said. “Where there’s an ebb and flow in the overall energy of songs so that you don’t get burned out, or conversely, bored from similar songs being clumped together.” Paper Castle is set up perfectly for your listening pleasure as the album is masterfully put together from start to finish.
As a fan that has seen a few shows put on by The Rainbow Seekers, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing many of these songs in a live environment. “It’s always a good idea to flesh out the songs live before going into the studio,” Hertler said. Songs like “Underwater” and “Evening Coffee” have been in the band’s live rotation for months, being road tested and perfected in a live environment. “The songs just naturally evolve and grow as you play them out,” Hertler said. “And if you record them too soon then you might get a premature cut of the song.” “Underwater” is a perfect example of this process. The song has grown immensely from its live debut and features vocals that soothe like the ocean tide. The song has a truly upbeat melody of the guitar but somewhat somber lyrics of love and the pressure of feeling underwater. It’s a conflicting type of feeling that can truly be appreciated. If you’re trying to hook a listener with the first song I’d say “Underwater” was a fantastic choice. The song comes together perfectly toward the end as more instruments are brought to the table one at a time and highlighted by saxophone and a short Moog solo from the man behind the keys. You will then find yourself slipping into “Loser” with guitar stylings that will get you on your feet. The flute in this song compliments the soft voice of Joe who seems to think he’s “always been a loser.” It’s not true Joe! As the flute seems to fade a beautifully soft saxophone enters the framework and gives a little lift to the song. Without missing a beat the flute returns and the harmonies of wind section become truly immaculate.
“Slow Burn” will sit you right back down with its tempo and elegant lyrics. With absolutely incredible layered backing vocals, it’s a song that you’d love to play for your date on a good night. Only increasing in tempo toward the end just enough to give you the courage you may need. It’ll slowly melt your hearts as you and yours, “slow burn together.” The late addition of powerful keys busts the song into a new direction before easing back into that, “slow burn.” “Evening Coffee” will then give you a boost of energy as the incredibly catchy opening guitar riff of the song leads you into the incredible build-up of keys and sax. The guitarist’s use of a wah-pedal creating a whip-like sound out of nowhere that seems to karate kick your ear drum is just awesome. The Rainbow Seekers truly shine behind Joes vocals in this song with space-like keys and a strong display from the saxophone. “Evening Coffee” is truly a feel-good song that will have your spirits lifted. Music is meant to evoke some emotions and they really capture the tangible feeling of happiness from a live show in this one. A rumbling drum beat and twangy guitar always gives me that bit of country feeling and “Passing Through” does just that. It’s got a small town feeling to it that feels right at home. This is a song about growing up and realizing life is just a series of moments that we’re “all just passing through.” The lyrics of this song seem to mean a lot to Joe and his passion make them incredibly bright and beautiful. “You gotta mean what you’re singing,” this song seems to have an important message for him. “All things are on a bell curve. There is a beginning and an end to everything,” Hertler said.
If you like a little bit of humor in your music, “Last Two Dinosaurs Alive”will give you a good kick with its tale of drug-fueled escapades. Joe describes their time with lines like, “an asteroid hitting behind our eyes, the last two dinosaurs alive.” It’d be really hard to not jump to the beat of this song and seems to fit right into an early-2000s vibe. It’s a real fun song that captures exactly how you feel dancing around with Joe and the rest of the Seekers in a live environment. “Waiting” is a true change in vibe as it begins with the most beautifully-pleasing guitar and piano section that create the perfect space for Joe’s vocals to serenade you. With some powerful strokes of the guitar to give it liftoff, the song takes you on the loveliest journey through musical bliss. Joe’s vocals are absolutely perfect, seemingly blending right in with the cloud like instrumentals that are breathtaking. The song slowly builds speed coming together with a guitar solo that splits the clouds and brings a ray of light to the song. It’s truly an amazing arrangement from Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers and one of my favorite tracks.
“This is the Future” will take you in a different direction than you thought possible. The song will lull you at first until the exploding keys ferociously warp your mind. It’s a great little trip that ends in a different direction than it started. If I had any advice for the trip, follow those beautiful keys, they’ll take you to the place you wanna be. The “ebb and flow” of this entire album will take the listener through so many different emotions that it definitely starts shaping up like a live set. Contrary to some other tracks on the album, “When the Morning Comes” delivers a little more tempo at first. With time, the song breaks down, seemingly losing momentum, until more instruments come into the fold and give it a bright fill of sound behind the vocals. As the energy increases, the end of the song is highlighted by incredible guitar stylings in a quick solo for the outro. Any time Joe is able to whip out his acoustic guitar in a live show it immediately feels like an intimate moment, “Fading Marks” is this moment for Paper Castle. The soft play of the acoustic gently moves you as Joe’s incredibly vibrant vocals sway you from side to side. The Rainbow Seekers always do an amazing job of slowly building the instrumentals around Joe’s vocals and “Fading Marks” is one of their brightest moments. The foundation of the song is laid down acoustically and built upon until the most eloquent wave of sound enters your soul, festering into a feeling of appreciation. If you’ve ever heard a song that made you appreciate everything outside of what you’re listening to, you might understand where I’m coming from. It’s an immediate mood changer, for a song to be so beautiful it really can humble you and you realize all the blessings you’ve been handed in life. For some this is what we are looking for in our search of music, something that will truly move us.
Everybody needs a pick me up song and “Beautiful Day” needs to be added to that playlist. “I love watching the sunrise while I’m working on tunes, when the birds first come out.” Hertler said. “I’ll usually open up the studio doors at dawn to record the ambient noise while I’m making demos.” I imagine “Beautiful Day” came from one of those sunrises Joe loves to stay up for. That beautiful morning vibe is captured perfectly in this tune. Joe’s vocals float on top of the instrumentals leading you through the symphony. The Rainbow Seekers always seem to hit just the right notes at every turn, creating this beautiful song for your beautiful day. I’ve never been a big fan of ending a set on a low note. It always feels good to walk away with the energy you’d need for more, it’s what keeps you coming back. If you feel the same, you won’t be disappointed with the closing remark on Paper Castle. “Death Don’t Worry About Me” is one groovy jam that will definitely get you going. The lyrics are playful and the instruments share the spotlight; returning solos between guitar, keys and saxophone in an absolutely incredibly jam. It’s the perfect exclamation point to an already great album.
So it’s 2019 and the age of records, cassettes and even CD’s have long passed. Listening to an album from start to finish is sadly a lost pastime. This doesn’t mean that there still aren’t albums that deserve your hour of undivided attention. It just means you have to dig a little deeper, resist that urge to skip something you don’t enjoy the first 5 seconds of and truly let the music ease your mind. Doing so gives you more than just one perspective on an artist. They are so much more than the hit song that pop ups at the top of their streaming list. If you’ve got the chance, block off an hour of your time and dive head first into the soulful music of Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers with Paper Castle. I promise you won’t be disappointed. The feel-good vibes and incredible arrangements from this group will keep you entertained from start to finish, taking you on a roller coaster of emotions. Having the pleasure of seeing them many times, they have moved me on multiple occasions and perfectly capture that ability in the studio. Paper Castle is more than just one hit song placed strategically to get a few extra plays. It’s a beautiful body of work pieced together masterfully to give you exactly what you need when you need it. It usually gets better with time and Joe’s writing ability and The Rainbow Seekers ability to bring those lyrics to life have seemed to follow that. Paper Castle may be their best work yet, but there is still a lot ahead for this young band and I’m incredibly looking forward to it. Having had a chance to talk with Joe, he said to be on the lookout for some awesome music videos to accompany some songs off of Paper Castle. Joe says he’s, “really happy with how they’ve turned out thus far. (They’re) super colorful and I think they capture the more celebratory vibe of our music.” Go ahead and do yourself a favor and just check out all his music videos, you won’t be disappointed.
Take a Tour of 'Paper Castle' with the Leader of the Rainbow Seekers Himself
