Rock Hearts Release New Album "Unfinished Bridges"

Formed in 2013, Rock Hearts features five seasoned musicians from Southern New England with a passion for pickin' and singin' bluegrass and traditional country music. Now, the group has released its latest collection, Unfinished Bridges (615 Hideaway Records).

Concurrent with the album drop is the release to radio of the single, "Lonesome Man In A Lonesome Town." Written by William H. "Billy T" Thibodeau and Stanley Jordan Keach Jr., the track features 2024 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Danny Paisley.

Prior releases from the album have included "I Know It's Wrong To Love You," a song David Parmley shared with Alex McLeod which Parmley's father started writing and David ultimately finished. Big fans of the Bluegrass Cardinals, Rock Hearts rendered a fresh adaptation of the song.

"Let Me Be The Best Bible" was inspired by memories of Alex MacLeod's first Sunday School teacher, his own grandmother, Marie, and his grandfather, Ed, who built the Central Baptist Church where Alex attended Sunday School as a youth. The song pays loving tribute to the faith and humility of Alex's grandparents. Influenced by the harmony sounds of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and the brand stylings of Larry Sparks, Rock Hearts effectively renders elements from both of these acts in the song, which has regularly topped airplay charts.

With the title track, Rock Hearts were honored to record a Mark "Brink" Brinkman & Eric Gnezda song and join the long list of successful bands who have covered the music of these stalwart writers. The tragedy that unfolds in "Unfinished Bridges" is a familiar theme; love gone wrong, leaving its stakeholders in uncharted territory, coming to grips with the fact that an iron bridge connecting the two may not be built to last. Brink and Gnezda's original delivery was elemental, leaving room for artistic interpretation. Rock Hearts was challenged with delivering the song as it was written, but at the same time, giving it the Rock Hearts style. With the first three fiddle strokes, the listener may be prepared for a mid-tempo song, but the band rips into a double-time, while the lyrics remain at a slower pace. The arrangement works beautifully, complimenting the imagery and story line.

This is a group with a gift for crafting contemporary original songs with a traditional flair, and for finding tunes from other genres to "bluegrass-ify," as well as covering songs with the band's own unique flavor.

615 Hideaway Records has released Unfinished Bridges, the 3rd album from the band, comprised of Billy Thibodeau (mandolin), a member of the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame; Fiddler, Austin Scelzo, selected as a Connecticut Arts Hero; Rick Brodsky (bass); and founding members Alex MacLeod (guitar), and Joe Deetz (banjo).

Rock Hearts was an official IBMA Showcase band in 2021. The group consistently charts on radio and is highly sought-after for major festivals and venues. Rock Hearts is heralded for its entertaining stage presence, tight harmonies, and original material.

Unfinished Bridges is available wherever great music is available for download and streaming. It is the band's 3rd project overall and second with The 615 Hideaway Records. Recorded with Scott Vestal at his Digital Underground studio in Tennessee, many of the thirteen songs are originals by Brink Brinkman, Marc Gnezda, Rick Lang, Ted DeMille, Bob Amos, Jim Karns, Monty McClanahan, Stan Keach, Sam Tidwell, Billy Thibodeau, and Alex MacLeod. The project was engineered and mastered by Scott Vestal, who produced the album along with the members of Rock Hearts.

 

 

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