Behind The Song: "Heaven Knows" by Harry Strange

Hey guys!

One of many things I love about house in the sand is how collaborative it is.

There was a time in which running a blog was a very lonely business and the only creators behind it were my laptop and me.
And blogging is still a very sheltered activity, but we've managed to feel less lonely by directly working with the artists we feature.

Also - I can't stress enough about how brilliant the HITS team is.

We actually owe today's post to Carolyn, who wrote the intro and made this feature happen.

So please support Carolyn by following her online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

And now, let's dive into today's post!


- Behind The Song -
"Heaven Knows" by Harry Strange


Harry Strange is a singer/songwriter from London, UK.

Harry's music captures a special element of unique and intricate songwriting, intertwined with emotionally fitting production work and vocals.

In May of 2017 Harry released his first single, "Back Around", which made it's rounds across the inter webs and gained an impressive amount of streams on Spotify.

After a year of silence, we just got a new gem with "Heaven Knows" - a song which shows that taking the time to really hone in on a creative direction for future music has paid off.

At only 20 years old and currently spending his days at University of Bristol, there's plenty more in store to stay tuned for.


Check out what Harry told us about the creative process behind "Heaven Knows":

"I released my first single "Back Around" nearly a year ago now, so for me, I really wanted to release a song that I felt something strong towards but also something that showed some kind of musical development.
I think as soon as I heard the first mix of the track, I knew it was the perfect single to follow "Back Around".

The way the song came about was really an amalgamation of three or four songs that I had written over the space of a few months. I was lucky to work with a great producer and writer called Jack Gourlay and we sat down in January and went through my notebook and sort of picked out the parts that really stood out to us.


We then spent the first day gluing these pieces together and working on the first verse. We knew it had to be a solid opening to the track, so we spent around half an hour on each line, so I've got plenty of alternative versions somewhere!

In terms of production, both Jack and I decided to leave that to the last day in the studio.
We really felt that the song had to be perfect and could stand alone with little to no production, so the majority of the time we were writing with just keys.

This said, it was when we added the chorus backing vocals that we got a very good idea of where the song was going to go in terms of production.
We loved the idea of it being 'stripped' in a sense, how it starts and ends with just vocal and keys and then thre rest are just little bits of ear candy that keep you engaged as the song continues.

I feel that there are definitely similarities between "Heaven Knows" and my previous release in terms of the songwriting. I really connect with narrative lyrics and I feel they both have that in comming.
But this said, I definitely think that there are some new things to be heard in this track."


Watch the lyric video for "Heaven Knows" below:




- stream "Heaven Knows" -



Harry Strange online: Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram 

Thank you for your visit!

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Credits // Words (Intro): Vanessa Jetwash | Words (about artist:): Carolyn Lederach | Image & Words (about song): Harry Strange

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Gig Photos: Andrew Belle at The Fillmore in Philadelphia

Hey guys!

Our photo team is as passionate as ever and non-stop delivering incredible work.

Please allow me to take this intro to tell you how happy I am about the HITS team.
We're constantly working on content and ever since there have been more people on board, it's been such an exciting time.

I truly hope that you can find the excitement and passion in our posts,

because we're literally pouring buckets of it into the work we do.

So - thanks for hanging out with us and visiting us to see what we've been up to.
You're the coolest!

Today we get to share some photos our fabulous Philly based photographer Carolyn took, 

the write-up below is also written by Carolyn.


You can get to know Carolyn here -  please also find her online and support her:
website | twitter | facebook | instagram

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Date: 17th March 2018
Venue: The Fillmore, Philadelphia

Act: Andrew Belle


Chicago's Andrew Belle has been quiet on the tour front since the release of his third studio album, "Dive Deep", which was released last year.
He's been boucing around the US with Mat Kearny the last month, opening the shows and gracing us with the rare full band experience.

Who is Andrew Belle you might ask?
He might not be a household name, but odds are you have probably heard one of his songs on one of your favourite television shows.

Song placements have been heard during pivotal moments in shows like Grey's Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, Castle, and the list goes on.

Basically, the man has a gift for poignant songwriting and we can't wait to see what more he has to offer us in the future.





Andrew Belle online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram

























































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Were you at the show too?
If so, let us know what you thought of the set!


In case you'd like to stay updated, feel free to follow us on Instagram.





Thank you for your visit!

&

Credits // Words (Intro): Vanessa Jetwash | Words (Show Coverage) & Photography: Carolyn Lederach

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Access All Areas: Lewis Watson in Richmond & Baltimore

Hey guys!

If you've been with us for a while, you might still remember the "Access All Areas" feature.

It was a feature we started when we found ourselves hanging out with the artists we featured, and thought it would be nice to share some of those pre- and post-gig adventures with you.

In the past we've shared "AAA" posts of Chris Pate, Hudson Taylor and Ciaran Lavery on here.

Today the series returns with a post created by our Philadelphia based photographer and writer, Carolyn who recently went on a road trip with Lewis Watson.


You can get to know Carolyn here -  please also find her online and support her:
website | twitter | facebook | instagram
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Before we dive into the post, please let us introduce you to Lewis Watson.

Lewis Watson is a musician from Oxfordshire, UK.

His sound combines Pop, Folk, Acoustic and Alternative - but probably it's even more diverse than that.

Lewis started playing the guitar after he was given a guitar for his sixteenth birthday and discovered his true passion for it.
In 2010 he uploaded his cover of Bombay Bicycle Club's song "Swansea" on YouTube and soon started uploading covers as well as originals regularly.

In 2012 he released his first EP, "It's Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW" which soon caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records. and landed Lewis a record deal.
A few months after, he released his second EP, "Four More Sad Songs".

Lewis kept releasing EPs and eventually toured Australia supporting Birdy, played multiple festivals and more.
In 2013 he released his fifth EP named "Some Songs With Some Friends" - a cover EP on which he collaborated with his friends Gabrielle Aplin, Kimberly Anne and Hudson Taylor.

In 2014, Lewis released his debut album, "the morning", which - of course- was well received.

After writing a lot and discovering new sounds and styles, Lewis returned with his latest album, "midnight" in 2017 and has been touring for most of the year.


Check out "little light" below:




Lewis Watson online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram


So now that you now more about Lewis, check out Carolyn's words and photos from last week.

We hope you enjoy!









It's kind of difficult to sum up in words how great an artist Lewis Watson is.
His efforts go far beyond just what you witness on stage. How he's not passed out on the floor from exhaustion at this point is beyond me.

Having been on the road since January of this year, he's finally wrapping up touring behind his most recent album, "midnight", with his US tour.
Mixing in supporting Nashville's Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, along with some solo headlining dates as well, he'll be playing almost every night til early-November when he finally returns home to London.

I got to hop on the road with Lewis for the first two days of his solo tour, which included stops in Richmond, Virginia at The Camel, and Baltimore, Maryland at Metro Gallery.

















Some might think it's a feat for an artist from the UK to really grow roots in the US music scene, but sometimes it comes easier than you might think.
After finishing up soundcheck in Richmond, an eager listener from the other room came running in thinking he was hearing a cover of "Sink or Swim", only to find in fact it was the real thing.
Turns out he's been listening to the Mahogany Session for years but didn't know Lewis was actually playing that night.

Which also brings out a friendly reminder to put on those proper notifications for Facebook pages, and linking up your Bandsintown and/or Songkick accounts as to not miss out on your favourite acts coming through.























As there are many special qualities to Lewis, another huge one would include his time with fans.
After each show you'll find him going through the massive line of fans and talking to them, taking photos, selling merch, drawing out potential new tattoos, etc.
Even if it takes two hours to get through everyone.





























"You can't have the highs without the lows" might be a motto Lewis lives by.
No matter what seems to hit him, he's able to keep a smile on his face - except maybe for the time American Airlines destroyed his guitar.

All that being said, thanks Lewis for the good times and being a class act!










That was Carolyn's little tour diary which we loved sharing with you.

Have you seen Lewis live before?
We loved his set at Manchester's Albert Hall in 2016 when he supported Gabrielle Aplin.



We would like to thank Carolyn and Lewis for allowing us to share this cool insight with everyone.



Thank you for your visit!










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Credits // Words Intro: Vanessa Jertschewske | Words & Photography: Carolyn Lederach

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