Travis Hayes and Cathedrals – A San Francisco Feature

      In 1967, Eric Burton and the Animals released a single that began with a spoken-word dedication to "San Francisco Nights," using a style that parodied the then-popular TV detective series “Dragnet:”

This following program is dedicated to the city

And people of San Francisco

Who may not know it

But they are beautiful

And so is their city

     More than five decades later, the city remains beautiful, and so is its music. 

      Travis Hayes will release his sophomore album on March 1, 2019. In preparation, he has shared three singles from the album, including the title track, “Sleepless.” It is difficult to select a favorite, since arguments can be made for each. “Sleepless” is the most energizing and tempo-dynamic. “Second Chances” includes an enchanting backing voice, which likely belongs to Emily Whitehurst (based on the album’s credits). And “Harrowed Hearts” espouses an attitude we admire (the lyrics are included in this post).

     Travis provided insights into the album:

  "Two years ago, I had the wind knocked out of me. One of my closest friends was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Her light passed on, all went dark, and I was left lying awake at night, sleepless and unable to make sense of anything. I didn’t know what to do or how to cope so I wrote. I wrote, and I wrote, until I had exhausted all the fear, frustration and anger from my mind. Songwriting has always been this cathartic escape for me, but writing these songs was different. These songs were more than just songs: these songs saved my life. They gave me a place to be vulnerable, a place to be angry, a place to find hope. This album gave me a place to find my strength again. What started out as a laundry list of scary things that kept me up at night, became a collection of songs that detail the reasons that get me through each day."

     He has scheduled performances in San Francisco, Reno, Sacramento, LA, and San Jose. For dates and ticket information, CLICK HERE.

     “Harrowed Hearts” by Travis Hayes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamtravishayes

Website: https://www.iamtravishayes.com/

Bandcamp: https://iamtravishayes.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Harrowed Hearts” by Travis Hayes

Once I was told

Son you’ll grow old

The years will fly by

Then one day you’ll die

Well I refuse to lie

Lie in wait

Lie in wait for fate

Don’t let the world warrant your worth

My brothers and sisters

You’ve known who you are since birth

Don’t lie in wait

Don't lie in wait for fate

You and I were meant for something great

These are our life stories to keep

And I’m not ready to leave

Take that harrowed heart and run

To the sidewalk’s end

Or toss it from the highest rung

So easy to please

Are the depths that we recede

Keep on swimming

You’ll get their soon just breathe

These are our life stories to keep

And I’m not ready to leave

[Bridge]

These are our life stories to keep

     Music of Cathedrals has been featured in Indie Obsessive and we have witnessed the wonder of their live performances. The Synth Pop duo is Brodie Jenkins and Johnny Hwin. They are joined by Mitchell Wilcox (drums) and Jonathan Hererra (bass and synths) in live settings.

     We cannot improve upon the descriptions they provided for their last two releases, so we will quote Cathedrals.

     "With 'Jump In,' we didn’t want to write a straightforward love song since, for us at least, love hasn’t always been simple or predictable. We wanted to explore that feeling of standing on the precipice of the unknown - looking into the face of something that could turn out to be beautiful or ugly, and taking that leap anyway. We thought, what better way to capture that idea than to release the song on Valentines Day. It’s not a hallmark card; it’s real life, full of joy and uncertainty and sometimes pain. Here’s to feeling it, to jumping in, whatever the cost."

     “Jump In” by Cathedrals

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreCathedrals/

Website: http://www.wearecathedrals.com/

     “For the ‘Just a Game’ music video, I wanted to capture the darker, anguished side of love. I loved the original Grimm’s fairytales as a kid (still do) and have always had a gothic streak. So visually, I was inspired to combine those influences into our own dark and twisted fairytale. She’s trapped in this story - a beautiful but haunted limbo in which the familiar elements are there, but there is no happy ending and it was all a lie to begin with.” -Brodie

      “Just a Game” by Cathedrals