Born in the glory and pageant of the noble working cities of Boise, Cleveland, Schenectady, Boston and Syracuse, "The HeartSleeves" is the voice of the no frills sincerity of real world American life.
We write our songs live, in bubbling cauldrons of sound. We hammer and refine them into a melancholy powder of sweet painful regret and sprinkle it on hearty country funk pop. It's part of your complete breakfast.

This album is a tribute to the first 2 years of the band. I will always remember The HeartSleeves version 1.0 as a wonderful experience creatively and I will always remember these four men fondly for being such a vital part of it, even though there was drama and no place to park.

But that's Boston; drama and no place to park.
-JLN

Excerpts from
MicControl Album Review: "Dirt and Water" by The Heartsleeves
June 30, 2009 by Jon

"I really seemed to enjoy The Heartsleeves brand of roots/ funk/ neo-soul. Similar to the sound produced when Keller Williams and The String Cheese Incident got together for Breathe, this music is a loose and heavily groove oriented."

"What really gives this album an enjoyable sound is the roots aspect of the music. There is a laid back feeling on Dirt and Water- the calypso inflused guitar, bouncy, funk bass lines, the backing horn accompaniments, the bright vocals that shine only even brighter when the harmonies are applied to the chorus lines. Understand though, that laid back doesn?t mean slow or boring, in fact there is a definite upbeat excitement that is heard through this music. "

"there is also the idea of a groove- the tightness, the chemistry and the way they can play of each other. This is where the group seems to shine."

"The sax is stellar- this sounds far and above any other instrument used in the group. There is always some interesting line that is being played, the dynamics are always spot on, and the solos are fantastic. And, as mentioned earlier, the vocals are extremely well done. They are bright, strong, and are used in interesting rhythmic ways, which at times almost gives the verses a certain rapped feel, as opposed to a sung feeling. It is this variation that keeps the music feeling fresh throughout the album."

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