Music review: Paper Bird duo soars with Heavy Diamond Ring

Published 1:00 am Saturday, October 19, 2019

From the ashes of Paper Bird comes a Heavy Diamond Ring.

For those familiar with the Denver music scene of the last 15 years undoubtedly has heard Paper Bird. The indie musical collective had at least three vocalists and focused on multi-part harmonies.

As with things made of paper, Paper Bird, for whatever reason, didn’t last and all the members decided to move on to other ventures. Two of those former birds, Sarah Anderson (vocals/trumpet) and Paul DeHaven (guitar/vocals), ventured together to form Heavy Diamond Ring and have just released their self-titled debut release.

Heavy Diamond Ring will perform Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton. There is no cover charge for the all-ages show.

While one can detect the Paper Bird DNA in HDR’s sound, Sarah and Paul, together with band members Blake Stepan (bass/vocals), Mike Lang (keyboards/vocals) and Orion Tate Igneizi (drums), are far heavier than Paper Birds ever were.

Sarah Anderson has a powerful voice and knows how to use it as an instrument.

In this new musical venture, she doesn’t have to share lead vocals. They are all hers and she nails it. OK, the gentlemen provide background vocals here and there, but they would be the first to admit, vocally this is Sarah’s show.

Listeners will have to determine on their own how they will classify HDR musically. They obviously are diverse in their individual influences by what comes out in the music. When asked how he would describe HDR’s sound, DeHaven states, “I hear a classic band, a la The Band, and I hear us having a great time.”

An apt assessment — like The Band, HDR moves in and out of genres with ease.

Lyrically, the songs tend toward personal observations concerning life. In the song “Finally,” DeHaven gives a glimpse into his songwriting.

“I often write lyrics while hiking. They tend to come with a bit of clarity as I descend or return to the trailhead … there is a literal line in there: ‘you go up to the mountain and you try to clear your mind, but all of your troubles follow right behind.’”

For the song “Wild Things,” they have produced what this reviewer believes is one of the best music videos of the last 20 years. People, take the time to look it up on YouTube and watch it. “I’d trade all my silver and gold to be a wild thing.”

And the really wild thing about this video is, the older you are, the more you’re going to like it! Seriously, watch it.

The last track on the album, entitled “Black Eye,” is a great kiss-off to those who you’d never like to see again. Live, this could easily become a festive, a cappella sing-along. It’s also an awesome way to end a debut release.

It just might be time to invest in some Heavy Diamond Ring.

A retired educator, Johnny Vinyl spends his days with Lucifer, a 10-year-old German shepherd, reading and riding the vibe. His column, Ride the vibe, focuses on entertainment. Contact him via tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com.