Editor’s Note: Originally published March 2018
Los Angeles native Henry Hall harnesses a pop-rock charm often delivered with a humorous and playful style all his own. Not to be confused with the late great Henry Hall & His Orchestra, who delivered one dynamite version of “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” a handful of years ago back in 1932, which you should listen to HERE.
With many mainstream songs nowadays sounding painfully similar, almost robotic, Hall strays from the pack with satirical, out-of-left-field lyrics. With lines like “Can’t be quite so bad / You’re not an 1890’s Irish lad”, from the song “Comfort Zone”, or perhaps “Peg and I, we had a kid / And we named him Greg / Regretfully we named him Greg / Shoulda named him Troy / That’s the best name for boys,” in his song “Kid”, both sung in a joyfully drawn-out falsetto vocal with killer harmonies. Hall sings in a high register, much akin to the singing style of artists he admires like Prince, Thom Yorke, The Weeknd, and others.
Hall produces a danceable feel-good style to his music. The twangy undulating guitar riffs that complement the bouncy melody make for a sound that you might expect to hear in a Tears For Fears or maybe The Cure classic. There’s something of a vintage eighties essence with a modern twist exuded in Hall’s music.
In June of 2016, Rolling Stone put out an article on Hall featuring his music video “Frenemy (Just Be Nice),” helping to put him on the radar. In the article, Hall lends insight on his relationship with his mom, comedy icon Julia Louis-Dreyfus, including her support for his own unique direction in the entertainment business. His iconic lineage has allowed him to use his natural sense of humor and witty light-heartedness to his advantage, which is on full display in his songs and music videos.
Yes, being the son of the great JLD, Hall has had ample influence forging his own musical path. In our brief chit-chat with him, we had to ask what his favorite Seinfeld episode is, to which he answered “The Yada Yada” episode. Just awesome.
Hall recently finished up a February residency at The Satellite in LA, which he claims, “Was some of the most fun I’ve had at a run of shows ever.” He’s got more singles set for release in the next couple months, and some live performance videos as well, so stay tuned for more visual delights. “…maybe I’ll make a video of me pouring milk into a bowl of cereal too, who knows.”
Lord knows we’re all for it here at Music Mecca.
His last three singles included “Love For Serious”, “Kid”, and “Talk,” which have received many a positive response. Hall’s axe of choice is his trusty Gibson ES-335 he says, which he’s played since he was merely a preteen. “It’s so versatile and trustworthy- sort of like Steven Adams from the Oklahoma City Thunder.” If that’s not reliability, I don’t know what is.
And while we’re on the subject, let it be known Hall predicts Penn State running back Saquon Barkley will be chosen first overall in the NFL Draft this April.
To wrap things up, here are Henry Hall’s Top 5 artists of 2018:
- Wiley
- Soccer Mommy
- Ruckazoid
- Clairo
- Louis Cole
