Album Notes

"While the rest of the world was running around in circles, he dreamed in straight lines..." Grace Hearn and Michael Savage / What I can do low (I can do high)

On their latest recording, Messy Blue Ending, vocalist Grace Hearn and guitarist Michael Savage weave a tapestry of sweet seduction, surprising viewpoints and instrumental expertise and clarity - a sound that could best be described as "sweeping, cinematic folk-noir." Produced and recorded in their hometown of Seattle by Savage and Tucker Martine (Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz) Messy Blue Ending is an intimate and lushly produced record featuring Grace's seductive and inimitable soaring voice perfectly matched with Savage's rapturous guitar lines and arrangements.

The use of viola, banjo, trumpet, clarinet and accordion help to define each songs unique character.

Employing a cast of characters that could have been plucked from a Raymond Carver short story, Messy Blue Ending takes the listener into a world that seamlessly alternates between hard-won elation and brutal dark honesty - a truly arresting experience.

Reviews:

"A shocking duo of intrepid genius from Seattle, with the degree of brilliance that is illuminating. Repeated listenings to this recording over a few days have left me more impressed each time. ...there is no substitute for fierce, irrepressible talent. And there is a deep well of it here. This is a far cry from a music product, this is music.." Puremusic.com, August, 2003

"...a newfound sense of intimacy and brutally dark honesty. Moving between the angst-ridden folk pop of Juliana Hatfield and Cowboy Junkies' doomsday indie folk, the most obvious reference point may still be Kristin Hersh. "Crush" offers unsettling indie folk, while "Snow on the Ground" is a moody, chilling track. "Hope and Despair" shimmers brightly, and "What I Can Do Low (I Can Do High) mixes film noir and sweeping dream-folk with remarkable results." Ink 19, '03

"The cast of characters that inhabit Messy Blue Ending could have been plucked from a Carver short story. Savage and Hearn carefully walk that fine line between lyrics and poetry always leaving room for her expressive voice to do its work... their sound is elemental; a product of gut, skin, bits of wood and mineral." .The Local Planet (Spokane Weekly) '03

"unclassifiable music anchored with amazing vocals and effortless guitar... a tapestry of strange viewpoints, sweet seduction and instrumental expertise and clarity. This is, in a word, gorgeous." Indie-Music.com, '03

"The rapturous guitar playing of Michael Savage provides perfect quicker-picker-upping to the gorgeous vocals of Grace Hearn, and the result is evocative, sexy, ethereal and KNOWN FOR PARTING THE RED SEA." Metro, Santa Cruz April, 2003

"The neo-folk duo Hand to Mouth rises above the over-crowded folk music fray, high enough to be in the clouds. The result is a sound that both defies the folk genre and defines a sound of their own." Good Times (Santa Cruz Weekly) June '01

"Further praise must be lavished on Michael Savage and Grace Hearn, who provide a deeply evocative background soundtrack to the artsy action, and must be given credit for creating and sustaining a healthy portion of the mood and dramatic tension." The Stranger, Feb. '03 (review of "Wounds to the Face" - a play with original sound track performed live)