Himes, who is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, was at the helm for sessions from other local acts that made my top releases of 2021. In the roots rock realm, there was Neo American Pioneers’ “Into the Deep,” the New Old-Fashioned’s four-song EP “Big City,” and Age Nowhere’s sophomore LP, “Age Nowhere Strikes Again!” However, it wasn’t only roots rock coming out of Reel Love. There was folk duo the Touchy Feelys’ debut, “Break-Up Songs About Staying Together,” and “Future Copy,” the sophomore album from alt-rockers Sadbox.
“It’s crazy,” Himes responded when I asked about the output. “Working with all of these people has been an absolute joy and I’m still in awe of how wide the talent pool is here.”
The Katawicks, Heather Redman, the Paint Splats and Zac Pitts all released Himes-produced singles in 2021. These songs were all teasers for forthcoming albums that should be released in 2022, but that’s only the tip of the monolithic iceberg of music scheduled surging its way out of Himes’ studio.
In addition to the four acts mentioned above, the hardworking studio wizard has more than a dozen other planned releases that should emerge this year. It’s a diverse group including highly anticipated new releases from Yuppie, Amber Hargett, Viceroy Kings, RIND, David Payne and Shade Of Red.
“I’m loving it all, too,” Himes said. “There’s not a bad one in the bunch. I’m legitimately excited about every single one of these releases.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
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