On The Verge

The Higher Choir

Atlanta, GA
Steeped in Southern Tradition
http://www.facebook.com/thehigherchoir

“We’re just country boys,” reflects vocalist Chance Walls when asked how he would describe his band, The Higher Choir. With a sound that oscillates between country western, folk, and straight southern rock, the Atlanta based band and their first EP, Half-Way Home, reflects just that sentiment. The Higher Choir is a band that sounds great recorded but really turns into an experience when seen live, which partially explains their incredibly diverse fan base. With influences ranging from Hank Williams and Merle Haggard to John Coltrane and Miles Davis, the band is especially multifaceted, which makes for a different sound and keeps their live performances fresh.

The Higher Choir has been playing together for just over a year and a half, although Walls, Alan Conner (Guitar) and Wayne Glass (Drums), have known each other for over a decade. Members have come and gone, but the core as it stands now also includes Michael Pozz (Organ), a Nashville transplant, Stephen Darley (Bass), Harold Sellers (Percussion), and Grant Mitchell (Lead Guitar, Vocals.) Everyone in the band was hand picked by the three longtime friends, and when Grant joined he “just fit the whole perfectly,” says Walls; with his guitar playing—heavily influenced by Duane Allman and Jerry Garcia—the band was complete. The Higher Choir makes use of all of the band members’ talents, creating lyrics, melodies and harmonies as a collective. As Walls rightfully emphasizes, “A band is a full circle…if you’re not including everyone, it’s not a band.”

Half-way Home has only five songs on it, an intentional decision made by The Higher Choir, who plan on producing additional EPs of similar length every three to four months. Walls cites shrinking attention spans and a lack of leisure time as a reason for this tactic, because not everyone always has time to sit down and truly absorb ten songs. The album continues a tradition of southern storytelling, something Walls says he sees as still present in folk music, but less so in rock: “We love telling stories; it’s the aspect of telling stories that is important and has gotten lost in rock and roll.” With songs like “Hard Tack & Whiskey,” which tells of a confederate soldier who is not going to make it home, or “Who’s To Say,” a song about good times and a laid-back existence, The Higher Choir’s material ranges from the civil war to urban life in Atlanta, spanning a shared southern culture that all Americans can relate to.

Their next EP, which will be released come the New Year, is entitled Steeped in Southern Tradition, and is sure to continue in the same vain. An enthusiastic fan base has embraced the band rather quickly, for which they are especially grateful, but their popularity is sure to only grow. The Higher Choir is accessible and fun; they play southern rock while commanding the stage and making sure they are engaging people in both their stories and their music. “Work hard and be humble is a motto of mine,” Walls admits before adding, “We’re just glad to be invited to the party.”