Hawthorne Roots may not be Moscow natives, but they are definitely familiar with the Palouse.
They will play at John’s Alley Tavern 9:30 p.m. tonight, making it the band’s fourth appearance at the Sixth Street bar, said singer Madeline Kelly.
While on tour promoting their newest album, the band’s tour bus broke down, and they were worried they wouldn’t be able to get it fixed, said Kelly, who created the group with her sister Emma. But they did.
“It was really scary … and we’re so relieved to be back on the road, Kelly said.
After starting a GoFundMe campaign, Hawthorne Roots was able to raise the $5,000 needed for repairs with a variety of small donations from family, friends, fans and people who were just hearing their music.
“Especially coming from people who don’t know we are, that really also made us feel like our music is connecting with people and connecting with them enough that they would want to support us on that level,” Kelly said. “It really gives us hope and a reason to continue to push forward.”
Hawthorne Roots will share the stage tonight with The Drunken Hearts — a Colorado-based band, Kelly said.
The two bands have never met before, but thanks to Vertical Dave, John’s Alley sound and music promoter, they will.
“One of the coolest promoters (Vertical Dave) I’ve ever met, he’s a unique soul, he thought, ‘Well, hey, these two bands seem like a good fit, so let’s just put them together,’” Kelly said.
With their newfound connection, Hawthorne Roots has already been able to book shows at venues in the Drunken Hearts’ home state.
“I think the Drunken Hearts bring something similar, (and) I’m just as excited to check them out as anyone else,” Kelly said.
Hawthorne Roots will release new content soon, after recently releasing a new music video called “Fine Line” via YouTube. Their music is also available on Spotify. They will have CDs at tonight’s show.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee