Tour Diary: Recording in Woodstock + Exploring Russia With Tall Heights

Around the world with Tim & Paul.

Feature

Oct 19, 2018 | Caitlin Kenney

Share on facebook

Share on twitter

Somewhere on the outskirts of Boston in 2009, in a small suburban town called Sturbridge, childhood friends Paul Wright and Tim Harrington came together to form Tall Heights. Since then, the indie-electro duo have left their hometown to travel across the globe with artists like CAKE, Judah & The Lion, Colony House, James Blunt, and Ben Folds. But trust us, they’re still just getting started. Not familiar with them yet? Step into the sonic universe found on their 11-track sophomore album, Pretty Colors For Your Actions, which was released earlier this month.

It’s no secret the yin-and-yang best friends have always had a deep passion for music. “No matter when you’re creating—culturally, politically, environmentally—the only thing that endures is something that is art across all borders and times,” says Tim, “It needs to first and foremost be a thing that’s worthy of consumption on an emotional level. Anyone can make a comment on something with their words, but the things that last are the things that inexplicably capture your heart.”

The guys have been touring non-stop all year, and they still have more left in them, because they’re headlining their own tour through November. To give us an idea of what it’s been like the past few months, they shared some behind-the-scenes snapshots of their life on the road. From recording their new album in a barn to getting impromptu haircuts from their drummer, check out their adventures below!

Be sure to catch Tall Heights this fall as they embark on their Pretty Colors For Your Actions Tour across North America with Frances Cone and Sea Brigade.

Tall Heights' 2018 Tour Diary

This photo was actually taken in Russia, earlier this year. Paul is wearing Tim's button-up because ALL of his bags got lost somewhere between Moscow and Voronezh, Russia. Yes, all of his bags includes musical equipment. Somehow the show was still amazing.

We recorded our new album, "Pretty Colors For Your Actions," in Woodstock, NY in an old converted barn. To save money, we slept in the hayloft. Tim's dog named Copper was there for every single minute of recording it. In the trying moments he became a therapy animal. Nothing helps you navigate the darkness of creation like a face full of loving, sleepy dog.

Our 2018 was spent eating, breathing, and sleeping on parallel van benches, chasing the buses of Ben Folds and Judah & the Lion through sunshine, rain, sleet, and snow. We were the opening act on so many shows this year, that now that we're on a headlining tour of our own, our heads are exploding every night. Playing more than 30 minutes + a room full of our fans = bliss.

This is not weird. This is our normal. Our amazing drummer and tour manager, Paul Dumas, is also shockingly good at cutting hair.

Trying to stay fit on the road may be the goofiest, most strangely odor-ed thing you'll ever see (and/or smell).

We're lucky because our colleagues, band mates, and business partners are also our best pals (and best hair stylists).

Our pre-show pump-ups get kinda obscene, not gonna lie.

Tim is the fire of Tall Heights. He speaks his mind, he is excitable, he is emotional. He thrives on enthusiasm and knows what to do when he hears something he likes. He's a guitarist, a singer, and a songwriter, but above all he's a relentless collaborator.

Paul is the water of Tall Heights. He is quiet, thoughtful and reflective. He lives out the expression "speak less, say more." Drawing on his years of classical musical training, and an obsession with John Steinbeck, he creates melodic, musical, and lyrical magic for TH to develop into songs and albums.

It's not about singing, it's not about ripping on instruments or rocking out. It's not about persona or notoriety. For us, it's about writing songs that make us feel something, and finding a way to convey them so that you feel something too. What's why we make records, and that's why we play shows. We make pretty colors for your actions.