Things you should know:
1.Donny Hue and The Colors consists of Ed Donahue (of the Carlsonics) and features members of Nethers, Washington Social Club, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals and many other friends.
2.Their music is the closest to magical (sur)realism this city has to offer and walks the fine line between childish and sophisticated, and utilizes everything but the kitchen sink (including theremin, glockenspiels, melodicas, autoharps, organs, and plenty of vocal harmonies) to create a layered, wonderfully complex sound that is two parts symphonic chamber pop, one part folkloric and with a sprinkling of nursery rhymes in it.
3. It is like nothing you have ever heard. (if anything, it sounds like a soundtrack to a cartoon Henry Darger never made). But you probably NEED TO.
4. We wish we were flies on the walls of their creative process (and we rarely wish that)
5. Next month they are releasing their debut album Folkmote which was recorded last summer over one (we assume long) weekend in Richmond and after a late, late show last Saturday at Velvet Lounge, they are bringing their bit tomorrow (Tuesday the 31st) to Millenium Stage which, we think will do their sweeping sound justice.

But until then, we were allowed to preview a few songs on the record, and also get some of Ed’s notes on them, which, I guess, is the closest we will ever get to being a fly on the walls of that creative process we spoke about before.
Listen.
Learn.
and then listen some more because this is the kind of music that grows better every time.

In the Excellence of the Autoharp
the title gives this one away. If you’ve never played an Autoharp
before, I highly suggest it. It’s easy…just press the buttons and
strum. Play it in your backyard and with your friends. Have a BBQ,
get drunk, and invite the neighbors. If it’s summertime, drag out the
slip ‘n’ slide. If it’s winter, an ice luge should do the trick.

Real Long Time
my girlfriend takes forever to get dressed. She also takes forever to
eat, watch television, and play Monopoly. Sometimes it gets
ridiculous and painfully awkward. This song, I hope, conveys those
frustrations.

Mountain Piece
after about three takes of this, my friend Mike (he’s plays piano in
the Colors) realized that he was playing the song in reverse. I told
him, “No, you’re in reverse.” So he revisited the first take, took the
reverse, and reversed it. You can do some crazy stuff in the studio
these days. I think we got it right!

Peter and his Puzzle
This is based on a weird old myth regarding a long line of kings from
the Age of Secrets. These kings loved horses but in return the horses
would eat them! Some believed it was a punishment from the gods. The
last king in this line was Peter. He went insane and built a series
of mazes around his castle, hoping that it would keep him from this
cruel fate. He stayed there until the end of his days, always
watching…waiting…horses.

This is told from the horses’ perspective, as they make their way
through the mazes.

Untitled
In the story of Donny Hue and the Colors (which you can read about
here: www.thekorarecords.com/dh.html), Donny eventually escapes the
wunderground and ventures out into a strange, new world. Many
adventures come to pass. In this one, tension builds in a valley of
unforgiving darkness. Donny’s courage is tested but he breaks
through! Have we come to an end?

online:
http://www.myspace.com/donnyhueandthecolors
http://www.donnyhue.com/
http://www.thekorarecords.com/

all photos by: Joel Didriksen http://www.kingpinphoto.com/

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