ELDR EPK
Official Bio
When Jameson Elder and Hanna Rae met in Nashville in 2013, they were both fresh-faced singer-songwriters learning to navigate the musical landscape. Like many young Nashville artists, they met up several times to write. A mutual love of music led to a love of a different sort, and the pair were married in 2016. Both pursued their individual careers, Hanna released two folk-pop EPs including 2018’s Without Letting Go (think Ingrid Michaelson meets Brandi Carlile), while Jameson released an EP and his debut full length album Prodigals & Thieves with more of an americana-rock sound (somewhere between Tom Petty and Dawes).
From the start, they always intended to record music together. Hanna recalls that “for years, people would come up to us after a show and ask when we were planning on releasing music together. We’d just laugh and say ‘oh, one of these days’. We talked about it a lot, but we just never fully dove in.” “There is a weird tension to co-creating with the person you love. It’s different because you don’t get to just set aside whatever conversation you had that morning. We had to learn how to create together”.
Despite being an incredibly difficult year, 2020 proved fruitful ground for the duo to finally go all in. They wrote and produced their debut EP, Nowhere Else To Go, almost entirely in their Nashville home while the nation was in lockdown. Songs on the EP range from the deep sorrow of “Coming Undone”, written the week that lockdown hit, to “Safe With You”, a lively folk-rock song that highlights the joy of having someone to walk with you through uncertain circumstances. With influences ranging from Drew and Ellie Holcomb to The Lone Bellow, Hanna and Jameson found a way to meet right in the middle of their individual sounds.
While ELDR as a project is seeking new ground, both Hanna and Jameson have had some unique career milestones. Jameson’s music was featured on the TV show “Nashville” and toured as a guitarist for Nashville indie rock band Afterlife Parade and Matthew Smith of Indelible Grace, while Hanna’s voice can be heard on more than a few ads. They have opened up for acts including Marc Broussard, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Lauren Alaina, and more.
“ELDR — the Americana-pop husband-and-wife duo of Jameson Elder and Hanna Rae — shows us the magic of working with someone you’re extremely close to (in this case, married) on their brand new EP, ‘Nowhere Else to Go.’ There is an ease and a comfort that is inherent in their music, and their first project together — both are established, successful solo artists — is proof that the matrimonial ties here equal beautiful music. Elder is known for his more roots-rock-leaning sound, and Rae has explored the indie-pop/folk realm, and ELDR explores the crossroads of their respective lanes. The two find a perfect stride and sound immediately. It’s gorgeous and haunting and uplifting in turn.”
“...indie rock-meets-Americana sound that is airy and triumphant. Their harmonies are the real star of the show here, gliding over the music and constantly building into big rock and roll moments that give the song an arena-ready sound... an electrifying catchiness to the music, and it’s easy to picture the duo backed by a big band playing this tune on a huge festival stage.”
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