Answer this...: Aaron Whisnant

Aaron Whisnant

The (d)evolution and farewell tour of this...

From the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Jan. 11, 2007:

Audio slideshow: Dezeray's Hammer comes to the end

The (d)evolution of a Hammer - A Timeline

TGOM's personal attachment to this...
Dezeray's Hammer (f.k.a. Albert Hill) has been--hands down--the tallglassofmilk's favorite formerly signed, then unsigned, then re-signed and unsigned again and still pluggin' away rock bands from Spartanburg, S.C. In fact, they are on my all-time favorite list, second only to Fleetwood Mac, and will remain there even though the group has officially called it quits and frontman / singer / songwriter / producer extraordinaire Aaron James Whisnant is moving to Nashville to pursue other career opportunities.

Albert Hill's Volume I was the first album project I was ever involved in. Recorded in Nashville at Reba McIntire's Starstruck Studios in 1996, it remains my favorite unreleased album ever. To this day, Aaron considers those days of first being signed to a major label a career highlight and I am proud to share in those fond memories.

Speaking of sharing, I never do miss an opportunity to share my love for the band with others and even gave the band's fellow Carolinian Dale Earnhardt Jr. a copy of half of their catalog when he was out this way in 2004.

I do believe the most memorable moment the band has of TGOM is from backstage after a show at Brownie's in NYC when I gave the band's former bass player, Chris Francisco, the shoes off my feet - a pair of black Doc Martens. That night when I got home--late and barefooted--I took a little heat from the band's A&R (and my then boyfriend and giver of said Docs) who was sick and missed the show, but I digress.

Anyone who knows me has heard me say that "talent's a m*ther f*cker" when it comes to attraction. And it's certainly no serect that TGOM is a sucker for creative talent. But it is a wonder that all these years have passed without the exposure of my affinity for Aaron James, on whom I have harbored a secret crush--since 1996. Oops. Did I just think that out loud? I really must stop doing this...

Posted by tallglassofmilk on January 28, 2007 in Aaron Whisnant, Dezeray's Hammer | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

This... is Aaron Whisnant

As leader of one of Spartanburg, South Carolina's most successful groups since the Marshall Tucker Band, Aaron Whisnant delivers the new sound of Spartanburg to audiences around the nation with the band Dezeray's Hammer.

A Wisconsin native, Whisnant moved with his family to Spartanburg when he was 11 years old. He said the move to Spartanburg has affected his sound and style. "I'm definitely a musician who is more influenced by my environment than anything," he said, adding that a Southern drawl is most evident in his guitar playing. More than anything, however, Whisnant credits his family for nurturing his musical interests and creative pursuits.

Music was prominent in the Whisnant household. His father, a Wofford College professor, exposed Aaron and his brother to jazz and rock 'n' roll. "Most of my listening came straight from my father and my brother," he said. "They have the biggest effect on my music. My brother was a phenomenal stand-up bass player…(and) my dad just has an incredible knowledge of music. He's taught four or five different interims on different genres."

Although songwriting is something Whisnant has pursued since childhood, in his early teen years locally popular young bands like Depo Provera and original acts like Homeboy Madhouse inspired him. In later years, Whisnant utilized the same fabled stage of his early heroes at Dawg Gone's to develop and display his own material and connect with other musicians, such as drummer Kenny Hogan, with whom he would form the rock band Albert Hill.

Albert Hill flirted with mainstream success, receiving airplay on MTV's "Road Rules" and grabbing a major-label recording contract before the label reorganized and dropped the band. Not deterred by big-time heartbreak, the band streamlined and re-emerged as Dezeray's Hammer, inaugurating a new era in Spartanburg centered on the once red-hot nightspot Magnolia Street Pub. The band continues as a popular recording and touring act.

Not only a band leader and songwriter, Whisnant has become a much-in-demand producer, crafting records for popular area bands Pharma Sutra, Juggernaut, Calus and others. Directly shaping and molding the next generation of the Spartanburg sound, Whisnant also instructs guitar at The Musician Center. [Source: www.hub-bub.com]

For news, tour dates and downloads, visit Dezeray's Hammer Official Website.

Discography of this...

Dezeray's Hammer
The Past That Decorates Me (2004)
Everything Whatsoever (2002)
Immune (2001)
Mortified (2000)
Acoustic Live (2000)
Dezeray's Hammer (1999)