The Grind was recorded in the spring of
2013 at Redwall North Studios in Grand Haven, MI, and marks the first
major independent release for producer Bill Chrysler, who has been one
of the most sought after sound engineers in the music world for artists
such as Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
recently, Ray Lamontagne, including a long standing gig of nearly a
decade as John Mayer’s right hand sound man. The disc was co-produced by
Joe Sturgill and Vincent Hayes, and mastered by Brian Lucey (Black
Keys, “Brothers, El Camino”) at Magic Garden Mastering in Columbus,
Ohio.Following the highly successful award winning debut recording Reclamation,
Hayes and his band decided to return to their roots as a three-piece
power trio, and drop the “Vincent Hayes Project” moniker in favor of
Hayes’s name. “It’s a simpler identity, says Hayes, and it gives me more
freedom as a writer to explore other sounds, and let the songs lead me,
rather than to be dependent on arranging around two
keyboardists.” Returning on The Grind are Bassist, David “The
Butcher” Alves, and Donnie Hugley on percussion, who back Hayes with
both power and precision on the 10 guitar driven tracks. “With the
keyboards gone, I finally felt free to make a big guitar record, and I’m
really excited about the guitar tones on this disc, states Hayes. Joe
and I spent a lot of time crafting guitar sounds. We agreed on the first
session ‘no rules’, just whatever it takes to make it big, fat and
beautiful.” Hayes says of the studio, “There is just a vibe here. It’s a
combination of a lot of factors, and none of us really have put our
finger on just one thing. Its a great studio with great engineers, and a
lot of passionate musicians, including national acts like Hayes, who
says “reminds him of what it must have felt like back in the days when
the cats at Chess Records and Motown realized that something special was
happening there.”VINCENT HAYES
