John Hollier has been experiencing a handful of full-circle moments lately. Originally from Louisiana, the rising singer-songwriter has been relentlessly chasing down not only his unique sound — this searing fusion of rock, soul and alt-country — but also himself in the process. The result is his latest album, Rainmaker, a record showcasing Hollier’s live wire talent and artistic purpose.
“The live show is where I feel we’ve been able to really latch on to an identity. I don’t feel like the previous record captured that identity,” Hollier says candidly. “In terms of standing out, I think the show quickly outpaced that album. This new record is a true representation of the past two yea.”
When it comes to great stage acts, one of the most difficult things to do is take that you-had-to-be-there energy of one’s live performance and translate that into the studio setting. And yet, this is where the essence of Rainmaker lies — this launching point for what Hollier and his band, The Rêverie, envision.
“[Onstage], there is pure chemistry, energy, and some magic” Hollier says. “I’ve put so much weight on the songwriting and the recording process, where I didn’t give enough credit for how effortless [our sound] can come across at our live show. It’s special.”
Instead of hiring session musicians, Hollier took his touring band into the studio and let the tapes roll — the radiating emotion and sonic tones cultivated due to a true comfortability and connectivity between one another.
”I’ll admit this approach took much longer than I anticipated. We weren’t a studio band. But I truly believe in this process,” Hollier says. “I found a sweet spot where I can comfortably write a body of work, and just bounce it off of the guys, bring that into the studio and have someone press record. We’re finally able to capture that convincingly.”
Emerging from rural central Louisiana, Hollier grew up on a crawfish farm in the depths of French-Cajun country. Outside of the usual cultural pillars of football and church, Hollier and his big brother learned to play guitar and sing at an early age. They would perform at church services and family gatherings.
“There was not really a music scene [there], but there were a lot of good musicians,” Hollier recalls. “But, that’s where the initial kind of candle burn began to happen for me, where I started to feel like music was my thing.”
One of those talented local musicians was Hollier’s uncle, who played guitar in a popular Cajun band. And he always left an open invitation to the brothers that if they ever wanted to jump onstage and play with his band, have at it.
“My brother and I could never hang with those Cajun guys,” Hollier chuckles. “They don’t play like country [music] and if they’re good it’s hard to keep up. Especially following the cadence of an accordion.”
But, Hollier wasn’t deterred. When he was onstage, something was sparked, with Hollier continually having these epiphanies while in the midst of a live performance. Out of high school, he started playing with some regional touring acts and began traveling around the U.S. and Canada.
To be honest, the moment I started writing and performing, I knew this was the only thing I wanted to be doing,” Hollier says. “With a live band, though, you really have to grind. I try to keep this tunnel vision – this is the path, just keep going.”
Eventually, Hollier took off to Nashville to try his luck as a songwriter, maybe even start a group in Music City and see where it would take him. In an effort to fit in and find work, Hollier’s French-Cajun roots began to take a backseat to the modern country sounds echoing out of studios and venues around the city.
“When you move to Nashville, you realize quickly what you’re not, you know?” Hollier says. “And I realized how much my roots mattered to me. But, there’s got to be a way to incorporate that [heritage and feeling] without being a little cheeky or make it feel cringe.”
Cue the formation of John Hollier & The Rêverie. Based on the Old French word “rêver,” which means “to dream,” the band’s name is a purposeful, more so poignant, ode to the definition itself that focuses on “a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream.”
“[The band name] is a cultural nod,” Hollier says. “But, it’s also about this dreamlike state, this very meditative space like when we’re working on a song and eventually put the words to it, these ethereal pieces that are like a river [flowing].”
With an array of sonic textures, the fiery ensemble weaves effortlessly between the rock, soul and indie-folk realms, where the vibrancy and soaring nature of the group conjures comparisons to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Nathaniel Rateliff or Needtobreathe.
“But, you got a way with words, a way to freeze the frame,” Hollier roars through the arena-filling sound of “Can’t Say No Tonight.” “I don’t think about tomorrow, I just think about the way.”
With the release of Rainmaker now on the horizon, Hollier is chomping at the bit to not only share his music with the world, but to also once again take it straight to the ultimate proving ground that is the live stage — this space John Hollier & The Rêverie inhabit with grace, grit, and gratitude.
“The last thing you want to do is sound like everybody else,” Hollier says. “When you realize what your strengths are, and then you play to your strengths? That’s how you find your sound — that’s what we’re doing.”
