Published by Forum Communications Echo Press on July 1, 2022.
An indie-alternative music duo, Against the Voices , released a single that reflects painful emotions that member, Gabriel Hart, 25, of Glenwood first felt 12 years ago.
He was 13 when realizations of his father's infidelity and double life with a second family came to light.
Hart says by "popping on a song" he can escape to a "different" place where he can process his emotions, especially if he can relate to the lyrics. He is hoping his band's new song, "Father's Day," will have the same effect on those who listen to it.
"This song was written about my family processing my father's double life — including his second family that he hid from us— and how we handled his absence, not knowing what was truly going on and coming to terms with the aftermath of our family splitting apart," said Hart.
It was Christmas day. Hart was playing with his cousins and brothers downstairs while his aunt, uncle and parents were visiting upstairs. An argument broke out between his parents and their elevated voices carried throughout the house.
Hart went upstairs and heard his mother accuse his father of having an affair after she heard a woman's voice coming from his phone while he was in the bathroom. His father denied it, calling Hart's mother "crazy."
Eventually, his mother left with Hart and his brothers, leaving his father behind, and soon everything came to light. His father had been having an affair and was secretly helping raise the other woman's daughter for the last three or four years, Hart said.
There was a situation before in which Hart's mother had suspected and accused her husband of cheating. That time, Hart confronted his dad and asked him straight up if he was cheating. His dad promised him he wasn't.
"It kind of like, messed up my trust in people," said Hart. "Because, if my dad lies to me to my face, who else lies to my face?"
Today, Hart and his father have a mending relationship but it hasn't been the same. For more than five years, the two hardly spoke at all.
"This song is the first time I've been able to truly express the effect on me and my younger brother who would stay up night after night waiting for my dad to come home until he fell asleep...Ultimately, I hope my brother finds healing through this song."
Hart says writing songs is a way for him to let out internal feelings and deal with personal struggles. He hopes the songs will help others dealing with similar experiences — just as songs from his favorite artists have done for him.
Growing up, his mom and his dad instilled a passion for music into Hart as they were devout music lovers who introduced him to a variety of artists from N.W.A., Frank Sinatra, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine and Tim McGraw. However, it was Blink-182's performance at the 2000 Big Day Out music festival that inspired Hart to become a musician.
Hart began writing music and lyrics after joining his church's band in fourth or fifth grade. He says he writes about personal experiences in his life and formats it much like a poem.
"Father's Day" was co-written by Hart and bandmate, Nick Zimmerman, who lives in Nashville, after the two were brainstorming ideas for a song years ago. Zimmerman suggested the idea of writing about the situation after Hart said he hadn't addressed his feelings about what happened. Over two or three years, each would revise and add lyrics and music up until the week of the release on Friday, June 17, 2022.
Hart and Zimmerman met during the church band days and in August of 2012, they formed a quartet called Hello Hart. The band released “The Fight EP” produced by hit-songwriter and producer Eric Arjes. The Ep's song “Heart of Winter,” was recorded with three-time Grammy award-winning producer, Mark Heimermann.
The group nearly signed with a label but due to poor management and internal struggles, Hart and Zimmerman left the group and eventually formed Against the Voices.
The distance between Tennessee and Minnesota makes in-person practices difficult but they make due by Skyping weekly.
In November 2019, the duo united in Nashville to finish three singles with executive producer, Eric Arjes, who has worked with Tim McGraw, Newsboys, and Thompson Square. Jeff Braun who has worked with The Band CAMINO, Jason Aldean and Hunter Hayes, mixed and mastered the tracks.
So far, they have released seven singles with a few albums in the works. While their main focus is writing and producing music, they hope to start scheduling live performances.
Lyrics to "Fathers Day":
The loudest thing that I ever heard
Was the silence in the air as you turned
Your back on your family
Your back on me
Your back on a kid who was only thirteen
It's the loudest thing that I ever heard
The hardest thing that I ever learned
Is the blood that we share is all we're worth
And I don't know what to believe
Did you ever love mom?
Did you ever love me?
I'm still not sure if I ever learned —
I couldn't sleep
So I'd stay up another night
I tried to scream
But the silence drowned my mind
I wondered where you'd be
And lost track of time
When the sun came up
A bit of me died —
It's the sound of your family coming to terms
With a role that you never earned —
You never heard
You never heard
You never heard
You never heard
You never heard
You never heard
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