Official retirement press release – 06/28/14
Today is a highly emotional day, as I am officially announcing my retirement from Jeff Hershey and The Heartbeats. What originally started out as a personal experiment of mine with the release of the first 45 vinyl single in 2008 and the intention of only playing one show, turned into 2 U.S. tours, 3 European tours, 2 EPs, 2 singles, a sold out debut LP, and a lot of blood and sweat left on the stage. I am very proud of the accomplishments this band has made, and of the many fans around the world to whom we gave a reason to party and celebrate music in its purest form. My goals for this project materialized into something that has far exceeded my expectations. The kind of show we put on is nothing short of an athletic sport and very physically demanding. We probably could ride this thing out ’til we’re old and frail and have to be propped up on the stage, but that is something that holds no interest for me. I want to go out on top and present the show the way it is and was always meant to be. We will be performing our final show at the 2014 Music Under the Stars concert at the Olivas Adobe in Ventura on Saturday, August 9th at 7:00 pm. We welcome any and all who would like to attend this special farewell performance. I thank you all for the support and the great memories. This has truly been one hell of a chapter in my life and the lives of many others.
I love you all,
Jeff Hershey
I would like to personally thank the following people for directly making the entire JH+HB experience what it was:
My bandmates: Sam Bolle, Joe Baugh, Kyle O’Donnell, Tony Cicero, Rivkah Ross, Erik Carlson, Bonnie Buitrago, Johnny Marston, Ashley Jarmack, Ron Dziubla, Max McDonald, Eric Monteith, Brent Harding, Nathaniel Morgan, Robin Ryder, Owen Bucey, Ron Baldwin, Bruce Kimmell, and Mike Stinnett.
Co-Writer: Chris J.
U.S. Label and art direction: Donny Phillips and James Lockwood at Siren Records
U.S. Publicist: Nate Sirotta at Impulse PR
European Agency: Jair Hoogland at Sedate Bookings
European Label: Marco Traxell at Soundflat Records
Producer and engineer: Pete Curry, Ron Baldwin, Armand Tambouris
As a bonus, we have released the never before heard Rockabilly Covers EP as a free download on our Bandcamp page. This was our first recording ever done as a band. This EP features cover versions of the popular songs “Red Hot” (Robert Gordon), “I’m On Fire” (Bruce Springsteen), “Lonesome Town” (Ricky Nelson), and “When Will I be Loved” (The Everly Brothers). The band featured on this is Jeff Hershey (all vocals), Joe Baugh (guitar), Tony Cicero (drums), and Brent Harding (bass). Enjoy!