Famous for being a contestant on The Voice, local singer-songwriter Hayden Grove and the local funk/soul/rock band Apostle Jones will release a new single, “My Home,” on Dec. 30.
Grove, Ben Fagerstedt and Apostle Jones lead singer and band leader Mikey Silas wrote the song they consider a “love letter to Cleveland.”
Silas produces the soulful track, which represents Grove’s first original single.
“It’s definitely very different than anything I’ve ever done, but it’s also more exciting than anything I’ve ever done,” says Grove, who’s previously released two albums of standards from the Great American Songbook and a Christmas EP, in a statement.
“It’s quintessentially, nostalgically and perfectly Cleveland,” he says. “Think Michael Bublé meets Michael Stanley.”
Grove, who grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, often visited Cleveland as a youth to see his grandfather, his cousins and his family.
Recorded with engineer Jacob Kirkwood at Superior Sound Studios in Cleveland, the song features Prince Tucker on piano and organ, Rashon Blake on drums, Michael Haburay on rhythm guitar, Sebastain Mango on bass, Jinari Kemet on guitar, Charlie Wilson on saxophone, Eric Levine on trumpet and Bria Miller on background vocals.
“I’ve always wanted to write a song that honors this city that has loved and accepted me in so many different forms,” Grove says. “It had to have that specific sound and feel that I was looking for and Mikey made it come to life even better than I could have imagined.”
Cleveland photographer Gabe Wasylko shot the cover art.
“We went into the studio, I brought the Christmas Ale, got some Winking Lizard, had the Browns game on and made some Cleveland music magic,” Grove says. “We truly believe that all who love Cleveland will be singing this song for years to come.”
Grove and Apostle Jones will perform the song during Apostle Jones’s A Holiday Special show on Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Globe Iron.
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