Say Hello to matters of the heart
By Andy Downing | Special to the Tribune
November 21, 2008

There's a wonderfully homespun quality to Sweet Hello's sophomore effort, "The Pause and the Rest" - with good reason. Laura Doherty and Cat Edgerton recorded a large portion of the album in the basement of Edgerton's Bucktown home over a weeklong span in August.

"I have three rooms in my basement, so my home office turned into the control room and then there was another room for live drum rooms and another where Laura and I played," explains Edgerton. "We had wires going all over the place and lots of blankets hung on walls to absorb sound. It was pretty makeshift, but [the results] sounded nice."

The intimate setting reveals itself in the pair's music and lyrics. On songs like "Grey" and the aptly titled "Fragile" (both streaming on MySpace), Doherty and Edgerton trade words like lifelong friends whispering hushed secrets in the dark. Producer John Abbey, who also plays bass with the band, accentuates the folksy tunes with tasteful flourishes of mandolin, accordion and piano—never overwhelming the delicate vocal harmonies.

It's quite a leap for a band that grew out of a classroom; the two met when Edgerton signed up for Doherty's guitar class at the Old Town School of Folk Music in early 2002. "I had been self-taught up until then," says Edgerton, who first picked up a guitar when studying English Literature and French in Paris a decade ago. "But when I started writing songs I realized I would need to learn more chords than E, G and D."

Doherty, an accomplished solo musician, proved to be a worthy mentor for the newcomer and the two soon struck up a friendship. It wasn't until a Beatles tribute show at Old Town School, however, that the two first collaborated outside of class, harmonizing their way through stripped-down versions of "Mother Nature's Son" and "I'm Only Sleeping." Their chemistry was noticeable from the onset. Says Edgerton: "Our voices clicked. The harmony clicked. There was a good energy back and forth. It was just really natural."

Not that it made performing any easier. Edgerton admits that both singers are relatively shy, saying, "We like to keep to ourselves, so it's a funny thing we've chosen to do." It's even more surprising when one considers the personal nature of the group's music, which frequently centers around matters of the heart.

"This record is a little more self-revealing than I'm used to," concedes Edgerton. "But I can't spend too much time thinking about all the people that could listen to it. If I did that I'm sure I'd just get nervous."

Close

Pieces

Sometimes the tears roll down for no reason,
maybe it's the season for feeling blue
I never looked on the bright side of my freedom
Looks like tedium, you've got to get through
We're so well-rooted, pounded into the ground
Sift out the stones and rake the soil
Well-rooted, sturdy enough stand on our own

If I break into many pieces,
would you promise to put me back together the way you do?
And if you see me at my weakest, would you promise to be true?
Would you promise to be true?

I never paid attention to the lyrics
Someone's pouring out their soul
It's different now, what I'm hearing
Sung for me, my story told

Pound it into the ground
Sift out the stones and rake the soil
Well-rooted, sturdy enough to stand on my own

If I break into many pieces,
would you promise to put me back together the way you do
And if you see me at my weakest, would you promise to be true?
Would you promise to be true

Close

Crushes

Rock, paper, scissors, paper covers rock
Scissors cut the paper and my rock crushes, my rock crushes
Eeeny meeny miney mo, dip your foot in by the toe, why rush it
Why rush it

Ask me no more questions and I'll tell you no more lies
It won't be too much longer I'll hold on to this disguise, my crushes
My crushes

Rock, paper, scissors, paper covers rock
Scissors cut the paper and my rock crushes, my rock crushes

The flies are in the meadow and the bees are in the park
Someone's kissing someone in the d-a-r-k dark

One potato, two potato, three potato four
It's surprising all the things that rock you to the core
Then washes away, then washes away

Close

Rollercoaster

I'm lonely sitting on this train
Look at all the lights on through the window panes
And I feel like I'm caught in-between
You find ways to dig into my brain
Then I toss away all that is rational, I can feel the pull to you
To you

I'm gonna ride that rollercoaster
I'm gonna hold on with all my might
Round and round and round and upside down
I wish I knew what was inside

A new year, a clean slate
I make my list of things to do and hope it all falls into place
With all that we create
Somewhere in the back of my mind
I turn around and I look back, I see that I've been wasting time all my life

I'm gonna ride that rollercoaster
I'm gonna hold on with all my might
Round and round and round and upside down
I'm not gonna run and hide

I'm gonna ride that rollercoaster
I'm gonna hold on with all my might
Round and round and round and upside down
I wish I knew what was inside
I'm not gonna run and hide

Close

Jack of Hearts

Friday night at the bar, Billy’s buying drinks for the table
Bring 'em round, we’re just getting started
You've been calling me up, and I've been calling your bluff
It doesn’t look so good, when you act so tough

Jack of Hearts, the ace of spades,
the King of diamonds when you play that game
Joker's Wild, it's a night on the town,
You gonna hit or stay, baby, I can't count on you

You want a city girl, that'll hang around
Accompany you around town
We could talk all night, I'll give you the time
No need to chase the moon, that's sinking behind

Jack of Hearts, the ace of spades,
the King of diamonds when you play that game
Joker's Wild, it's a night on the town,
You gonna hit or stay baby I can’t count on you

I can't count on you
I open my arms and you slip right through
You, I could bet on you
That long ago you were broken-hearted

Jack of Hearts, the ace of spades,
the King of diamonds when you play that game
Joker's Wild, it's a night on the town,
You gonna hit or stay baby I can't count on you
No I can count on you, I can't count on you

Close

Fragile

Do you want me to rock the boat? Do you want me to care?
Do you want me to leave you alone? And disappear

Do you want me to keep you afloat when the water's rough
Are you thinking one day, I will say I've had enough?

For today and tomorrow I'll be here
We can push and pull each other without fear
One day we both will realize
We did what we had to to survive

Do you want to be the Great Divide
Or do you want to be the dove?
The one that flies across my heart, so high above
I want to be wide-eyed like a child, when I grow up
I want to be the one you're thinking of

For today and tomorrow I'll be here
We can push and pull each other without fear
One day we both will realize
We do what we had to to survive

We're all fragile, we're all fragile
Then when we unravel, we'll see the common ground

For today and tomorrow I'll be here
We can push and pull each other without fear

Close

One Week

One week to get over you, it took me
One week to get over you
I'm surprised it was so soon
One week to get over you
Telling your version of the truth
to all the girls of youth

One week to get over you
Tuesday night was a fuckin' clue
One week to get over you
We just became unglued
I don't mean to be rude
But it only took me

You got your degree in charm school
It almost left me a fool

One week to get over you
One week to get over you
I'm surprised it was so soon
One week to get over you
I just got that tattoo
One week to get over you
Telling your version of the truth
To all the girls of youth

Close

Pebble in My Shoe

Why can't I get over you?
Finding things to occupy and do
Why can't I get over you?
It's always there like a pebble in my shoe

I cried enough tears to fill the ocean blue
Waiting for that wall to crumble around you
I played along, to every solitary song
Words so strong

Why can't I get over you?
Finding things to elevate my mood
Why can't I get over you?
You’re always there like a pebble in my shoe

Turning, slowly, through the seasons, it's so cold
Echoes in my mind, the weight too much to hold
Spring is coming now, the wind will let you go

Close