Indie rock group Hembree will make their St. Louis debut come LouFest. The Kansas-based band is only eight months old—but the members, including lead singer Isaac Flynn, have been playing together for years.
Flynn wasn’t sure he could take over the lead singer post in the band—previously held by someone else when they were called Quiet Corral.
“Our old singer, as he was leaving the band, asked me, ‘Why don’t you become the lead singer?’” Flynn says. He answered skeptically, but nowadays, he’s grateful for that frustrating transition period.
“It was a challenge,” he says of the dissolution of Quiet Corral. “But it was so good for me and the rest of us to overcome that challenge.”
That challenge proved fruitful—Hembree was born. Shortly after that, a dynamite debut EP, New Oasis, was too. The songs are a mix of folksy vocals and confident, rocking instrumentals. The title track is an unbelievably rich consortium of anthem-worthy drumbeats and fizzy keyboard notes. Flynn wrote the song when he was conflicted about his future.
“I was wrestling with those classic millennial issues,” the 24-year-old says. “I was also just embracing that things were going to work out in a matter of time, and finding my way through everything that was happening.”
From the EP as a whole, it sounds as if Hembree has found it. “Walk Alone” is a getting-ready-for-battle song that’s brilliantly assembled. It’s evident the band meshes easily—they’re best friends after all. Flynn and bassist Matt Green used to play little league baseball together. And keyboardist Eric Davis is actually Flynn’s brother-in-law.
“By law, we have to be best friends,” Flynn jokes.
After the festival, he says they’ll begin work on a full-length album and continue to develop Hembree’s sound. But for now, they’re just humbled by the opportunities they have to perform.
“It’s our first time playing in St. Louis, and we get to play at a festival like LouFest,” Flynn says. “We’re all pretty thrilled about it.”
Oh, and they're huge fans of one of the headliners.
"Truthfully, I think we're most excited for Ludacris," Flynn says with a laugh.
Hembree performs on Sunday, September 13 at 1:45 p.m. For more information, visit loufest.com.
