We recently connected with Hensleys ATL’s Art Punk Band and have shared our conversation below.

Hensleys, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Our first entry into the HOT (Hensleys Original Trilogy) is called HENSLEYS I. It’s a project unlike what we see other DIY artists doing now – it’s not an album, it’s not an EP, it’s a part of a trilogy. This was completed in 3 separate phases of the band’s existence. We first recorded at Maze Studios when we were a trio, and then we brought on a lead guitarist to finish recording the project. Then it was mixed and mastered in our singer/guitarist and bassist’s home.

We took a wild approach to recording this because we had no idea what we were doing. When we finally started releasing music, it took 4 months to actually get everything out. We filmed a music video that was released a month before the project dropped. We created a lyric video that’s hovering around 30 views on YouTube. And we filmed another music video that we are about to release, over 6 months since the project came out. It’s been a wildly ambitious project for us, but the work that we put into it means so much and we’re extremely proud of it.

We’re currently working on the already recorded but not yet mixed HENSLEYS II, our follow-up to HENSLEYS I.

Hensleys, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We’ve had a lot of trouble trying to define our genre when talking to others about our music. Recently, our singer’s mom (S/O to moms) compared us to an older west coast band called Minutemen. We dove a little deeper into the subgenres of rock, and the sub-sub-genres of punk and indie. We think we’ve finally landed on it, though: Art Punk. We love the high-energy of punk, and the maximalist ideas that come from jazz and psychedelic indie rock. Our music tries to combine both, shifting back and forth on the spectrum between them. We try to focus a lot on melody and a lot of key-changes. We’re also heavily influenced by some pop sensibilities, and we try to focus on that a lot live. We want people to feel a sense of elation when hearing us live for the first time – we want it to be the first time they’ve heard something like this (but not the last).

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

We hate NFTs but if we can find a way to leverage them to fund our fast-paced Art Punk lifestyle, then maybe we can change our mind.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Buy the stuff that you love. If you like music, buy that music from the artist. Streaming is cool, but it’s ephemeral. CDs are real and they last forever. Vinyl is real too but we can’t afford to press any right now. We think cassettes are also real, but we can’t confirm.

Contact Info:

• Website: hensleys.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hensleysatl?igsh=NW1vMHQyZGxhaDl2&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088604093950&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hensleys

Image Credits
Alyssa Bland