Spotlight: Ari Hest
Making a name for himself on the indie scene, Ari Hest already has a strong fan following coming into the release of his major label debut Someone To Tell . Growing up in and around music, it seemed like the natural thing for Ari to go into it professionally, but it was not until college that Ari really started thinking of it as a possibility.

"I was feeling pretty isolated. Cornell is in the middle of the mountains-not much to do if you don't like to drink your head off-and my girlfriend at the time was in college in DC, so music became a big part of my life then, mostly out of loneliness." remarked Hest. It was a loneliness that inevitably brought out such a diverse talent that is Ari Hest.

Devoted fans do not have to worry about a major change in the sound that they have come to associate with Ari Hest. "They've been pretty hands off when it comes to my music, so I have to give them credit for that," stated Ari about his new label Columbia Records. But do not get me wrong: this album definitely represents a change-a growth in Ari as an artist and as a person.

"The record is positive-it has a lot of songs about dealing with change. The songs are therapeutic to me because they remind me to keep positive given whatever situation I encounter. I think I had trouble with that in the past-leaving moments behind that really affected me-and these songs show a growth from that part of my life."
 

It is an album that definitely has it ranges, from up-tempo to a slightly melancholy feel. Ari Hest captures emotions that anyone could relate to. You will find that at least one of the songs on Someone To Tell is , in essence, a journal entry we have all written in our lives at one time or another.


 
 *All songs on Artist Site.
Tracks from "Ari Hest"
Ari Hest
Ari Hest
This month, Ari Hest .
You come from a musical family, was music something you knew you would eventually get into?
Music was always in my life in one way or another, starting back when I was a little kid and my parents forced me to take piano lessons. I stopped maybe a year or two in -- not because I didn't like piano but because my teacher was old -- and being 7, I thought that was uncool. Everyone in my immediate family is musical, but I didn't think 'til I got to college that it meant much to me or that I was good enough at it to do it professionally. I didn't plan on this happening the way it has. .
Who are some of your influences when it comes to music?
I listened to a lot of pop radio as a kid. Lots of whatever was hot at the time - U2, Pearl Jam, Def Leppard, whatever…those bands I still enjoy, but it was really The Beatles who made me pick up a guitar. Some musicians I listen to a lot now are Ron Sexsmith, Patti Griffin, Rufus Wainwright and Martin Sexton.

You went from being indie to signing with a major label. Were there any major adjustments you had to deal with?

I was feeling pretty isolated. Cornell is in the middle of the mountains, not much to do if you don't like to drink your head off, and my girlfriend at the time was in college in DC, so music became a big part of my life then mostly out of loneliness.