Meet Halem Albright | Songwriter, Guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Halem Albright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Halem, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was really young, I saw the idea of being able to write & perform for a living as some far-off unattainable thing…I’m not sure why, I guess that was my skeptical & realistic side. When I’d see a band(or solo-musician) load up with all their complicated gear & guitars, I thought it was the coolest. I started teaching myself guitar in my teen years, not for any reason other than that I wanted to. There was the ongoing idea in the back of my mind that I might be able to do some cool stuff with it. And with pushing myself to become a better player & with the right band hearing me/asking me to join, I was swept up in the live-music world while still in high school.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What I think sets my band “The Halem Albright Band” apart from others is the strength in the songwriting, our style of touching on serious topics mixed with humor, and the musicianship. We released an album months ago(“Blue Moon Confessions”), that we’re really proud of….so we’re now focusing on playing live, and will be looking at chipping away at recording a new album sometime in the near future. Taking chances on yourself & diving into a big creative project or career is rarely easy…but if you stay open & keep that sense of wonder and possibility, some really cool things can happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A week-long visit from a friend to Atl. would probably look more to me like a restaurant-tour. Little Bankok, Vegreen, R. Thomas, to name a few. LP5 is a must. And I love that you can both hit up some beautiful hiking spots in the mtns., and venture down to the coast/within a few hours from Atl.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since I taught myself guitar by ear, there wasn’t a lot of studying scales from books or anything. I have to give my learning process up to the artists & bands that I love the most & grew up with….they’re the ones that I learned how to play & write from. The Grateful Dead & Bob Marley probably being at the top of that long list. My best friend from high school, Dave, is a good guitarist…& when I met him, he showed me some stuff that expedited my abilities. My wife gets a big shoutout for putting up with my backwards schedule, being gone on the wkds., & introducing me to some great songs & albums over the years. And I’m lucky to have been brought up in an awesome family that was supportive in whatever I had going on musically. And of course, I give it up to anyone that I’ve ever played music with/and that has come to see me & my band play.

Website: https://halemalbright.com/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/halemalbright

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/halemalbright

Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/halemalbright

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/halemalbright

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/halemalbright

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7z1HldhQBCGznGhCvbDmBL?si=DfmYEpnISKKPrqLRKiKCag

Image Credits
Smiling Eyes Media, photography
Matt Daniels, artwork