Hebdo is an artist caught between two worlds. You’d sooner find his brand of indie rock-meets-vintage Americana grit emanating from a porch in Austin, Texas than his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. In an era when digital streaming is king, Hebdo crafts a sonic experience seemingly intended for vinyl. And buttressing his sprawling, diverse catalog with foot-stomping sing-alongs and a discerning ear for instrumentation, Hebdo’s live performance is equally enigmatic: whether a one-man-band or a seven-piece ensemble-- rhythm section, horns, and all.
Replete with masterful hooks, Hebdo’s music, all of which he produces himself, glows with a sonic warmth and intimacy reminiscent of Paul McCartney and Dr. Dog, while his writing and delivery reveal years under the influence of Beck, Appalachia, and Andrew Bird.
Hebdo’s defiance of simple categorization is perhaps best exemplified in the concoction of his own genre, dubbed “Adventure-Folk”. The moniker suits not only his adventurous spirit and the physical terrain he’s charted in his artistic journey, from Lebanese roots to longtime residencies in Appalachia and tours across Italy, but also the vast musical territory covered in the four EPs and four LPs he has released to date. The constant threads in his music are unshakeable choruses, the welcoming croon of his wholesome layered vocals, and plucks of his acoustic guitar, which all oscillate across his releases.
