Steve Hussey is a veteran independent singer/songwriter from Parkersburg, West Virginia. For the better part of the last twenty-five years, he has traveled the East Coast both as a solo musician and as a member of a series of bands. Many of those bands bear his name in their monikers.
With professional recordings dating back to the early 2000s, Steve Hussey’s music has evolved overtime. However, throughout the various permutations of his sound, he maintains a healthy mix of Americana, alternative rock, and folk with just a touch of outlaw country. His 2016 release The Miller Girl landed on several Americana charts. The title track was nominated for Bluegrass Song of the Year by the Independent Music Awards.
The Joy in the Madness is the brand new EP from Steve Hussey & The Last Hope, released worldwide via all major streaming services on April 1, 2023. The new band name is a nod to the bandleader’s lifelong affection for all things Star Wars. On the new record, he uses humor, heart and soul to tell four tales of love and forgiveness with a sound that keeps one foot in a small bar just outside of Nashville, and the other in an East Coast garage band circa 1988.
The set opens on the infectious “Visions”. The track is an alt-country love bop with a sort of Petty/Springsteen/Garth vibe that kicks into a fantastic garage-pop hook in the chorus. The title track follows. In a very funny and personal series of anecdotes, the singer offers a witty everyman parable about the perils of navigating life in the ‘new age of reason’.
“Shelter Me” adds a breezy beach feel to that vibe. It’s a melancholy love song, but with its ukulele strum and immediately memorable chorus, the song brings to mind visions of summertime tailgates. The record’s closer follows, and also offers its finest moment.
Musically, “Forgiveness(Try)” is a beautifully subdued piece. Guitar, fiddle and piano set an organic acoustic Americana scene. Emotionally, the song is a deep and powerful call for empathy and unity. Daily headlines of violence, hatred and division are the backdrop for Steve Hussey’s humble and heartfelt plea for us all, “to try to see in different hues.” The beautiful and urgently timely song ends on the refrain, “Forgiveness is the most precious gift you could ever give yourself.”
Check out The Joy in the Madness in its entirety below, or listen on your favorite streaming services. You can also hear the songs “Shelter Me” and “Forgiveness(Try)” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Steve Hussey & The Last Hope. Get on their socials and get in the loop.
