The Hickories - ProfilesArchive

About Me

[Evokes] the jangly guitars of the Byrds and the California dreaminess of the Mamas & Papas...sweet vocal harmonies. --The Washington Post
The lovechild of early R.E.M. and The Softies. --Music Monthly
Rich with harmonies and rooted in rock, The Hickories offer "warm, inviting songs that [combine] the best of folk and country" -- according to The Washington Post. The Arlington, Virginia-based band forges its signature sound with jangly guitars and lush harmonies, evoking influences like the Byrds, early R.E.M. and the Cranberries.
And people are taking notice: The band has been featured at many festivals and conferences, including NXNE, the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Millennium Music Conference. They play to packed houses at DC-area venues such as IOTA Club and Cafe, and open for acts with national audiences like Frog Holler, Scott Miller and Emmett Swimming. And the Billboard Worldwide Song Contest has awarded the band six Honorable Mentions since 2003.
Check out Lost in Pennsylvania at CDBaby.com . Tracks include: Killers, Drown, Lost in Pennsylvania, 1965 and Heather Lane.
album

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/10/2005
Band Website: thehickories.com
Band Members: Michelle Volpe-Kohler: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Meghan Sharp: harmony vocals
Mike Conner: lead guitar, lap steel
Dale Hailey: drums
Phil Dennison: bass

Michael Leger: drums on EP
Brian Vrandenburg: bass on EP

Influences: What we like (and influences): The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Jayhawks, Wilco, Hem, Suzanne Vega, Neil Young, Buddy Holly, Sinead O'Connor, early REM, The Cranberries, Neko Case, Whiskeytown
Sounds Like: Murmur-era R.E.M., The Sundays, The Softies, The Jayhawks, Cowboy Junkies
Record Label: None
Type of Label: None

My Blog

New Photos! 48-Hr Film Project

Last spring we participated in the Washington, DC 48-Hour Film Project. We teamed up with Dave Nuttycombe of the City Paper to write the theme song for Travesty Films' entry, "Den Forgpagter Hus." Da...
Posted by The Hickories on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:40:00 PST

NXNE!!

We are very excited to announce that we've been invited to play a showcase at the prestigious NXNE (North by Northeast) music conference in Toronto! We'll be playing at the Gladstone Hotel on June 8 a...
Posted by The Hickories on Wed, 24 May 2006 07:39:00 PST

Billboard Song Contest

We just found out that all 5 songs on our EP, Lost in Pennsylvania, are Honorable Mentions in Billboard's 2005 Worldwide Song Contest! The songs are among the top 1500 out of thousands of entries from...
Posted by The Hickories on Wed, 19 Apr 2006 06:07:00 PST

The Washington Post--Again!

There is a very positive review of our show with Frog Holler this past Saturday at IOTA in the Style section of Monday's Washington Post. Check it out!!...
Posted by The Hickories on Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:10:00 PST

Press! Washington Post, City Paper, Music Monthly, Collected Sounds

Lots of new press for The Hickories in March--from The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, Music Monthly and the website Collected Sounds. Check out our website for the links and/or text....
Posted by The Hickories on Sat, 18 Mar 2006 07:34:00 PST

NYC Show Just Added

Hey friends - We just added a show in NYC to our schedule: Saturday, April 29 at Pianos NYC at 9 pm. We'll post more info as soon as we get it....
Posted by The Hickories on Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:32:00 PST

Six Points Music Festival

We're excited to have been chosen to be a part of this year's Six Points Music Festival! Not only that, but we will be playing at the State Theatre, which we've never played at before--and it's a pret...
Posted by The Hickories on Thu, 02 Mar 2006 07:38:00 PST

Great Review in DC's On Tap!

Fronted by the charismatic presence and unmistakable voice of Michelle Volpe, the Hickories write tuneful songs that are hard to forget. "Killers" builds to its climax as Mike Conner's ever-tasteful g...
Posted by The Hickories on Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:32:00 PST

WAMMIES Nominations!

We have been nominated for 3 Wammies, the Washington Area Music Awards!! We're nominated for Roots Rock - Duo/Band, Roots Rock - Recording, and Michelle is nominated for Roots Rock - Vocalist. If y...
Posted by The Hickories on Mon, 30 Jan 2006 05:59:00 PST

Thank you

Thanks to everyone who came out to IOTA last night for our official CD release. We filled the place to capacity and there was great energy in the room. It was the most fun I've ever had at a show. All...
Posted by The Hickories on Sun, 15 Jan 2006 08:55:00 PST