Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers Release Their Euphoric, Thought-Provoking New Album ‘Pursuit of Wonder’
August 4, 2023 BY Jason Currell
Today, the genre-bending Michigan collective Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers are proud to release their expansive new album Pursuit of Wonder out now via Nettwerk. Over a thirteen-song rollercoaster of head-spinning funk beats and sizzling melodies, the Rainbow Seekers explore themes of life and death, triumph and sorrow, and the endless duality of life. Listen to Pursuit of Wonder on all digital retailers (here).
“The album is a celebration of the shared, often private melancholy we feel. Everyone suffers to some degree,” says frontman and chief songwriter Joe Hertler. “One of the big themes on this record is looking at opposites: life or death, good or bad, happiness or sadness. None of those things can exist without the other.”
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers continue to deliver unforgettable, high-energy performances with new tour dates throughout the the rest of the year including headlining dates, festival dates, and support dates with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle, and Andy Frasco & the U.N. this December. Find tickets and details at www.joehertler.com.
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers 2023 Tour Dates:
Headline Dates:
Aug 10 Ann Arbor, MI @ Sonic Lunch
Sep 9 Sherman, NY @ Fire Lights Music & Arts Festival
Sep 14 Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
Sep 22 Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Beer Garden
Nov 3 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
Nov 10 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
Nov 11 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
Nov 16 Appleton, WI @ Appleton Beer Factory
Nov 17 Appleton, WI @ Appleton Beer Factory
Dec 2 Indianapolis, IN @ Hifi
Dec 3 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
Dec 31 Lansing, MI @ Grewal Hall at 224
Supporting Twiddle:
Sep 16 Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
Supporting Pigeons Playing Ping Pong:
Nov 4 Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
Supporting Andy Frasco & The U.N.:
Dec 5 Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Hall
Dec 6 Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard
Dec 7 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Dec 8 Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company
Dec 9 Houston, TX @ Last Concert Cafe
Dec 10 Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers in the Press…
“Winding through grooves that sound like The Strokes at a chic ’70s party, the band interlaces existential wonderings on the nature of fate with pulsating synths that make mortality merely an afterthought as we dance away our fleeting moments.”
– Live for Live Music
“… containing a tangible disco energy…”
– Melodic Magazine
“…playful and reflective… with hints of vintage soul and world music flavors…”
— Billboard
“…genre-bending indie music that blends elements of pop, rock, and folk in equal measure, with an uplifting, funky effervescence to boot…”
— PopMatters
Track List:
1. Marrow Dream
2. Spinning Out
3. Them Jeans
4. What I Want
5. Deep Dark Pool (What It Is)
6. Everyone is Wasted
7. HELP
8. The Last Ovation
9. On & On
10. Voyager
11. How Many Licks to the Center of the Universe
12. Again
13. Last One Awake
ABOUT JOE HERTLER & THE RAINBOW SEEKERS:
Midway through Pursuit of Wonder, the forthcoming album from funk-pop band Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, the band meets the ‘Angel of Death.’ Preoccupied and casually dressed, he’s hitching a ride because he’s got places to go, things to do. And somehow, this band are the ones that are going to get him there. “The album is a celebration of the shared, often private melancholy we feel. Everyone suffers to some degree,” says frontman and chief songwriter Joe Hertler. “One of the big themes on this record is looking at opposites: life or death, good or bad, happiness or sadness. None of those things can exist without the other.” Imagine dancing at the apocalypse, at a rave commandeered by the Rainbow Seekers — and you have a good idea about what they have accomplished with the pensive-but-uplifting Pursuit of Wonder. A dip into darkness is an unexpected turn for The Rainbow Seekers, who are practically synonymous with joyous, life-affirming live shows, earning loyal, grassroots followings thanks to gigs at major festivals and opening for jam bands. But we are living in unprecedented times (as the newspapers relentlessly reminds us each day), and that has really gotten Hertler thinking about how we might want to live more dangerously — by which he means, out of our comfort zones. Hertler may explore existential topics, but he is no nihilist. “I needed to uplift myself, and I’m urging the listener to appreciate the brevity of their existence, too. We had better make the best use of the time that we have,” he says. “I think it’s a really powerful message to send people: I started from this darkness, and I’ve come out of it in very much a better place.”
