Last summer 24-year-old Tom Hirst had an idea for a song that would later thrust him into the musical project of his dreams. It was called “The Seemingly Inconsequential” and the song became a project. It included a friend from Colorado (Will Keeley) and his father (Rob Hirst) who lives in Florida. They called it “Hanging Amongst the Autumn Leaves.”
Hirst has always wanted to mix blues instrumentation with spoken word lyrics. That passion started when he began writing poems. He was fourteen years old, which is right around the time he fell in love with “Me Without You” music and style. Other influences included Johnny Cash, Big Mama Thornton, and Dave Mathews Band.
Since then, he’s always wanted to emulate and juxtapose those different musical influences.
Since then, he experienced different musical opportunities and life stages. He led vocals for a local hard core band “The Gun Show,” and moved to North Carolina for a year and toured with another band by the name of “Creations.” His lyrics have always dealt with deeply personal recounts of his days when he experienced depression and thoughts of suicide in fifth through eighth grade.
“I didn’t really realize [that I was depressed] until later in life, when I was touring with the Gun Show. For me, I just thought it was normal, you know? I was an only child and I really kept to myself a lot. So I didn’t really know much else or talk about it at all,” explained Hirst.
Writing has always provided Hirst with an outlet and is part of the reason he rarely spoke about his depression. “Hanging Amongst the Autumn Leaves” serves as a way to relate to other people who might be struggling with thoughts of suicide and depression. He also would like his lyrics and music to inspire people to talk about it rather than following through with taking their lives.
“The main goal in this [project] is just to really open people’s eyes and that more people deal with this than you think and you’re not alone. It’s better to talk about it than the alternative,” said Hirst.
His lyrics draw on spiritual connections, but Hirst does not want a religious labeled affixed to the project. According to him, this was his dream project and he had fun with it. He plans on meeting with the two band members later in the year, likely in July, to record some new songs. He is passionate about relating to others who struggle with thoughts of suicide and depression.
“I just know that personal stories really are the only things we have that help others. If I can be honest and maybe be a little embarrassed or self-conscious because of something I wrote, in regards that it’s going to help somebody, awesome,” said Hirst.
He also seems to not shy away from screaming in his music. The bands he has been part of were usually hard core bands with screaming in place of singing. When asked if his voice ever suffers from the extremity of screaming, he said: “Well, there is definitely a certain technique. I just drink a lot of water because it’s the most natural thing to do.”
Hirst wants to have fun with music. When he meets up with the band members this summer, he said five or six songs will come of it. Currently he works at Relax, It’s Just Coffee as a barista but music remains his passion.
To check out the songs and lyrics, visit their Youtube channel. They also have a Facebook page.
“The main goal in this [project] is just to really open people’s eyes and that more people deal with this than you think and you’re not alone. It’s better to talk about it than the alternative,” said Tom Hirst.
