Athens, Georgia's Summer Hymns arose from singer/guitarist Zachary Gresham's desire to find an outlet for material that did not seem suited for a typical indie rock band. Zachary had a collection of ideas, some of which were just simple chord progressions, others as basic as a vocal melody he could not put words to. These rudimentary structures were often based on experiences as a youth, at his grandmother's house in rural Georgia, learning to play piano and singing hymns, traditional ballads and folk songs. Zachary took this early inspiration and fused it with his newer musical obsessions, ranging from older icons like Robert Wyatt and Neil Young to more contemporary groups such as Yo La Tengo and Smog. Zachary's desire to fulfill a musical vision became clearer and the concept for the Summer Hymns was born.
Zachary had already been playing music with drummer Philip Brown and guitarist Bren Mead (Masters of the Hemisphere), so they were obvious choices to assemble a full band. Zachary's friend Derek Almstead was playing drums with another Athens band, Of Montreal, and wanted to join Zachary's new project - but as a bassist. Until then no one knew the depth of Derek's talent; as we now know Derek is an exceptionally skilled bassist and quickly became a mainstay in the Summer Hymns. Soon thereafter Dottie Alexander joined the fold on keyboards, and the initial version of Summer Hymns was born.

Soon afterward, the band added Adrian Finch (from Elf Power and Masters of the Hemisphere) on violin, saxophone, and additional percussion. Dottie added clarinet and flute while Zachary collected a number of new devices, including a Farfisa organ (for that authentic psychedelic electric organ sound), an Optigan (a sort-of proto-synthesizer) and the infamous Boss Dr. Sample. Following an acclaimed single on the Made in Mexico label, Summer Hymns' first album Voice Brother and Sister was released on Misra in the spring of 2000. This full-length debut is a gorgeous, hazy, psychedelic work that owes as much to Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music as it does to Robert Wyatt's classic Rock Bottom. Some of the songs are pop gems, such as the countrified "Mr. Brewer (cackle cackle)" and the hopelessly catchy "Half Sick of Shadows." But Summer Hymns also moved beyond conventional forms, as illustrated by the epic song cycle that includes "Eating Bark," "Miriam is Best Friends with the Stars at Nite" and "Maze Way/Memorie".

Following a short tour, Summer Hymns recorded their sophomore full-length A Celebratory Arm Gesture at home in Athens. By this time, the Hymns had become a quintet when guitarist Mead left the band. Now primarily a single-guitar ensemble, their varied instrumentation became even more important in their creative process.

While Voice Brother and Sister was built from endless layers of overdubs, A Celebratory Arm Gesture relies more on considered orchestration and crafted arrangements. The album references influences as varied as Robert Wyatt's Ruth is Stranger than Richard, Neil Young in his tender moments, and the instrumental compositions of Brian Eno and Terry Riley.

2002 brought several changes to the Summer Hymns line-up. Matt Dawson replaced Derek Almstead on bass guitar, Dottie and Adrian left to focus on their other projects, and Matthew Stoessel joined on pedal steel. The result was that the Hymns had a new sound, and they set off to record a new album.

Clemency is the first album that Summer Hymns made outside of their own recording studio. The band traveled to Nashville enlisting the help of Mark Nevers, a Lambchop member whose recording resume includes Bonnie “Prince� Billy, Silver Jews, and Vic Chesnutt. Without the worry of engineering logistics, Summer Hymns were able to record easily their best album to date. With the new members, this is also the first time Summer Hymns was the top priority of all members involved. Gresham had written prolifically since the release of A Celebratory Arm Gesture, and the band trimmed his output to 13 undeniably memorable pop songs. Every sound is precise; the album shimmers with melody, Gresham’s simple folk structures and charming twang were embellished, but not lost.

Clemency captures a band that’s come into its own—Summer Hymns has been making wonderful music for years now, but there is something timeless and beautiful, something purely magical, about the way these songs have come together. Alongside bands like My Morning Jacket and Smog, the Summer Hymns are mining an American musical tradition, learning from history and turning it into something unmistakably their own.

In early 2003, Taylor Davis joined Summer Hymns on guitar, keyboards and backing vocals, filling out the band's sound with his unique mix of Ron Wood-flavored rhythm guitar, garage-band Farfisa sounds, and deft backing vocals. Most recently, the Hymns have added one-time Whiskeytown steel guitarist Chris Riser on banjo, lap steel, guitar, and backing vocals by permanently borrowing him during his stint as upright bassist for Misra label-mate and summer tour-mate Chris Lee.

Following the recording of Clemency, the most recent Summer Hymns full-length, the band found themselves with some downtime. With Clemency not slated for release until July, when the band would tour, the winter stretched before them into a seeming infinity of day-job drudgery. So the Hymns found a disused home studio and rediscovered recording free of deadlines, pricey studios and the pressures of making The New Album.

They spent time tinkering with new ideas, recording sketches and fragments and experimenting with some of Zachary Gresham’s lo-fi Yamaha-keyboard-and-vocals demos. They recorded some covers just for the hell of it. And as the release of Clemency approached, the Summer Hymns realized they had inadvertently recorded in the neighborhood of 22 songs. Then they went on tour.

On their return, the band re-listened, then brought their best recordings to the Radium Recording Studio in Athens, GA, to add finishing touches, rerecord a few songs and mix the mess they had created. The end result is something far more special than a throwaway EP.

Value Series Vol 1: Fools Gold eschews the twangy bounce of Clemency in favor of more open-ended, chance-y arrangements. Rather than redo the imperfections, they tweak them until they sound purposeful. Imagine Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde stacked up against the less heralded, homespun Planet Waves, then apply the analogy to the Summer Hymns’ universe. That’s near where Fools Gold will take you.

Opening with the skewed poppy swagger of “Fear the Law,� they quickly move into the Robert Wyatt-like “What They Really Do.� Two cover songs made the final cut – a breezy version of George Harrison’s “Behind That Locked Door,� and their live show staple, Johnny “Guitar� Watson’s “It Takes Two,� which is worth the price of the cd for lyrical content alone. As if that is not enough, there’s also the loose and Velvets-y “Pharmon� and the just plain bizarre “Crazy Baby.�

Fools Gold is an exciting and adventurous collection of songs that might have never seen the light of day if the Summer Hymns were preoccupied with making their next proper LP. With the off-the-cuff charm and free-spirited approach, Fools Gold is poised to be the best album they never made - a hidden classic in the Summer Hymns’ ever-growing discography.