Hughes, Kidder and Rounds Return to Arts Fest

Randy Hughes, Glenn Kidder and Jon Rounds, long among the most popular Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts entertainers, are back with new music and the release of “The Schoolhouse Project,” their debut album as a trio.

HKR will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the State College Presbyterian Church, 132 W. Beaver Ave. The new CD will be available to purchase.

The show requires an Arts Fest button for admittance.

Arts Festival Guide

Together for nearly 35 years as three-quarters of Cartoon, the three musicians found they simply couldn’t lay aside their partnership after that group last performed in 2012. The fire was still there and they reunited as Hughes, Kidder & Rounds, performing publicly for the first time at the 2015 Arts Fest before an enthusiastic crowd.

Anticipating this year’s festival and the CD release, guitarist/songwriter Jon Rounds said, “’The Schoolhouse Project’ and this year’s fest show are so closely connected I can’t separate them in my mind. But, I guess last year’s show, the first for HKR, is what really planted the seed for the recording.

“People liked the new material, and when we approached Rick Bryant, fest director, about a 2016 show, he said, ‘Yes. No, hell yes!’”

The momentum led to the swapping of song ideas online, writing new music and lyrics and finding the drive to record the results.

Enter Chris Younken, long a significant presence on the State College music scene as a performer, producer and recording engineer. Rounds sought Younken’s help to record the album and a place in which to do it.

Years back, according to Younken, he had been photographing the old church that stands above Linden Hall, just east of State College. He met Len Rockey, who, with friend Ron Kreidler, had led the refurbishment of the old one-room Rock Hill School across from the church. Rockey gave him a tour.

“I was struck by not only how well it was renovated, but also the cool vibe and sweet acoustics it had,” said Younken, “and thought, ‘Someday, it would be great to record acoustic music here.’”

Having a visit of his own, Rounds quickly agreed.

So, for four days in March, the Rock Hill School was strewn with wires, mics, guitars and digital gear, and rocking to the sounds of music being recorded. And, it wasn’t just Hughes, Kidder and Rounds making that music — it was also some of the cream of crop from the State College music scene.

Harmonica wizard Richard Sleigh, a longtime fixture with Cartoon, added his signature sound. Tommy Wareham took lead vocal and guitar honors on “You Change,” a tune that’s a staple of his gigs at the American Alehouse. Olivia Jones, whose vocal presence is central to the J.R. Mangan Band, added her soulful sounds throughout the tracks. And, Eileen Christman, who performs with OverheaD and other local groups, brought a unique richness with her violin. (Both Sleigh and Christman are expected to perform with HKR during the festival.)

“The Schoolhouse Project” features 10 tracks, including eight new songs and two never-before recorded. Rounds and Kidder took the lead on writing, with support on structure, editing and arrangement from Hughes.

The new songs were simmering slowly over recent years and polished for performance at the 2015 festival. Three songs debuted then —“Why Wasn’t Love Enough,” “Til the Sun Gets Here” and “Nobody Gonna Notice.” Rounding out the CD are two older songs by Rounds —“You Gave It Away” and “You Change,” a classic first performed by The Rounds Brothers Band in the 1970s and later by Cartoon.

“I’m really proud of this album,” said Kidder. “It was an absolutely wonderful recording experience, and working with Chris Younken, our engineer and project consultant, was fantastic.

“Having such skilled local players help us with the music and the ambient charm and acoustics of the Rock Hill School all added to the magic. It made the experience feel very community-based in the area where the three of us flourished as musicians, way back when.”

“We’re really happy with the songs and performances,” said Hughes. “The recording quality, mixing, mastering by our engineer Chris Younken and his friend and mentor, T-Bone Edmonds, the graphics and photography — whew! The whole package has certainly exceeded our high expectations.

“We think friends of the band new and old will appreciate what we’ve done with the help of a lot of really talented people.”

And, even the festival approaches, the creative magic continues. HKR just put the last touches on two recently written songs expected to be heard for the first time at their show. Band members are psyched.

“We just finished up a three-day rehearsal at Glenn’s place in Covington, Va.,” said Rounds. “We’ll do another few days in State College before the fest gig.

“I feel reborn.”