Sister Hazel lead singer Ken Block has never suffered from a lack of material. In fact, he says that the band typically writes over 70 songs for each album that they record. When one considers a typical album has only 11-14 songs, it means that the band is throwing out a lot of material. “There’s been quite a few songs over the years that have really resonated with me,” Block said during a recent interview with Alternative Addiction. “Every time I went back, as I listened to them, they kept speaking to me.” Block felt strongly about a handful of those songs, and decided to release them as a solo album in order for the fans to connect with the music as he has over the years. Because the songs have been written over the past decade, Block felt like some of them may require fine tuning. “My perspective changed on some of them slightly,” he explained. “So I was able to go back in and tweak some things lyrically, or add a piece that felt [would have otherwise] incomplete from where I sit now.” Block says that a solo release was something that he’s always wanted to do, but between the demands of a touring band like Sister Hazel and trying to spend time with his family, he just never felt that he had an opportunity. It was also very important to him that he didn’t distract attention from his work with Sister Hazel. “I wanted to make sure that it didn’t compete with one of the band’s CDs,” said Block. “I want it to have its own time where I could focus energy on [just] that.” As he entered the studio to record the album, Block realized very quickly how recording a solo release differed from working with his band. “It was different, it was liberating and horribly terrifying all at the same time,” said Block. “When you are making a record for a band, it’s a democratic process. Everybody gets their finger prints on things, sometimes it lands exactly where you expected, sometimes it grows tremendously into something you never expected.” Without the support of his band, Block was able to move the tracks on the album exactly as envisioned when he wrote them, giving the tunes a uniquely different flavor from his work with Sister Hazel. Even with an impressive solo release under his belt, Block says he has been and always will be committed to working with Sister Hazel. The solo album was just another avenue to share his knack for writing great music.”It’s just another way to express what I hear in my head and what falls out of my pen,” said Block. Sister Hazel has started work on their next studio release, which is expected to be out sometime in 2009. Ken Block’s solo debut, titled Drift is out December 9th. For more information visit his website: For more information visit his website at http://www.blockville.com.