First there was Adam Hanney, then along came the “Co.” With Mike Dunn on drums and Jordan Cayer playing bass, the group became a trio that creates an intricate sound for Hanney’s previously solo tunes to soar through. 

Although the group played their first show in November of 2014, Adam Hanney was busy long before then writing the record 12/12 (twelve over twelve) where he decided to write one song per month for the year of 2012. 

Hanney explains that after he had the songs, it was straight to the studio before the stage. 

“We spent two years recording and when it came time to start playing it in 2014, I decided to enlist some of the people that helped make it or who were integral parts of it,” Hanney says. 

Jordan Cayer, who was close by during the production of the album, and played bass for almost all of Hanney’s songs, explains how the band shifted from recording to performing the album. 

“Slowly but surely we got everyone together and made it sound as close to the record as we could make it,” Cayer says. “Obviously with Adam spending a lot of time in the studio doing his own production on things and building it up from an acoustic track there were a lot of layers that had to be accounted for.” 

Hanney laughs as he explains that most songs on the album have seven guitar parts that are now boiled down into one to play live. 

12/12 will be released in March 2016, and the group is looking forward to exploring Hanney’s original songs now as a trio. 

“A lot of the songs have taken on their own identity within the three of us that aren’t lesser than the recordings, but it feels like more which is pretty sweet,” Hanney says. 

And three they will be. Hanney explains having three people on stage is just enough. 

“Most people want to reflexively add another person when they start having more intricate arrangements, but I really like how it feels to have three people,” Hanney says. 

The lead singer also says he’s a firm believer of limitations. 

“Limitations are great. Not enough people have them,” Hanney says. “People throw caution to the wind, reckless abandon with modern recordings because you can have a million tracks in one song. I like the idea of moving forward and looking at minimalism and trying to make the most out of very few things.” 

Although this project started with just Hanney, the “Co.” in the name represents more than just the addition of Dunn and Cayer. 

“I always felt like ‘Co.’ stands for a lot of things,” Hanney says. “The band keeps me company on stage, and the band is a collaborative and we recorded with 12 different musicians, making the album feel like a collective of people. It feels like it’s so much, but it’s also just ‘Co.’ at the same time.” 

Hear more from Adam Hanney & Co. at soundcloud.com/adamhanney.

Published in Volume 70, Number 15 of The Uniter (January 14, 2016)