Hootie & the Blowfish From the Vault: "For What It's Worth" Available This Friday

May 13, 2024

Generation-defining pop-rock band Hootie & the Blowfish sets the stage for a return to the road this summer with this Friday’s release of their rendition of “For What It's Worth,” the timeless anthem originally penned by Stephen Stills in 1966. The band’s version of this iconic song, recorded in 2017 during their studio sessions for Imperfect Circle, is finally emerging from the vault in conjunction with the kickoff of their Summer Camp With Trucks Tour, their first in five years. Pre-save HERE.

During that first return to the studio in nearly 15 years, longtime producer Don Gehman encouraged the band – which has long prioritized songs that make a statement, including “Drowning” and even “Hold My Hand” as far back as their 1994 Cracked Rear View debut – to pay homage to one of the most influential protest songs of all time.

“For us, adding our voice to ‘For What It's Worth’ is about more than just a great song,” front man Darius Rucker reflects. “It's about standing up for what you believe in, speaking out against injustice and trying to find a sense of unity. In today’s world, where there is so much division, this song carries a message that is as relevant as ever.”

The release of “For What It's Worth” comes as Hootie & the Blowfish gears up for their Summer Camp with Trucks Tourwith special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain. This marks the first full tour since 2019 for the band whose chart-topping, GRAMMY-award winning career has featured more than 25 million albums sold, including their 2x Diamond-certified debut album Cracked Rear View – which remains among the top 10 best-selling albums in all of music history – plus 17 Billboard-charting songs to date.

The tour kicks off May 30 in Dallas and runs through the fall, visiting arenas, amphitheaters and select stadiums such as Boston’s iconic Fenway Park (with special guests Barenaked Ladies) along the way, including a homecoming to Columbia, S.C.’s Colonial Life Arena for the Gamecock alumni. The band will also headline Rucker’s own Riverfront Revival Music Festival in their home state in October. Tickets to all shows are on sale now via Hootie.com.

For more information, visit www.Hootie.com and follow on Facebook @hootieandtheblowfish, Instagram @hootieoffcial and Twitter/X @hootietweets.

About Hootie & the Blowfish
With the rich, bluesy vocals of Darius Rucker and gleeful harmonies of guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, Hootie & the Blowfish have sold over 25 million records worldwide to date after their infectious melodies hit the airwaves in 1994 with hits such as “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry” and “Only Wanna Be With You.” The quartet met at the University of South Carolina where endless gigs at frat houses and local bars built a major local buzz. Their blend of pop, folk, blues, soul and rock made them hard to pigeonhole, but easily accessible to anyone who loved good music.

Atlantic Records, impressed by their regional draw, signed them and released Cracked Rear View in 1994. The album had been out for six months before the band played on the Late Show with David Letterman which sent sales skyrocketing, eventually landing at No. 1 on the Billboard chart the following spring. Cracked Rear View and the band went on to win two GRAMMY Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a Billboard Music Award and multiple People's Choice Awards. Cracked Rear View also earned the band Billboard's Band of the Year Award in 1996 and the RIAA's Diamond Award for sales in excess of 10 million units. At 21x Platinum, Cracked Rear View remains among the Top 10 best-selling studio albums in music history.

The band remained a top draw nationwide following their debut and released five more albums for Atlantic: Fairweather Johnson, Musical Chairs, Scattered, Smothered & Covered, Hootie & the Blowfish and The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish, as well as Looking For Lucky on their own Sneaky Long Records and LIVE in Charleston, The Homegrown Concert Event DVD and CD. The band took a break from full-time touring in 2007, reuniting annually for a variety of philanthropic events while also pursuing solo projects. 2019 marked the band's first full-time touring year in over a decade as they embarked on the sold-out Group Therapy Tour in support of Imperfect Circle, released in late 2019 under a new record deal with Universal Music Group’s Capitol Nashville, and 2024 will see them return to the road once again for the upcoming Summer Camp with Trucks Tour.

THE EXIES Unveil Never-Before-Seen Footage In "For What It's Worth" Video

April 18, 2024

The Exies have today released the official music video for their latest comeback single, 'For What It's Worth'. The brand new video transports fans back into time, offering an intimate and nostalgic look into the band's formative years through never-before-seen footage. Fans can stream "For What It's Worth" HERE and watch the new video below.

Capturing the essence of their youth and the spirit of the era, the brand new video for 'For What It's Worth' offers a candid portrayal of The Exies as they navigated the highs and lows of the music industry. From intimate studio sessions to adrenaline-fueled live performances, the video compilation showcases the band's raw talent and unbridled passion for their craft.

Diving deep into the band's archives, frontman Scott Stevens shares:

"Over 20 hours of footage from “02” to “2010 “was gone through. It really captures the time of the band and all we accomplished, from motley tours to velvet revolver shows, to MTV spring break , Red Rocks to countless festivals and studio footage , mostly captured by my wife Flavia.

It truly adds power to the song and the song adds power to it.

A symbiotic turn is now ours to share.

I hope you enjoy the ride that was and is the Exies …"

Formed in 1997, The Exies released two influential LPs with Virgin Records, 'Inertia' and 'Head For The Door', achieving combined sales of over 500k and spawning singles that charted at rock radio. Both albums secured positions on the Billboard 200 chart. Their third album "A Modern Way of Living with the Truth" came out in 2007 before the group disbanded in 2010.

The Exies’ music gained significant exposure through placements in numerous video games and tours alongside rock giants like Motley Crüe and Velvet Revolver. Following their hiatus, Scott Stevens continued to leave an indelible mark on the musical landscape with co-written songs amassing over 2 billion streams and selling over 40 million albums.

Now, The Exies are poised to pick up right where they left off with their reunion show and latest single, bringing together the nostalgia of their storied past and the freshness of their current creative evolution.

“For the Viper Room, it’s family; it’s where we got signed. Everything that made a difference for us happened there, so it’s fitting that this is where the reunion show would be held,” Stevens shares, emphasizing the sentimental venue choice for their comeback performance.

As their highly anticipated return to the stage nears, The Exies are poised for an unforgettable reunion show at the legendary Viper Room on LA's Sunset Strip, scheduled for May 29th and hosted by none other than Matt Pinfield. Tickets for the Reunion Show are available now HERE.

Join The Exies as they embark on the next chapter of their extraordinary musical journey.

ABOUT THE EXIES

The Exies, formed in 1997 and named in homage to John Lennon’s shortened term for the 1960s art students in Hamburg that called themselves “the existentialists”, had a prosperous journey, peaking with 2003’s Inertia and 2004's Head For The Door. Both albums were released by Virgin Records and, combined, sold more than 500,000 copies.

In 2007, The Exies put out their third full-length, A Modern Way Of Living With The Truth, before disbanding three years later.Despite frontman Scott Stevens' pivot to songwriting for others, amassing significant accolades and contributions to over 40 million album sales, the band's 2010 dissolution left him longing for closure. This yearning and finding himself at a loose end in the beginning days of the pandemic, Stevens began to write and soon realized that new The Exies songs were materializing before him it just started to unfold happen without him realizing. Speaking on the experience, Stevens shares

“Once I committed to writing and producing for others, I really went in,” he explains. “I just jumped in the ocean and didn’t think about writing for myself anymore. And that’s why it was so odd when I went for a walk in 2020—outside with a mask on—and all of a sudden I hear a melody in my head and I’m like, ‘Who’s that? What’s that?’ And all of a sudden I realized that that’s my voice. It was very puzzling in the beginning, and then it started happening more and more. I don’t know what spurred it on or what caused it. Time? Not being able to work as much? Maybe my mind drifting a little bit more because I have to work. Nobody was coming over here because nobody was going anywhere. And I didn’t want to Zoom write, because although it’s kind of a way of life now and I love it, I was like ‘What is that?’ I really didn’t think about writing for The Exies again until it started haunting me.”

The first of which, 'Spirits High' was released in 2023 and achieved significant success at rock radio. "For What It's Worth" is the next step in the new era of the band. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more coming from The Exies soon.

THE EXIES Triumphantly Return with New Single; Announce Reunion Show at the Iconic Viper Room

March 28, 2024

The Exies have announced their much-anticipated return with the release of brand new single 'For What It's Worth'. Coinciding with the release, The Exies have revealed a special reunion show at the legendary Viper Room on LA’s Sunset Strip, set for May 29th, hosted by none other than Matt Pinfield.

Fans can stream "For What It's Worth" HERE and watch the accompanying lyric video below.

Tickets for the Reunion Show are available now HERE.

"For What It's Worth" marks a pivotal moment in, Scott Stevens’ personal and musical journey. The Exies frontman and songwriter shares "Writing 'For What It's Worth" was a cathartic process for me. It was a turning point in my mental stance on my life, where I was questioning if the life I have built for myself and my loved ones was 'enough'...ultimately, the process brought me to the realization that it has to be...because Ive lived and loved the best that I could up till this point in my life …“

'For What It's Worth' and tickets for the Viper Room reunion show are available now. Join The Exies as they embark on the next chapter of their extraordinary musical journey.