Frank Hurd/Frank Hurd Band

Elon University alumnus Frank Hurd '12 had his song "Light" chosen as the lead track of a music fundraising campaign in support of the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

"Don't let the darkness steal the day," a line from Hurd's song, is also part of the fundraising campaign's official name.

Hurd, a graduate of the music production & recording arts major, wrote and recorded the song this spring. All proceeds from the campaign support One Fund Boston, a nonprofit that distributes donations to victims of an attack that killed three people and injured scores more on April 15, 2013.

Musicians for a Cause, a grassroots effort by which artists can submit their music for sale in support of charitable initiatives, produced "BOSTON STRONG: Don't Let the Darkness Steal the Day." For more more information about the campaign, visit: http://songs4acause.org/BostonStrong - Elon University

Growing up in Warwick, Frank Hurd didn’t plan on becoming a musician. His dream was to be a baseball player.
But shoulder surgery when he was 19 put an end to that dream, and opened the door to another. He had always liked music, and people occasionally told him that he had a good voice. But he didn’t play an instrument or write songs.
Now Hurd, 26, plays piano and guitar, recently released a second album, “Empty Canvas” and is starting to gain some recognition as a songwriter.
In April, Hurd won a songwriting competition at MerleFest, an annual festival in North Carolina named in honor of Merle Watson, son of the great guitarist Doc Watson. (Doc Watson described the festival’s music as “traditional plus” which encompasses country, bluegrass, folk gospel and blues.)
“I got to perform that song in front of 15,000 people, right after the Old Crow Medicine Show,” Hurd said in a phone interview from Block Island, where he was playing the Block Island Music Festival. “I like to say the Old Crow Medicine Show opened for me.”
The winning song was an inspirational number called “Light,” which was later used on a compilation album released by Boston Strong to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Boston Strong even borrowed a line from the song — “Don’t let the darkness steal the day” — as the title for its fundraising campaign.
Hurd lives in North Carolina, but frequently gets back to Rhode Island. “I still consider myself a New Englander, so it was cool to have them [Boston Strong] using my song,” he said.
Hurd refers to himself as an “Americana” artist, which in his case translates to pop/rock with elements of folk and country.
The most autobiographical songs, Hurd said, are “Hometown” and “Hometown (Reprise),” although neither contains direct references to Rhode Island.
“Hometown” is a rock song in which the hometown assumes a female persona — “Drivin’ through my home town, she is talking so loud” while the singer contemplates his memories. “Hometown (Reprise)” on the other hand, is a feisty country two-step, as much about the undetermined future as the past.
Hurd said that in the last six months he been able to quit his day jobs and devote himself to music full time.
There are also some intriguing possibilities in the near future. A documentary show called “Life Flight” on TNT, which follows airborne ambulance crews from the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, may use one of Hurd’s songs.
And he may have an opportunity to compete on a TV reality show, although he said it was too soon to say which one.

For information about Hurd, visit his website at FrankHurdMusic.com or his Facebook page at Facebook.com/FrankHurdMusic. - The Providence Journal

Frank Hurd, a promising acoustic/alt. singer/songwriter based in Warwick, Rhode Island, has won the October SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for his performance of his song “By Your Side”. This song is included on Hurd's 7-song EP, Pressed For Time, which he released independently last month (September 2012).

“By Your Side” is an appealing, melodic ballad in the vein of James Blunt or James Morrison. The song starts off with just piano and lead vocals, and then gradually builds into a full band sound, with background harmonies and a string arrangement. "By Your Side" provides an excellent showcase for Hurd's clear, soulful vocal performance, which comfortably soars into a higher melodic range. Notably, this recording was produced by Hurd, and he plays piano, guitar, and programmed the strings. He enlisted the help of some musician friends, who played the bass and drum parts.

Hurd was born and raised in Rhode Island, and he was inspired early on by listening to such favorite artists as the Beatles, the Eagles, James Taylor, and later on by Gavin DeGraw. Up through high school, Hurd was actually more involved with playing baseball and basketball, but a sports injury led to him concentrating on music instead.

For college, Hurd moved south to North Carolina to attend Elon University, where he subsequently graduated with a major in Music Technology (recording arts). "It was during college that I fell in love with music," explained Hurd. "I learned about music theory, and I taught myself to play guitar and piano better. I also played some solo shows and formed a band with some friends."

With his band called American Blend, Hurd recorded & released in late 2011 an EP titled Phoenix Highway. However, he decided to focus on being a singer/songwriter, and then wrote & recorded his 7-song solo EP, Pressed For Time, which includes "By Your Side." Hurd was able to record this EP in several locations and with virtually no budget, yet the sound quality and production still comes across well.

With the release of Pressed For Time, Hurd is actively promoting the EP via live performances and online marketing. "I'm trying to get as much exposure as I can," said Hurd. "I performed at The Cutting Edge music conference in New Orleans, and I've also played shows in Rhode Island and North Carolina."

Currently, Hurd is also writing songs for his next project, which he hopes will be a full album release. "I want to explore more songwriting,--for my own releases, and to write for other artists," he said. "I'm also planning to relocate, and I've been working with a music publishing company in Los Angeles." - SingerUniverse

Phoenix Highway, a local North Carolina band out of Elon, recently released their first music video for ‘Country Girl’ off of their debut EP American Blend. The alternative pop/rock band released their debut EP on December 12, 2011 and it is available for download on itunes. Other songs on the EP include ‘Young & Reckless,’ ‘Olde Fashion Runaway,’ ‘Nothing’s What It Seems,’ and ‘Must Be Dreamin’.’ The band consists of Frank Hurd (guitar, piano, vocals), Mike Lobacz (guitar, piano, vocals), Ben Soldate (bass), and Jake Valente (drums), all of whom met while attending Elon University.

The band has gained a lot of recognition in the Elon area and have performed shows in venues such as the College Street Taphouse in Elon, Broad Street Cafe in Durham, and the Pour House in Raleigh. Their sound has been described as unique and eclectic, and I agree. Phoenix Highway is a group of very talented versatile musicians and they are definitely a band to watch. - Coltrane Deep South

Local band Phoenix Highway is a familiar entity on Elon University’s campus.

Senior Frank Hurd, 2011 graduate Jacob Danieley and 2010 graduate Michael Lobacz started the band in 2009, and have since added junior Ben Soldate and freshman Jake Valente to the group.

But Hurd, one of the band’s founding members, has recently begun to pursue a solo music career as well.

Though he will be receiving a degree in music technology and communications when he graduates in May, Hurd had little to do with music when he was younger. Originally from Warwick, R.I., he grew up playing baseball. It wasn’t until he was injured while playing the sport at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania that Hurd made music a part of his life.

He decided to transfer to Elon, where he became involved in the music program, as well as the club baseball team and Campus Outreach, a prominent Christian organization on campus.

Hurd said Campus Outreach has been an especially crucial part of his life. During holiday break, Hurd attended the Campus Outreach National Conference in Chattanooga, Tenn. While there, he won their talent competition, Campus Outreach’s Got Talent, after performing two original songs.

“I got an email the week before the conference that said, ‘Did you know about this talent contest? There are four people in it, and you’re one of them!’ It was an awesome opportunity, but I was totally nervous,” Hurd said.

More than 5,000 people attended the conference, which Hurd said may have contributed to his nerves.

“Somehow, I won the competition,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you how, but it was just awesome. People were so supportive and it seemed like they were really loving it. It was just unbelievable.”

Hurd said he has received numerous encouraging emails in support of his solo music career since winning the talent competition. Though he admits to still getting nervous on stage, Hurd said he likes performing.

“It’s kind of ironic because I’m not a huge fan of being up on stage in front of people just for the sake of that,” he said. “I don’t like being the center of attention. But there is something special about performing, especially when people kind of know your music and they’re singing along.”

Lobacz said Hurd’s pop-acoustic sound tends to quickly pull people into the music.

“He has the unique ability to write catchy melodies,” Lobacz said. “When you listen to one of his songs for the first time, by the time the second chorus comes around, you find yourself singing along. He has quite a gift.”

It’s not uncommon for the members of Phoenix Highway to praise each other. Hurd was part of the Elon Electric Ensemble during his first year on campus, where he met Danieley and Lobacz. Their frequent jam sessions eventually turned into writing songs and producing their own sound.

While Hurd enjoys writing his solo music, he said he still likes to create songs with his bandmates.

“It’s always fun to play with friends — to be up there with people you care about and have relationships with,” he said.

Each member of Phoenix Highway said they hope this is one way they can live out their dream of having a career in music.

“The dream is to hit it big, I guess, in a sense,” Hurd said. “But I would like to get to a point where I have a big enough fan base so I can sing songs that are more positive, uplifting, wholesome, to kind of counteract what’s pretty much dominating the radio nowadays.”

Phoenix Highway’s EP, “American Blend,” was released in December, and Hurd said fans can expect his solo EP in the spring.
- The Pendulum

"Before Kweller performed, the crowd was alive with excitement with the help of Frank Hurd, a junior at Elon University..." - The Pendulum Newspaper