Almost every song on Ari Hest's new album, "Sunset Over Hope Street," starts the same way: with his voice. It's not quite Frank Sinatra, but Hest nevertheless has vocal chops that command attention.
And he knows it.
"The voice is at the forefront," says Hest, who appears Wednesday at Club Cafe, South Side. "It's my biggest strength."
It's also what Hest is banking on as he embarks on a tour that might not make or break him, but could go a long way to reaffirming his bona fides. Since parting with Columbia Records four years ago, Hest has worked hard to establish himself as an independent artist. He played more than 150 shows last year, as he has done for most of the last decade. Three years ago, Hest released a song every Monday for a year for his "52" project.
He's a willing interview, and enjoys traveling the country, even if it's by car or van.
"But that's not the main reason I do this," he says of the peripheral things that go with being a musician. "It's for those two hours every night on stage, playing for people. That's the reason I do this; that makes everything sweeter."
It's especially gratifying since Hest has spent so much time developing his career. After leaving Columbia, he made it a point to learn about every aspect of the recording industry. Instead of writing songs -- which he admits to doing constantly-- he took the time to learn about microphone compression and other minutiae of the craft.
"There are still things I need to brush up on," Hest says. "Because at this point, nobody knows what's going to happen next year with labels and the industry. It could be scary if you don't know what you're doing. You have to come at it from a different perspective."
Hest changed his approach on "Sunset Over Hope Street." Instead of producing the record himself, Hest turned to producer Alex Wong (who performs in Vienna Teng's band) to flesh out the recording.
"On this one, I really wanted to hand the reins to him," Hest says.
That allowed Hest to concentrate on his vocals. But for the ensuing tour there was no way Hest (or most independent musicians) could afford to take a full band with a string section on the road.
Instead he's improvising, touring with a percussionist and judiciously employing loops to flesh out the sound.
"I wanted to present (the album) in a compelling way," Hest says. "But with the economy, I can't really reproduce that. But I don't really mind ... I'll be coming in with something that's probably more in line with how the songs were written. ... I think it's an interesting show to see."
Additional Information:The Sounds of...
Who: Ari Hest
With: Ali Klaren
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Club Cafe, South Side
Admission: $14, $12 advance
Details: 412-431-4950, or www.clubcafelive.com
