Upstate Beat: Sister Hazel counts on Hazelnuts for Upstate gig

There’s a good chance that you mainly know the Gainesville, Florida, band Sister Hazel from their huge 1997 hit “All for You” with its familiar chorus of “Hard to say what it is I see in you.” That single, from their platinum-selling “Somewhere More Familiar” album, hit the charts all over the world and is, for some, the band’s signature song.

But a funny thing happened to Sister Hazel on their way to platinum status. Unlike many other bands that debuted in the ’90s and had success, Sister Hazel has managed to maintain a healthy, even thriving career away from the charts. They’ve released a total of 10 albums and four EPs in their 30-year existence, and they’re still able to tour more or less continuously. And that is largely because of a devoted group of Sister Hazel fans called “Hazelnuts.”

Hazelnuts typically catch multiple Sister Hazel shows every year, and they’ve evolved into a fanbase similar to bands like the Grateful Dead; they are a community that exists independently from the band, but they’re also fiercely loyal.

It’s a fanbase that has Sister Hazel bassist Jett Beres in awe, even after 30 years of heartfelt, melodic alt-rock.

“It started as far back as the Myspace days,” Beres says, “and even before that on message boards. We had a great group of people that really became more of a community than a fanbase, and we kind of morphed into the central part of the soundtrack to that community and to these people’s lives.”

That fervent level of support has allowed the band a certain freedom that comes not with platinum-selling records, but with true musical devotion.

“We can do what we want creatively,” Beres says. “It allows us to keep making records. We probably would still make music just for ourselves, but it definitely helps to have people want it and keep demanding new music. And it allows us to do these events and to be creative with different experiences.”

The events Beres is talking about are fan-centric gatherings like the annual Hazelnut Hang, a chance for Sister Hazel fans to come together from around the world to celebrate with the band.

Beres says the group has consciously nurtured that fanbase since releasing its first album back in 1993.

“Back in the day we would go out after every show to the merch booth and meet and shake hands with every single person standing in line,” he says.  “We’ve spent decades doing that and connecting with them.”

The band is back on the road after recording some fresh tunes, and you can be sure there will be plenty of Hazelnuts in attendance at Sister Hazel’s show at The Foundry here in Greenville on Thursday, June 22.

In fact, Beres says the band’s live show is crucial to forming and maintaining that bond with its fans, both old and new.

“We literally have generations of fans that have brought their kids,” he says. “Now their kids are coming as adults to shows and saying, ‘Hey, you were my first concert! My mom and dad brought me.’ There’s an energy that people keep coming back for. And so that live show is definitely a cornerstone for who we are and our connectivity with our fans.”