By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Local music fans are sure to know Hannah Norris, and now her audience is about to get a bit larger as her band — Hannah Norris & the Band — is set to open for nationally recognized singer/songwriter Neko Case during her stop in Kansas City at 8 p.m. May 10 at the Uptown Theatre.
“We are really excited,” Norris said. “That has been our main thing for the moment.”
Norris, who grew up in Hays, currently resides in Lawrence after relocating to study psychology at the University of Kansas.
The gig took shape after a booking agent in Lawrence submitted Norris’ band for the spot earlier this year.
“It’s pretty wild,” she said.
While this will be her first outing in a setting this large, she has performed with other well-known bands locally.
“Previously in Hays, I had the opportunity to open for Jefferson Starship and Warrant through Wild West Fest, so it’s not my first interaction with bigger acts like that, but it’s definitely my first interaction with one at a venue of that scale,” she said.
Norris is currently taking a break from school to focus on music but is keeping active with two bands and a full-time job.
“I work at The Roost. Currently, I am a barista up there and just focus on trying to get out, play some shows and write some tunes. Between those two, I keep myself pretty busy,” she said.
Norris hopes this will kick off a summer filled with other opportunities.
“We just recently submitted for the NPR Tiny Desk contest…getting somewhere with that would be great,” she said.
Her entry into that contest can be found here.
“Now we are just looking forward to booking more shows.”
On Hays
While Norris no longer lives in Hays, she hopes her local fans will get the chance to see her perform nearby soon and recognizes the music scene in Hays remains strong, despite her absence.
“We are trying to get back to Rockalooa,” she said. “It’s a really great way to bring different bands into Hays and get everybody connected.
“I feel like we have made a lot of progress for a small town, and I think I’m very fortunate to be able to be a part of that scene and to have grown up in it,” she said. “Hays actually has a lot going for it for a small town … I think it’s really important that people understand we are very fortunate to have that.
“I definitely think I would not have gotten this far, even today if I didn’t have those types of connections.”
As established as the music scene is in Hays, Norris hopes to see it expand in the future.
“Absolutely there should be more bands getting involved in Hays, but for the size, I think we are doing great,” she said.
Along with the community, Norris credits her parents for helping her to come so far already in her music career, first learning to play the guitar around age 12, and taking some piano lessons with her grandmother soon after.
She said there are no musicians in her immediate family but they were instrumental in getting her to where she is today, noting that starting at the age of 14 they were helpful in getting her into some of the local venues that normally would not allow minors.
“I am very fortunate to have the family I do. They have been very supportive,” she said.
The Music
While Hannah Norris & the Band is getting ready for the Kansas City show, Norris is working on the lineup and sound of a second band.
“I’m working on getting that redirected right now,” she said, keeping focused on the music she wants to release. “For my band, my goal is to write music that I am happy with and that I feel like that I connect with … It represents me and it represents the people that I play with and I want to make sure that it fits us as people.”
While she describes Hannah Norris & the Band as rock, she said they have been “experimenting” lately.
“We’ve had a lot of different influences in the mix.”
The current lineup has released a single, but Norris says the hope to have a full album out this summer and is looking forward to more shows.
“Keep an eye out we’re trying to hit the road a bit more often,” she said.
Music from Hannah Norris can be found on the band’s website hannahnorrisandtheband.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/Hannahnorrisband, or through hannahnorris.bandcamp.com and Spotify.
Norris can also be found on Instagram.
Tickets for the concert on May 10 with Neko Case and Hannah Norris & the Band can be found at Ticketmaster.
Cover photo courtesy Hannah Norris