KGNU welcomed Drunken Hearts into the studio for a live session celebrating new music and their final show of the year. The band performed live and discussed their recent recording work in Nashville with producer Dave Hanish, sharing the stories behind songs like “Falling Stars” and the unreleased track “Sacred Ground.” During the interview, the group reflected on songwriting, collaboration, and the excitement surrounding their upcoming show at Cervantes’ Other Side. The session highlighted the band’s blend of strong musicianship, thoughtful lyrics, and community-driven spirit that continued to define their sound (12/3/25).
https://on.soundcloud.com/7VqmqX4kycBfoB0j8C
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Well, we’ve got the Drunken Hearts in the house. Welcome, boys. Hello all.
All right, let’s see here. We’ve got Andrew McCarthy on vocals and acoustic guitar. We’ve got James Dumb on electric guitar. We’ve got Drew Packard on bass, guitar, and vocals. Hello there. And Eric Lowe on drums.
Welcome to the studio, guys. Feeling good?
Drunken Hearts:
Yeah.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Let’s do it. We always love to have live music in our studio, and we love supporting local musicians. Kick it in. Here we go.
Song plays (live studio performance – song title not stated)
DJ Cameron Henderson:
In case you were just tuning in, that is live in our Cabaret Studio. You’ve got the Drunken Hearts here. What brings you into the studio today?
Drunken Hearts:
Well, we’re celebrating some new music that came out a couple weeks ago, and we’ve got a show — our last show of the year — this Saturday night, December 6th, at Cervantes’ Other Side.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Cervantes. So tell us about the new album.
Drunken Hearts:
We haven’t put out the whole thing yet. One single came out featuring our good friend Bonnie Sims. That came out in November. I wrote it with my buddy Brian Hauser, a local Boulderite up in Black Hawk. We recorded it in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Dave Hanish, who also helped with some songwriting. Dave has written hits for Toby Keith and Tim McGraw and also produced our most recent record, Reckless Ways of Living.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
So solid production is what you’re telling me?
Drunken Hearts:
Yeah, we’re really proud of the new tune. James has a ripping guitar solo in the middle of it, and I think we’re going to listen to that song at the end of our show.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
We are going to close it out with that. You guys had a ripping guitar on the last song too. We love having you in here. Let’s listen to another song. Tell us about it.
Drunken Hearts:
When I went out to Nashville and met Dave for the first time, this is the song we wrote on the spot. It took us about an hour. I had used his song “Without You” that Keith Urban recorded — it was a number one Billboard hit. He wrote it about his wife’s family, so it was really personal for him. I came up with something similar and used references from my wife’s family to write this tune. It’s called “Falling Stars.”
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Thank you.
Song plays — “Falling Stars”
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Drunken Hearts live in the KGNU studio. Lovely sound. I don’t know why I keep calling you boys. It feels like a snowy day in the Canadian winter. Good start to the day.
In case you’re just tuning in, we’re live in the studio with the Drunken Hearts, our local band here. You’re going to play one more song, correct?
Drunken Hearts:
Yeah, we’ve got one more for you. This one hasn’t been released yet.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Unreleased?
Drunken Hearts:
It was a Christmas present from Dave Hanish last year. I woke up on Christmas Day — or maybe the day after — and had an email from Dave. I’m always excited to get emails from Dave. He said, “Man, I wrote a new song. I thought you should have it,” and he sent me this song called “Sacred Ground.”
DJ Cameron Henderson:
That’s a nice gift.
Drunken Hearts:
It was a nice gift. Thank you, Dave.
Song plays — “Sacred Ground”
DJ Cameron Henderson:
Drunken Hearts here, live in the KGNU studio. Beautiful message on that one. Thank you for coming in, guys. We really appreciate it.
I hope listeners understand that the money they donate to KGNU goes to projects like this, where we can bring artists into the studio and have this great sound.
Before we close out, tell people where they can find your music and what’s coming up.
Drunken Hearts:
We’re on all streaming services — Instagram, Facebook, Drunken Hearts Band, thedrunkenhearts.com. You can find tickets there too. We’re playing Cervantes this Saturday night, our last show of the year. We’ve got Tyler Grant’s Electric Farm playing with us, our buddy Dan Andrews on fiddle, and Jake opening the show. It’s going to be a great night.
DJ Cameron Henderson:
All right. We’re going to close out with “The Other Side” featuring Bonnie Sims, recorded recently.
Thanks again for coming in. We will see you down the road. Go support your local musicians, the Drunken Hearts. Peace.
Drunken Hearts:
Thank you.
