LOVE BY NUMB3RS

Portland, Maine-based Indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS released their sophomore album Earth Needs a Moon on September 30th, 2022. Featuring co-vocalists Dan Connor and Anna Lombard and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods, the album follows their 2021 Colours EP and consists of all-new tracks. Embracing Alternative, Americana, and Roots Rock traditions, the album was was recorded at Fisher’s Waterhouse on Peaks Island as well as at the band’s South Ranch studio in Maine. The band will also be holding an album release show on November 19th, 2022 at Portland House of Music in Maine.

Previously, LOVE BY NUMB3RS released the single and video for their title track, “Earth Needs A Moon”, shot in Industry, Maine where hills and back roads set the stage for a song based on story and art by artist and friend Pat Corrigan. Another single that received a video was “Don’t Be So Hard on Me”, taking in a rustic barn location for the video and using distressed footage to match and evoke an equally fractured relationship.


[Cover photo credit to Cam Jones]
Portland, Maine-based Indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS released their sophomore album Earth Needs a Moon on September 30th, 2022. Featuring co-vocalists Dan Connor and Anna Lombard and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods, the album follows their 2021 Colours EP and consists of all-new tracks. Embracing Alternative, Americana, and Roots Rock traditions, the album was was recorded at Fisher’s Waterhouse on Peaks Island as well as at the band’s South Ranch studio in Maine. The band will also be holding an album release show on November 19th, 2022 at Portland House of Music in Maine.
Previously, LOVE BY NUMB3RS released the single and video for their title track, “Earth Needs A Moon”, shot in Industry, Maine where hills and back roads set the stage for a song based on story and art by artist and friend Pat Corrigan. Another single that received a video was “Don’t Be So Hard on Me”, taking in a rustic barn location for the video and using distressed footage to match and evoke an equally fractured relationship.

Album Artwork by Walter Craven
Today, Wildfire is pleased to premier the video for “Ashes” from Earth Needs a Moon. The song reflects on what we’re left with when relationships have died away and what we can recover from that transition, also calling up specific locations and moments to show the way that memory impacts us. The video was directed by the band’s Jon Roods and brings in locations, some of which are mentioned in the song’s lyrics, to blend with past memories and create a dream-like, reflective quality.
The video was filmed this past September and captures that early autumn feel. It takes in 15 different locations, including four spots on Peaks Island in Casco Bay including Fisher’s Waterhouse, where the band started the album in January. The video was also filmed all over Casco Bay, and in Cambridge, Massachusetts, outside the historic Middle East Club, which is, unfortunately, going to be closing.

Co-vocalist Anna Lombard shares about the song:
A friend of mine sent me an email with some poetry and writings that were both stream of consciousness and autobiographical. This one line, “We’re just ashes of feelings that once were felt,” struck me and stayed with me over the course of the last few years because everyone can relate to that. We had only a wood stove out at Peaks Island to heat the Waterhouse studio while writing and recording the album–it was 18 degrees with the windchill–in the dead of January. We may have dabbled with some edible fungi (laughs)…and it kind of took on a life of its own from there.

Relationships can be difficult because humans really suck sometimes. However, whereas some of the lyrical content of our songs tend to be kind of sad with this underlying and sometimes not so subtle notion of desperation, this song is more about reminiscing on the rollercoaster of the experience and feelings after a relationship is over…which is sometimes all that you’re left with in the end. Embers…ashes…of what once was.

Lombard also shares some information on the locations that appear in the video:
Peaks Island is very special place to us for a multitude of reasons. It’s only a 15-minute ferry ride from downtown Portland, but when you get there, you feel like you’re away from home. It’s also known for being a safe haven for artists. Peaks is only about 720 acres but is packed with so much history and some of the most beautiful, private beaches. It’s the spot where I almost blow myself up with fireworks, and was shot inside a tunnel at Battery Steele, which was a World War II military fortification. We also took Alex’s boat out to Fort Gorges which is about a five-minute ride from Peaks.

We also took Alex’s boat out to Fort Gorges which is about a five-minute ride from Peaks. After the War of 1812, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed that a fort be built on Hog Island Ledge, in Casco Bay at the entrance to the harbor in Portland. It’s only accessible by boat–Congress didn’t fund construction of the Fort until 1857 and when the Civil War began in 1861, they worked quickly to finish it over the course of the following four years, but when it was completed in 1865, right as the war ended, it’s said that modern explosives made the fort obsolete. The last time it was used by the army was when it stored submarine mines during WWII. There is still a 300 pound Parrott rifle out there–and it is one of the biggest and only remaining specimens of civil war vintage artillery. It’s kinda wild. - Wildfire Music & News

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS—co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS—today (September 27) return with “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” via a track + video premiere at Vents Magazine. It’s the second single/video from their sophomore album EARTH NEEDS A MOON out this Friday,September 30. Produced by ROODS and LOMBARD, the album follows the acclaimed band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs.

Sonically, “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” is big-sounding, soulful and rootsy, with ANNA’s gutsy and moving vocals illuminating a difficult, fractured relationship. The video iscinematic,mysterious and evocative. The video was directed by ROODS, filmed in Industry, Maine at their friend’s barn and shot in in a deliberately distressed style, with imagery that is striking and intense.

We get to sit with Anna to discuss more about the song, video and more!

–Congratulations on the release of “Don’t Be So Hard On Me.” It’s a lyrically candid and very raw song about a fractured and seemingly destructive relationship, with such lines as “I miss the way you screamed my name/When you were angry/Nothing left but you, your pride & me/That’s how I loved you in the end.” What inspired you to write it?

ANNA LOMBARD: The song started with a single line, “don’t be so hard on me…” When I began writing the lyrics for the song, I tried to imagine myself as a person within a relationship who knew it was falling apart. In the heat of an argument, our instinct can often be to say hurtful things to the ones we love most. We’ve all been there. We isolate, because it’s easier than facing the issue head on, whatever it may be. We stray. We lose ourselves. We ignore the advice of friends or shut them out because we don’t want to hear what they have to say…and this fear of something ending or things changing kind of silently travels through us until we’re ready to face it…so this was the narrative that originally helped me finish the story. But the more I listened, the more I realized that this song was less about being hard on a partner within a relationship, and more about being hard on yourself…It became more self-reflective. I know I’ve had to learn how to be easier on myself and forgive myself and others through my own life’s trials and tribulations. If we cannot be kind or love ourselves, it makes it very difficult to love and be kind to someone else.”

–The song also features your most intense vocals to date, underlining the rawness of the lyrics. Can you tell us what it was like to record this in the studio?

ANNA: This was honestly my fastest vocal take of all time. I really prefer to be solo and run the console when I’m tracking…I don’t love other people being in the room, besides Jon if it’s an absolute must. So we had laid down the musical beds for the song..j.ust keys, bass and drums…and I kicked Jon and Dan out of the studio. I’ll never forget the look on their faces as I walked out of the studio and said, “okay, all done.” I think it took me a total of 26 minutes from start to finish. The cool part was that the lyrics were sketched out with about five pages of verse options… and a couple of the lines that ended up being in the song were improvised…so they felt natural and just right. It was also the first time I ever sat down while recording vocals, because I was running the board at the same time.

–“Don’t Be So Hard On Me” has that trademark LBN sound: minimal but big-sounding, very edgy but finely etched and rootsy, too. What goes into the creation of this sound?

ANNA:We had been listening to a lot of Donny Hathaway (specifically, “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”) and from the start of the song, I really wanted to try and tap into some Betty Davis vocal style…throaty blues…lots of space…with simple, autobiographical lyrics. Throughout this album, Jon wanted the musical beds of each song built with all of us playing together live…the use of real instruments, keyboards, pianos, Hammond organ, synthesizers and very little editing…to be as true to late 60’s/70’s recordings as possible. I tracked my vocals on an SM-7 microphone through a vintage tube pre-amp with the gain cranked. It dirtied up my vocals so that when I pushed my voice, it allowed the rawness and cracks in my voice to come through.”

–LBN is also known for its visually striking videos. In this one, the imagery is arresting: you flip over a table, you emerge mysteriously from a body of water, instruments are smashed. And the video is shot in a deliberately distressed style. Please tell us about where it was filmed, who directed it and how you feel the video illuminates the song?

ANNA: We filmed this in Industry, Maine at our friend John Moore’s barn. We looked for weeks for a beat-up, empty warehouse around the Portland area but had no luck. We wanted the vibe of the video to look the way it sounds–raw, vintage, stripped down. This video was directed and filmed by Jon, as all our videos are done in house. - Vents Magazine

Capturing a full, dynamic spectrum of feeling, LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ latest single and music video “Colours” is a radiant, deeply emotional and cathartic release.

"I quite literally could close my eyes and see the palest hues of blue... and the sadness was washed out by this storm of anger, and all I could see was red. In the aftermath, among all the emotional debris and self-reflection, there was a moment of calm that made me feel empty. And all I could see was the color gray." -Anna Lombard

Family isn’t easy – your loved ones can make your life exceptionally difficult, and it’s high time we talk about it openly and honestly. Capturing a full, dynamic spectrum of feeling, LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ latest single and music video “Colours” is a radiant, deeply emotional and cathartic release:

I been hearing you in color Yeah, your words are taking shape But a walking contradiction
Is the one thing I can’t take
The color of forgiveness
Is the shade of my amber eyes
What you say could make all the difference If you’d only realize

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music and video for “Colours,” the lead single and title track off LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ forthcoming new EP of the same name (out November 19, 2021). The Portland, Maine-based trio of co-vocalists Dan Connor and Anna Lombard and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods (joined here by Nigel Hall on piano and organ, with Zach Jones on electric guitar), LOVE BY NUMB3RS debuted at the tail-end of 2020 with their first full-length album Parachute – a multifaceted, record anchored by
hauntingly beautiful and heartfelt lyricism, soulful singing, and raw passion through and through.


Following this past June’s cinematic standalone single “Red Sun,” the sweetly stunning “Colours” puts LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ exceptional lyrical, vocal, and instrumental talents on full display. A soulful, rootsy, and bluesy outpouring of heavy-hearted feeling comes to life in a song that reckons with a mother and daughter’s turbulent relationship. The band weave a rich tapestry of sound together with vulnerable, visceral lyrics that find Anna Lombard thriving, reeling, and excelling in a tough space. She rises to meet the moment in an intimate and impassioned chorus that – excuse the pun – showcases an inner fire and her many colors:

I keep tellin’ myself I’m fine
And whatever else just to ease my mind I’m just a human
Mama, won’t you love me for who I am
Love me for who I am

It’s a simple song, yet one that soars high and true thanks to the sheer feeling injected into its sonic veins. Speaking with the band, we learn just how hard this confessional reckoning hit them.
“One afternoon Dan texted me a line that hit me kinda hard,” Anna Lombard tells Atwood Magazine. “The lyric Dan sent was, ‘I’ve been hearing you in colors,’ and it throttled us into this conversation (and my own nerdy research) about synesthesia (“synth” meaning “together” and “ethesia” meaning “perception). If you’re not familiar, it is a neurological phenomenon where the parts of your brain that control your senses are all intertwined. For example, a person with it can hear sound or music and their

brain involuntarily associates those sounds with a specific color, pattern, or shape. And this condition can sometimes be a bit of sensory overload for those who have it (ahem, Jon.) But it also tends to inspire creativity. I became kind of obsessed with it. When you’re a kid, the first things you learn about are colors, the alphabet, numbers and shapes. So I started thinking about things like colors and shapes in a far less literal form. Humans tend to associate colors with emotions. Or a specific scent with an experience (good or bad). And how the environment in which a child is raised ultimately “shapes” them into the person they become...it is internal and we cannot control it....it just happens...much like the involuntary response someone with synesthesia has to music, sounds, colors, touch, patterns, taste, etc.”
“I stayed up til 4:30 in the morning with my notebook and a pencil and when I finished, I realized I wrote this song about my relationship with my mother,” she continues. “Family shit is hard, man. And I’ve got no illusions about the fact that I can be a pain in the ass. But it felt like this final plea, begging her to learn how to love me and to accept me for who I am....even if it wasn’t what she pictured. When I sang the line, ‘You made me so blue and then I’m seeing red,’ I quite literally could close my eyes and see the palest hues of blue... and the sadness was washed out by this storm of anger, and all I could see was red. In the aftermath, among all the emotional debris and self-reflection, there was a moment of calm that made me feel empty. And all I could see was the color gray. From the very moment I set my pencil down and finished writing, I felt this overwhelming sense of relief. The process and the creation of this song had released me. I was no longer immersed in a dense, emotional fog. And I came to the realization that what started as a song for her, became a song for me... Because our children cannot be our mirror images. So... you gotta learn how to let go of your ego – and I don’t mean ego as in self-importance – I mean the part of the ego acting as the voices in your head. The ones which stem from your inner child and your own fears. Because when you let go of that ego, you begin to learn how to be whole... to be seen... to be heard. To be accepted. And ultimately, capable of being loved and loving unconditionally... because deep down, isn’t that what all of us ever really want, anyway?”

I been living my life in colors
You made so me so blue then I’m seeing red When the calm after the storm comes And then gray is all that’s left
You’ve been living life in circles Oh, with a whole lotta empty space At least my emptiness is something That’s more than you can say
A vivid visual accompaniment, the “Colours” music video sets the tone for the song’s immensely expressive overhaul. Adorned in dazzling outfits, the trio shine with popping hues and a striking backdrop as they pour their hearts and souls into a beautiful performance. “We focused a lot on the vibrance of colors, lighting, shapes – to tie into the meaning of the song,” the Lombard explains, speaking to the video. “I bought a silicone heart prop and Jon insisted I follow George Romero’s recipe for fake blood to depict the proverbial ripping out of my heart. We built a set in our kitchen out of sound foam panels. I bought fabric and cut them into shapes inspired by and as a way of paying homage to the stage backdrop from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival after we checked out Quest Love-directed documentary “Summer of Soul” – that shit is bonkers if you haven’t checked it out. Grab some tissues while you’re at it. For our final set for the video, Jon and I turned our garage into what looked like a cross between one of the clear plastic encased murder scene from the show Dexter and a dope art studio in SOHO. I splattered buckets ofpaintandspraypaintedtheplasticwalls. Nomatterhowmanytimeswe’ve showered since, we can’t get the paint off parts of our feet. But in all, Jon and I really just focused on creating a visual that would stimulate the viewers senses using colors, shapes, textures, angles, lighting, our vintage gear, etc. I should note that the pattern of multicolored foam sound panels as the mural against our dining room wall isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Adhesive spray is a thing, huh?”

I keep telling myself I’m fine
And whatever else just to ease my mind I’m just human
Mama, love me for who I am ‘cause I’m on my knees
and I’m begging please
Please

Whether you can relate to your own familial issues, or have other pains close at heart, “Colours” brings out the full spectrum in each and every one of us. It’s a radiant song of turmoil spilling over; of honesty and confession; of pain becoming beauty. Stream LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ latest single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this stunning trio as they work their way up toward their forthcoming EP.

So I tell myself (You’re all I needed) I’m still calling out (but you can’t hear me) It’s so conditional (how you love me) And even the thickest skins not enough
You’re so far away Place your hand on my heart So you feel how it breaks (would it have killed you)
I’m just a human. —— - Atwood Magazine

Portland, Maine’s Love By Numb3rs has astounded ears with its eloquent dusty blues and roots rock that has given otherwise placid New England a musical splash of Nashville. The trio–co-vocalist Dan Connor and Anna Lombard joined by her partner and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods–made a big splash with their independent full-length debut, Parachute yet now are gearing up for the release of a six song EP titled Colours out November 19th.

Prior to the release Glide is premiering the song and video for the emotionally explosive “Can’t Lie Like This” (below) which swoons, twangs and pacifies with a Tyler Childers meets Tom Petty narrative soul.

“The inspiration behind writing this song was based on a dear friend of mine who struggled with substance abuse,” reveals Connor. This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I began reflecting upon my own family history of substance abuse and dysfunction.”

“Jon and I directed the video, but I would be remiss not to mention the vision Jon had for this one,” says Lombard. “While the song in its lyrical content was meant to be about the aforementioned lifelong struggles with alcoholism, Jon began seeing the line ‘can’t lie like this anymore’ as more of a metaphor for Dan’s battle with cancer and monthly chemo cycles.”

The moving video begins by depicting the beauty of nature before focusing on Dan at home in bed with his illness. He is able to breaks free in his mind from his struggles by heading outside with his guitar to enjoy the gorgeous wide-open spaces. Says Lombard- “We keep calling it Dan’s “celebration/party” at the end–to be done with chemo and to have made it through to where he is/we are today.” - Glide Magazine

Coming off their late 2020 indie debut album Parachute, Portland, Maine trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS have shared “Red Sun,” the first single from a planned upcoming album. Listen here to the mysterious and evocativesong, in which the characters undergo a transformative spiritual experience as they travel through the Southwestern United States. Stay tuned for a desert-themed video for the song in the next few weeks.

Written by the band, the song underlines the many charms of the band–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–who chart a course through eloquent alternative, dusty blues, graceful folk, and rootsy rock.

The concept of “Red Sun,” explains ANNA, “started as a demo with just Dan on acoustic guitar with a chorus singing ‘See you when we reach the shore, we’ll meet up in Vegas at Bellagio.’ He had this idea to create a song about being a refugee and making it through the water to America–and landing in Vegas, the city of Second Chances.” She adds: “The characters in the song left everything they knew to make a better life…packed minimally with maybe a picture or two and a wad of dollar bills.”

This past March LOVE BY NUMB3RS released the single/video for “Western Son” from Parachute. It was premiered at Glide Magazine which noted that the band “bring a sultry and twangy Nashville sound from the northeastern continental 48s. The band offers a timeless polished sound that brings the earthy smoky overtones of Linda Ronstadt, Gillian Welch, and Grace Potter.” PARACHUTE turned the page for a new chapter of three longtime friends and collaborators. After 15 years of friendship, countless memories, two albums and a 100-plus shows in the band Gypsy Tailwind, the trio thread together an unforgettable journey. - Imprint Magazine

Portland, Maine-based roots-rock exponents LOVE BY NUMB3RS brings together a collective wealth of experience to produce the exquisitely soulful ‘Colours‘.
‘Colours‘ is the title track from the upcoming EP from LOVE BY NUMB3RS and it powerfully sets out this band’s considerable strengths in pretty much every department. Across the entire track, the playing is nigh-on perfect. It just oozes class. It’s not easy to single out any individual’s contribution but there is some lovely bass playing and some gorgeous guitar lines subtly sprinkled through the excellent, sinewy, soulful mix. The vocals, however, absolutely deserve to be singled out. Anna Lombard has such a rich and emotive voice, and she appears to be able to switch from breathy, sensuality to spine-tingling power in an instant. Her fabulous performance is only one of many reasons to give this track and the band’s forthcoming EP a listen.
The song is about a mother and daughter’s difficult relationship and the lyrics are naked and unflinching. “I been living my life in colors // You made me so blue then I’m seeing red // When the calm after the storm comes // And then gray is all that’s left.”
“It’s definitely inspired by r&b/soul music of the sixties and early
seventies,” says Lombard, who wrote the song with bandmate Dan Connor. “It is real. It is emotive. It grooves and it builds all the way through the song until the abrupt radio silence after I scream the very last line.”

But there’s more... this impressive trio are not just outstanding musicians and songwriters, they’re also blessed with a fine production design sensibility when it comes to pulling together an arresting video. Utilising their own production talents and the resources and physical spaces around them, they’ve come up with a great video that screams out that you’re looking at a band that’s properly creative in every department.
This is a superb video and an exciting new venture by some very talented people. Check out the link below. - Americana UK

Love By Numb3rs, Colours.

Every few years an EP is released and immediately demands to be heard right next to all the full-length albums. The Portland, Maine group Love By Numb3rs may have decided to only record six songs for COLOURS, but with such inventive instrumentation and unforgettable voices that is exactly enough. Vocalist/keyboardist Anna Lombard is joined by instrumentalists/vocalists Dan Connor and Jon Roods to make the kind of trio sound that seems heaven-sent. Their playing and voices blend in a way that is other worldly, and the title song “Colours” feels like a gospel caravan has invaded their souls and taken them to the promised land. Really. Creations like this track don’t come around every day, and the way it nearly stops time signals something very special is happening. And the five songs that follow are in that same league as well. A group that makes music so significant that it’s hard to describe is always the one to keep an eye and ear on, and that is a true fact here. Lombard’s voice on “Oak Tree” is one for the ages, taking the song into the inner depth of past memories chilling in their evocative strength. And all through the songs, the way Connor and Roods flow in and out of the melodies, rhythms and most impressive of all the moody mystery of all that is being played has such a tangible touch, it’s like Love By Numb3rs are casting a spell as much as they are recording a song. That doesn’t happen that often. The next time an off-road urge takes hold find this release, start with the first song “Colours” and ride it to the end of the line. Beauty awaits there. - Americana Highways