David Haerle Shares “The Hills of Silver Lake”

Deeply rooted in personal storytelling, Los Angeles singer-songwriter-guitarist David Haerle draws inspiration from his life, experiences, people, and observations of all that surrounds him. This again rings true with his new single “The Hills of Silver Lake,” out June 12, where Haerle stays close to home, reflecting on his experience of growing up and growing older in the same Los Angeles-area neighborhood, watching life unfold across familiar streets and landmarks across the span of a lifetime. The intimate track is paired with a music video artfully shot and edited by director Michael Pottle.

“The Hills of Silver Lake”:

Watch the video on YouTube
Listen to “The Hills of Silver Lake”

“‘The Hills of Silver Lake’ is about living your adulthood in the neighborhood you grew up in. I think it gives you a special view of life as it goes by,” David explains. “You see once-upon-a-time landmarks change or be torn down. At restaurants you’ve been going to forever you watch the waiters age and retire. You see a young couple start a new family in your friend’s old house you played in as a kid. There’s the passing of people you knew and loved. And, of course, through all this, you realize you are also growing older. ‘The Hills of Silver Lake’ is my attempt to capture, in song, this particular experience of bearing witness, and about realizing that I, too, am just passing through.”

The track was written by David and produced alongside co-producer/mixer/engineer and frequent collaborator Jose Salazar. David, who sings the lead vocal and plays electric and acoustic rhythm guitars, is joined by his longtime band — Carson Cohen, bass, backing vocals, string arrangement; Ken Belcher, electric guitars; Reade Pryor, drums and percussion; and Jose Salazar, keyboards — along with string players Leah Zeger, first violin, second violin and viola, and Derek Stein, cello.

“The Hills of Silver Lake” follows the recent release of “Tucumcari Tonite!” a look back on David’s childhood — long summer drives through the American Southwest — and the enduring magic of places like Tucumcari, New Mexico. Rooted in nostalgia and simpler times, the music video for “Tucumcari Tonite!” embraces new technology to push the boundaries of artistic imagination. Created using AI tools under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Sabrina Doyle, marking her first project to fully integrate AI into her creative process, the video unfolds as a hallucinatory, dreamlike reawakening of an old memory, blurring reality and imagination through a magical road trip seen through a child’s eyes, complete with surreal encounters, ancient landscapes, and even roaming dinosaurs.

While maintaining his position as president of CMH Label Group, David continues writing and recording music, with plans to release more throughout the year.

David Haerle | Photo by Michael Pottle

About David Haerle:

David’s music blends rock, folk, and Americana with heartfelt storytelling, warm guitar tones and a nostalgic yet modern vibe that feels both personal and expansive. His previous album releases, 2023’s El Camino Sierra, 2020’s Death Valley and 2018’s Garden of Edendale, have all been well reviewed amongst many notable music publications including Billboard, American Songwriter, Goldmine, Under The Radar, Glide Magazine, Rock and Roll Globe, Americana Highways, Elmore Magazine and others.

David Haerle grew up surrounded by music and the music business. His father, Martin, emigrated from Germany to pursue a dream of working in the country music industry and co-founded the independent label CMH Records, setting up shop in the garage and side room of the family home in Los Angeles. David’s maternal grandparents co-owned the first full-time country music radio station in Nashville, WENO, with their partner Cal Young. The King of Country Music himself, Roy Acuff, took David onstage at the Grand Ole Opry before a full house when he was 9 years of age.

After picking up his first guitar, a Fender Stratocaster around age 13, David played in rock and alternative new wave bands during the ’80s, before becoming a music agent at ICM. When his father passed away suddenly, David took over the family business at just 24 years old. He has served as president of CMH Records, now CMH Label Group, ever since.

But David never stopped playing guitar. In 2011, he decided to record and release his first full-length album. He began in earnest and the project would ultimately take him roughly seven years to finish. Garden of Edendale was released in the summer of 2018. His second album, Death Valley, was released in the spring of 2020. His third album, El Camino Sierra, was released in April 2023. David is working on his fourth LP to be released soon.