H.U.M.A.N.W.I.N.E. is an American Vermont-based band with early roots in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 2002 by Holly Brewer and Matthew McNiss, HUMANWINE has had a long history of rotating lineups of supporting musicians. In recent years, the band has primarily performed and recorded as a duo, as heard on their 2016 four-volume release "aether". HUMANWINE has received various nominations and awards. The band has been featured in articles in many sources including the BostonPhoenix, the Boston Herald, The Pitch, The Dallas Morning News, and the WorcesterTelegram & Gazette, as well as being featured on the cover of Northeast Performer Magazine. HUMANWINE has opened for acts at both the Orpheum Theatre in Boston and Webster Hall in New York. They have also opened for the Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston as well as headlining their own show at the venue. Their name is said, with tongue in cheek, to be an acronym of the phrase, "Humans Underground Making Anagrams Nightly While Imperialistic Not-Mes Enslave", a reference to the subtly-coded lyrics that comprise most of their songs.
Awards and nominations
Best Local Female Vocalist in the 2008 FNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll
Nominated for Best Local Female Vocalist in the 20th Annual Boston Music Awards 2007
HUMANWINE's first release through Nervous Relatives Records, Fighting Naked was named Best Album of 2007 by WBZ-TV
Best New Act in the FNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll 2006
Best New Act in the 19th Annual Boston Music Awards 2006
Touring
HUMANWINE has made two national tours as well as making a West Coast tour. Their first U.S. national tour was billed as the "Double Dipping Tour" and took place in November 2006. They traveled with Reverend Glasseye and shared members between the two bands, hence the tour title. After this tour, Paul Dilley of Reverend Glasseye became a staple of HUMANWINE. Their second national tour came after they were signed to Cordless Recordings. While Cordless Recordings handled the digital distribution, Nervous Relatives Records handled the physical distribution. This tour was used as promotion for their new album, Fighting Naked, and took place from March through April 2007. For this album and tour, rather than using their primary drummer of Nate Greenslit, they recruited Brian Viglione, Holly Brewer's childhood next-door neighbor from Greenville, New Hampshire. For their West Coast tour they took a different approach for their lineup. Holly Brewer and Mat McNiss left the rest of the band behind and trained local musicians that they knew on a show-by-show basis, resulting in a different lineup and feel for each performance. This tour began in December 2008 and lasted through May 2009.