UTOPiAfest 2012 performing artist Houndmouth could be called a breakout success. They have one four-song EP under their belt, which has been incredibly well received by the listening public. You can tell from their video shot at last year’s SXSW that the band’s live show possesses soul and raw energy. We can’t wait to see them this weekend. But before that happens, we were lucky enough to get in touch with the band and have them answer a few questions.
PPI: You guys have a long standing relationship with the folks who put on UTOPiAfest as they shot an early video for you last SXSW. Tell us about forging a relationship with them.
ZAK: They invited us to do the UTOPiA sessions at this beautiful home in Austin, and we’d only been a band for a couple months. We had no idea what we were in for.
MATT: Those guys are great. We were hooked up with the UTOPiA folks by Zach Hart from the music blog WeListenForYou.com. Hanging out with them was easy from the minute we stepped out of the RV. Just really good people. UTOPiAfest this year is going to be amazing.
KATIE: They were just the nicest people. They had someone there making bloody Mary’s, someone doing hair, someone giving massages. The hospitality was insane. We were so excited when they invited us to be a part of the festival.
SHANE: They are great guys and have been sharing our music since the beginning. We owe them a lot.
PPI: What aspect of UTOPiAfest are you most excited about, other than delivering a mind-melting set?
KATIE: Ha. We really want to see the UTOPiA dudes and the Wheeler Brothers again. Also, seeing Ben Kweller has been a dream of mine since I was in middle school. Changing Horses is a great record, but I really hope he plays “Wasted and Ready.” For old time’s sake.
SHANE: I am most excited to be in the middle of nowhere and seeing a good festival without 50,000 people.
ZAK: Seeing the atmosphere there. They have it set up in such an artist-friendly way with no sets overlapping, a killer stage setup, and good vibes all around.
MATT: Yeah, I guess thats a really spectator-friendly way to do things too. And when you’re succeeding on both of those levels, you know it’s a special festival.
PPI: I had been following Houndmouth pretty closely for a while, and then I woke up one day and you were signed to Rough Trade. How did that develop?
KATIE: We had a plan to meet our booking agent Matt Hickey for the first time at SXSW, and he had invited Geoff Travis, owner of Rough Trade Records, to our little show at this little bar called the Molotov.
MATT: Geoff left Springsteen’s keynote speech early to come see our set the next day at South By San Jose (SXSJ), but by the time he got there, we were already finished and we talked briefly.
ZAK: That is where everything started. From there, things escalated quickly. He was so enthusiastic about us and the music, which was amazing.
PPI: From the press and your own posts, Kentucky seems to be an amazingly nurturing environment for Houndmouth. How does it feel?
SHANE: We are very lucky to have Louisville so close to home. They have great venues and great people who truly love music.
MATT: Louisville is great place for music because everyone is so supportive. People here are just ready to see music whenever and wherever. And if they like what they see, they become loyal fans real fast, which is always a good thing.
KATIE: Kentucky/Indiana has been wonderful to us. Everyone is so supportive and so excited to be a part of it all. Those people are really the reason any of it happened. Folks at WFPK and the blogging community have been so encouraging. It feels surreal to be honest. It’s happening so quickly. If you told me 11 months ago that I would be answering interview questions sitting in an empty Bowery Ballroom in NYC waiting for sound check I would have just laughed.
PPI: You’ve been on tour a lot recently, who is the best band you’ve played with that the world doesn’t know about?
ZAK: We are on tour with Dry The River now. They are from the UK and they put on a hell of a show. Great guys too.
MATT: We also did a show with J Roddy Walston and the Business in Indianapolis. We have been big fans of those guys for quite a while now.
PPI: What plans are in the works for a full-length album?
MATT: The full length is in process as we speak. We recorded everything with Kevin Ratterman in Louisville. He is an amazing guy. One of those people you meet and get such a good vibe from you feel instantly comfortable with. Love him.
KATIE: It’s in the works and mostly done. Hopefully we can put it out sometime before the winter is over in 2013.
PPI: Why is it that songs about trains are often so insanely good?
KATIE: Haha, they are, aren’t they!? I’m with you, just something about it. There’s something appealing about that not so ancient pre-smartphone era and the ability to just skip town via train. Freedom in a way.
MATT: We haven’t ever heard a bad song about a train so we figured we would just hop on that train and ride it all the way to the station.
ZAK: Golden Age Syndrome.
PPI: When you were dreaming of being famous musicians when you grew up, who did you want to be?
KATIE: I started playing music five years ago. I don’t know what I wanted to be when I was a kid. Just free from authority. This seems to be a good outlet.
MATT: I wanted to be both David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, but with that much talent you’d probably explode.
ZAK: I always wanted to be Paula Abdul but I don’t have the tits for it.
SHANE: Matt Myers’ guitar tech.
