Greyhounds

Release the Hounds!
True road dogs, Greyhounds keep on running

By Jonathan Zwickel

Of all the human traits rock 'n' roll expresses -- joy, angst, rebellion, lust -- perhaps the most difficult to convey is soul. Rock 'n' roll is all about youth, while soul is eager but wise, earnest but earthy. To pull off a legitimate union of the two requires young, talented musicians with a powerful sense of history and a mission to speak to the people.

What up, dog? Greyhounds: Anthony Farrell (left), Andrew Trube, and Jack Littlefield.
Where:
Bamboo Room, 25 S. "J" St., Lake Worth
Details:
9 p.m. Thursday, March 31. Tickets cost $10. Call 561-585-2583.
Subject(s):
Greyhounds
Ladies and gentlemen -- from Austin, Texas: Greyhounds.

Helmed by two fresh-faced 20-somethings who manage to cram a helluva lot of true grit into their good times, Greyhounds are one of those uncommon rock 'n' soul standard-bearers. They rate with hard-driving, heavy-touring groups like the Funky Meters and Galactic in their embrace and reinvigoration of older styles. And like those bands, they know that while there's fun in the jam, there's truth in the song.

Andrew Trube is the lead Greyhound, taking up guitar, lap steel, and harmonica and contributing gruff, thick vocals. "We're writing real tunes," he says while driving from his dad's place outside of Tyler, Texas, back to his home in Austin. "But I hope you don't listen to 'em and go, 'These are poppy and cheesy.' Hopefully, they're dirty and funky and you're having a good time, but they're real tunes too."

Trube's main foil is Anthony Farrell, keyboardist and bassist, who counters Trube's baritone with an almost kitschy falsetto wail. The pair has been making music together for more than six years, with a rotating cast of drummers. ("We're the Spinal Tap of Southern funk," Trube jokes.)

"It's Southern soul," Farrell explains, "soul/blues/rock 'n' roll. There's a real funky, juke-joint kinda feel too. We're saying we're Hall and Oates meets ZZ Top."

Their 2004 debut, Liberty, found Trube doing a majority of the songwriting, though Farrell stepped up to the mic for the first time on the album. Greyhounds wrote the album during sessions played in the old, vacant Liberty Theater in Tyler.

"We had this huge storyboard thing on the stage of the theater where we wrote out all the songs we were gonna do," Trube says, "and we had this cheesy tape recorder to record everything. We all don't have a really good memory for a lot of things, so we have to document shit or else we'll forget it."

After the Liberty sessions, the band recorded at Truck Farm Studio with Galactic heavy-hitters Rob Mercurio and Stanton Moore producing. Fans who know Greyhounds from their seemingly perpetual touring and lengthy live improvisation might be surprised by the tight, concise power of Liberty's tunes.

"When we play live, we have a chance to stretch it out and fuck around," Trube says, "but we're really into standard songwriting. Tell a story, have a hook, but also put an element into the music where we're not cheesing out."

The fear of "cheesing out" is one of Greyhounds' primary concerns. The band maintains its rootsy feel by playing vintage instruments, using classic amps, and writing straightforward, unfussy arrangements.

"We like to keep with the old-school approach," Trube explains, "where you literally get a cable, plug one end into the guitar and the other into the amp and just play."

It's that sense of simplicity -- and Trube's connection to Texas' musical legacy -- that brought the band back to Austin after earning its wings among the cutthroat competition of L.A. for a couple of years. "The band got together in L.A.," Trube says. "That's where me and Anthony met. We got everything from L.A. we were going to as a group. It was part of our growing process and part of our maturation, and so was leaving. We've been back here for a few years. Texas drew us back."

Though they've already got 20 songs on deck for a follow-up album to come this fall, they're concentrating on the part of the job they love the most -- playing live. Trube estimates the group played 200 to 225 dates last year. "We're a live band, totally," Trube says. "We love doing the studio shit, but we're all about entertaining, man. We like getting out, having drinks, smoking cigarettes, and playing music. That's what we're built for."

The band is familiar with South Florida, having played an opening slot for Gainesville's MOFRO at Lake Worth's Bamboo Room a couple of years back. They got such a great response that management invited them to play a headlining slot, which they did last year. Now they're back again, with nothing but great things to say about the venue and owner Russel Oxley.

"That is one of the best venues in the country," Trube declares. "Y'all are so lucky to have that place. The owner treats you so well, you can't help but play good."

The hospitality at the Bamboo Room sta - New Times (Palm Beach, FL)

After taking a whole year off from touring and then relocating to Texas, it was obvious that Greyhounds were up to something. Earning a reputation among fans and their touring peers as a fairly relentless touring machine, it seemed odd that the band would park the van and seemingly disappear. It has recently been revealed what was occurring during that time off. The band is preparing to hit the road again for their first major touring in a year to promote their new CD release, Liberty, produced by Galactic's Robert Mercurio and Stanton Moore.


Greyhounds hid out in the historic landmark Liberty Theater in downtown Tyler, Texas during November and December of 2002 to write the tunes for the new album. In January of 2003, the guys headed down to New Orleans to hook up with Robert and Stanton, who would be making their debut in the producer's chair. The result is clearly a change in sound, as the album finds a harder, dirtier, more organic blend of the Greyhounds groove. These guys have definitely shed the soul-jazz flavor that seemed to be the label of their first release, Waiting for Francis. Liberty is a raw record that has gotten back to the simplicity of writing great grooves, catchy melodies, and telling interesting and sincere stories. There is definitely a different element and vibe for each tune. All around just a great record to have fun listening to. 11 tracks of gritty, rock-solid, funky, Texas soul.

Speaking of Texas, it has definitely played a huge part in reshaping their sound and you will find vocals on every track. And not just the gritty blues-man vocals of guitarist, Andrew Trube, but the soulful falsetto sounds of keyboardist, Anthony Farrell, as he makes his vocal debut on the track, "It's All Over but the Shoutin." You can almost smell the sawdust on the Jukehouse floor when listening to tracks like "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and the harmonica driven "Hot Sauce." You'll find a pleasant surprise with Ani DiFranco's guest vocal appearance on the track, "Black Hole." An escape from the norm for both Ani and Greyhounds.

Greyhounds will be on tour through the East Coast and the Mid-West with Robert Walter's 20th Congress early this fall.

Listen to song clips, buy the new CD, see pictures from the road and the recording session, find tour dates and more at http://www.greyhoundsmusic.com.

Josh Melton
JamBase | Texas
Go See Live Music!

[Published on: 8/29/03] - Jambase

Well-known nationally because of their early involvement with JamBase.com and heavy touring schedule, the Greyhounds remain regulars at Ruta Maya, Antone's, the Parish, Stubb's, and Lamberts. They also have a Wednesday residency upstairs in the gallery at the Continental Club, billed as Trube, Farrell & Sniz, because the band's regular drummer doesn't live in Austin. With Dave "Sniz" Robinson, who's kept time with Topaz, Papa Mali, and Scrappy Jud Newcomb, among a long list of others, TFF works up relatively obscure soul-jazz covers and made-up-on-the-spot jams that often find the act joined by one of the multitude of players that make up this burgeoning scene.

"I think there's a lot of people that are into our style," Trube claims, "but they don't realize that there are bands playing it, because a lot of the hipsters are afraid of it. They think, 'That's a jam-ass hippie band. We don't want to go and see them.' What's cool about the Continental is that everybody goes there. We'd like for people to just dig the music and forget about the scene."

The best thing to happen to the Greyhounds because of the Gallery gig was being chosen to open for American Idol Taylor Hicks earlier this year.

"He saw us at the Continental and was all about it," nods Trube. "The tour was a trip. It was mainly women in their 40s and their significant others."

"The old guys were the people that latched onto us," Farrell chimes in.

"It was really wild," continues Trube, "because those were the kind of people that would never have seen us, and they ended up loving it."

The tour was so successful that they sold all the CDs, a bonus in that they're gnawing at the leash to record a new one.

"We've got enough songs to make a Pink Floyd box set," Trube alleges. "My laptop is filled. We've been approached about doing a live record at the Gallery, but it switched gears, and now it looks like another studio record. That's why we moved here. We were so sick of touring we wanted to record. Now, we're just gonna do our thing, and if it works out, it works out. We're just gonna do our thing."

- BY JIM CALIGIURI (Austin American Statesman)

THE GREYHOUNDS
May 24, 2007 at 7:25 pm ·


http://www.austindaze.com/?p=258

: ANDREW TRUBE AND ANTHONY FARRELL
AD: How and when did you get your start?
ANDREW TRUBE: Anthony and I met out in Los Angeles. I put an ad out in the paper looking for a keyboardist and he and played for me over the telephone. We met up and started the band. This was in 1999-we’ve been playing about seven or eight years. Greyhounds have been a band for seven years now.

AD: How did you decide to come to Austin?

AT: I’ve been wanting to come here for awhile and pretty much, about a year and a half ago, we finally did. We lived in LA and then we moved back to Tyler, Texas to write the record Liberty. We recorded it in New Orleans and then from there we were on the road so much we didn’t really have a home. I’m from Texas and have tons of family here, our management is here, and Anthony always wanted to move here so we just thought it would be best.

ANTHONY FARREL: I had been here before. There were a lot of things: just the fact that the community of musicians is so tight here-everybody helps each other out. And the city itself is so supportive of musicians. We had played here on tour before and I fell in love with it right away. There was no doubt in my mind that this was where I wanted to come.

AD: In your experience, what’s the difference between an Austin audience and other audiences you have played for?

AF: People are just more appreciative of music here. It seems like people are a lot more knowledgeable about it and seem to have a lot more respect for it. Of course people talk through shows, but compared to LA it seems like they are overall more into it.

AT: Hearing Anthony say that, there is something I would like to add. It may be considered scandalous to say but one of the unfortunate things we find about Austin is the lack of promotion of musicians outside of what seems to be the same small group. For example, the other day Will Bernard was on KUT promoting the Rutamaya show and they mentioned everyone else except us. I notice that happening a lot. The Greyhounds are doing a lot of cool s**t around here but you are the first people that have wanted to do anything for us-like put us in an ad or do publicity or anything like that. We really appreciate that.

AF: That is true. You hear about the same musicians and the only time you see certain musician’s names is in the list of clubs where it’s more about the clubs than the musicians. This publication is different. It’s definitely changing that.

AD: Thanks for noticing. That’s what we are all about. With all the competition and all the f**ed up things going on, I suppose it teaches you to have a harder shell.

AT: That’s why I left here and moved to LA. The scene was such that I tried to meet other people and they weren’t having it. I moved to LA where there were a lot more ponds. I’m a big advocate of opening up the scene. This town says it is all about the musicians and the music and stuff but it seems like you always only hear about one small section of the same s**t. I’m not trying to be an asshole but that starts making me feel like, “How many other musicians are not getting their props?” A lot. Why doesn’t it open up? What’s wrong with mentioning or playing somebody else’s music? There are so many other bands and so much music that needs recognition. It’s not just the Greyhounds–or for us–it’s for a lot of musicians that deserve it. If we ever get to the point that we are on KUT or KGSR or whatever we are going to mention that list all the time-all the people that don’t get props.

AD: Do you have a new recording coming out?

AT: We have a new CD that we are working on. We kind of got screwed because we went on tour with the American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.

AD: Screwed how?

AT: We sold out of our discs and had a great time but everything got pushed back because of it. It was really pretty funny and weird. We are nothing like him.

AD: How did you end up getting that gig?

AT: There’s a funny story about that if you want to hear it. He came into the Continental Club and saw us playing and he comes up to me when we are taking our break and he says, “Hey man. My name is Taylor Hicks.” I said, “I’m Andrew Trube, what’s up?” He says, “Where you going?” I said, “I’m going to have a cigarette.” He asked if he could come with me and I told him I had gotten in trouble the week before for taking some friends down to smoke. I told him, “You have to go out front unless you are a musician or work here.” Obviously, I had no idea who he was. He looked at me kind of crazy. He asked us to go on tour with him so we did. That’s how that happened.

It was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever done in my life.

AD: What was the most bizarre thing that happened to you while you were out there?

AF: I signed my first pair of breasts.

AT: There were a lot of different things but the first one that comes to mind was this woman that w - Austin Daze (Austin monthly)

Austin’s Greyhounds are purveyors of serious Texas thunder funk that falls somewhere between the Meters and classic pre-MTV ZZ Top. Dirty, fuzzed-out funk tones that could have been salvaged from some obscure private-press soul single, combined with meaty organ and bouyant, volatile drumming contribute to some hardcore boogie that never veers into the dreaded wankery of Stevie Ray Yawn territory. You may know the Spencer Garn Quartet’s organist and bandleader already—he’s the mastermind behind Atlanta funk sensations and Outta Sight Records artists The Soulphonics. This time, he’s bringing to town his fantastic instrumental soul-jazz side project, and, boy, are you in for a treat—SG4 live in the pocket, creating a perfect jazz-funk stasis between Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda, Jimmy Smith’s Root Down and a Lalo Schifrin soundtrack.
Fri., July 25, 9 p.m., 2008

- By Sean L. Maloney (Nashville Scene)

Fortunately, Texas’ own Greyhounds was performing on the BMI stage, thus providing an excuse to escape the tediously dull nature of Asleep at the Wheel’s set. The Greyhounds funked it up with a sort of New Orleans, blues-rock stew that was capped off by the impassioned lead vocals of keyboardist Anthony Ferrell and guitarist Andrew Trube. Containing hints of Dr. John and Solomon Burke, Ferrell’s vocals, in particular, stood out. The only qualm about the performance was the unnecessarily extended band intros, which seemed misplaced during a 45-minute set. - The Music Box (October 2006)