Music
Press
May 1, 2009.
Happy Hour Hero. Strength In Numbers. 3 1/2 stars [out of 4].
Chris wasn't the only Cornell sibling to be blessed with a powerful voice; sister Katy Devereaux is equally striking on Happy Hour Hero's debut (technically, it's Going South's final, 2007 effort. The band rebranded itself with a new name and new bassist; Dave O'Leary joined Devereaux, keyboardist Billy Stover, guitarist Roger C. Davis, and drummer Doug Marrapodi, and then HHH reissued the record.) Strength in Numbers, produced by Jack Endino, opens with strength--"I don't fuck around and I'm not fuckin' taken it easy," snarls Devereaux on the riff-heavy Dimebag. --and is stingy only in the only in its number of tracks (nine, including two radio edits). Its accomplished mix of solid rock, bluesy tunes ("Ashlee Simpson"), slower, sweeter songs (the title track, "Elan"), and R&B rhythms ("Monkey Girl") makes Strength in Numbers feel a bit like a club calling card. A few more songs may give HHH's next effort cohesive power to match its players' talents.
Clint Brownlee
Standout Tracks: "Dimebag", "Pink Torpedo" - Sound NW Magazine
Discography
As a reformation of the long time Seattle band, Going South, the new Happy Hour Hero has released the following:
Strength in Numbers, 2008
The CD was finished at the end of 2008 and is currently making its way to radio and print media for play and review. From the previous Going South release, Democrat (still a fan favorite) got a fair bit of play on KEXP in Seattle.
Photos
Bio
UPDATE: The video for "Ashlee Simpson" (our song not the jig dancing singer) is done! Due to filesize limits on Sonicbids, we have opted to upload the video at our website.
Click the "Ashlee Simpson video" link below or copy this url:
http://www.happyhourhero.net/blog.php?d=2009-06-11&wid=0
UPDATE 2: For those of you that were told we uploaded a video here, we apologize for the inconvenience, but the processing done by the Sonicbids filters after uploading was not satisfactory so we pulled it for now.
Click the "Ashlee Simpson video" link below or copy this url:
http://www.happyhourhero.net/blog.php?d=2009-06-11&wid=0
UPDATE 3: Recording sessions for the next release are well under way. Drum tracking is almost complete and we will be shooting some live video of one of the songs at our July 17th gig at The Mars Bar. Want to hear the new tunes and/or be in the next video? Come to The Mars Bar.
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Happy Hour Hero was formed Phoenix-like from the ashes of Seattle veteran rockers Going South, not a band that quit, died, or faded away, but rather a band that cast off dead weight in order to reach the next level. And having regrouped with a new bass player and a heavier sound, a more direct in your face rock sound, polished and musical, but still retaining force, drive, and energy, the time for that level is at hand.
Happy Hour Hero is fronted by the sexy, sultry, and sometimes angry vocal stylings of Katy Devereaux (of Inflatable Soule back in the Seattle day). Billy Stover adds the classically trained jazz touches and the balls-on swells on the keyboards, and on the guitar Roger Davis brings a mixture of rock, funk, and even a touch of country. All three comprised the core of the Going South line up that rocked acclaimed Seattle festival Bumbershoot in 2004.
In 2007, looking to step it up a notch, drummer Doug Marrapodi came in from a heavy metal background (played with Rottweiller and members of Metal Church) to add the missing thud and snap and pop, the tightness. The lineup was complete when Dave O'Leary came over by way of Detroit and Columbus with a bass and a mixture of the heavy and the psychedelic to thus solidify the low end and the groove. A simple name change and Happy Hour Hero was born.
The resulting mix is a blend of driving rock sounds with a polished R n B influence that adds style, melody, and smooth grooves that still manage to rock. It isn't for sitting down.
The band has played a few initial gigs with the new lineup, and the core fan base is very much alive with the newer, heavier sound, a sound which is bringing in a newer crowd as well. And so the momentum begins as Happy Hour Hero is hitting Seattle, the festivals, the Pacific northwest, and beyond as spring gets under way.
On the studio end of things, Happy Hour Hero is currently in studio pre-production with plans to begin recording with Seattle legend Jack Endino (producer of the current CD, Strength in Numbers, and previous efforts of Going South).
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