Haunt the House

Originally the solo acoustic project of Will Houlihan, Haunt The House has recently expanded to something much bigger and bolder. On the recently released Jack Rabbit Jones, the full spectrum of folk instrumentation has joined in, with rapturous mandolin and accordion adding a spacious backdrop for Houlihan and a chorus of singers to cry, moan, plead and delight. This is the kind of music that the genre tag of Americana was custom-made for. - Paste Magazine

Hometown: Charlestown
Members: Will Houlihan, Bessie Bessin, Allysen Callery, Ryan Smith, Meg Bayley, David Henry Passafiume, Amato Zinno, Stephen Lloyd Law
Current Album: Jack Rabbit Jones (2014)
Originally the solo acoustic project of Will Houlihan, Haunt The House has recently expanded to something much bigger and bolder. On the recently released Jack Rabbit Jones, the full spectrum of folk instrumentation has joined in, with rapturous mandolin and accordion adding a spacious backdrop for Houlihan and a chorus of singers to cry, moan, plead and delight. This is the kind of music that the genre tag of Americana was custom-made for. - Paste Magazine

Singer-songwriter Will Houlihan returns under his Haunt the House moniker with Jack Rabbit Jones (75orLess Records), the full-length follow-up to the 2013 EP Rural Introspection Study Group. Expect a packed house in the upstairs lounge at the Columbus Theatre (where the album was recorded) this Friday when Houlihan and his Housemates return to headline their album release party (columbustheatre.com). Fans of Brown Bird, the Low Anthem, Iron & Wine, and Bon Iver should grab a copy of Jack Rabbit Jones ASAP.
The album gleams with a stirring, spiritually-inflected sound that well represents the band name on the marquee, as Houlihan explained when we caught up following a particularly stunning performance a few weeks ago at Theatre 82 in Cranston’s Rolfe Square.
“I started off playing solo at open mics and people would often tell me how haunting my songs were, but it also has a spiritual origin whereby the Holy Spirit is often referred to as ‘living within you’ after Christian conversion,” he said. “Our bodies are also called the temple of the Lord, so it just made sense to me that the Holy Spirit haunts your house.”

And while Houlihan remains the lyrical architect, this time around he has assembled an impressive backing House band which includes Stephen Law (mandolin), Vudu Sister’s Amato Zinno (upright bass), Bessie Bessin (accordion/vox), and backup vocals and harmonies from the best in the biz, Allysen Callery.

“I am really happy for Will — he is one of the sweetest, funniest, and most wise people I know,” Callery said after the show. “When he asked me to sing on his new album I was delighted.”

Houlihan also enlisted the Columbus Theatre and in-house mixologists (and Low Anthem co-founders) Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky.

“I feel very blessed and fortunate to have worked with Ben and Jeff and the Columbus folks,” Houlihan said. “We couldn’t have asked for a more friendly, patient, and professional set of engineers.”
Prystowsky had nothing but praise for the House that Houlihan built. “Will’s voice sneaks up on you, it’s subtle and intense, and before you know it, he’s jumped into falsetto and a powerful wave of musical joy washes over you,” said Prytsowsky via email. “I remember him telling me his journey that led him to music and it was so compelling it inspired me for weeks. His music is charged, not just with an aptitude for words and melodies, but with a deep feeling of soul.”
Westerly/Charlestown native Houlihan decided to once again release his music via Warren-based imprint 75orLess. Label boss Mark MacDougall met Houlihan through artist William Schaff at his Fort Foreclosure, where MacDougall screenprints CD jackets and hosts his “That’s Not Incredible” podcast. 75orLess labelmate Callery had also been in MacDougall’s ear exulting Houlihan’s music. He caught a Haunt the House set and was convinced.
“Will happily embraced reverb on his vocals, reminding me of Jim James and Roy Orbison, while the music was stark, bare, and emotional,” MacDougall told me. “When I finally got to speak with him after the show, I found out how ‘organizationally challenged’ he was, and we agreed to start working together.”

Houlihan’s vivid and stark storytelling is carried by weary yet warm vocals as his schizophrenic character ruminates over a lost lover. Each of the 13 songs on Jack Rabbit Jones portrays a conversation between the two personalities,Jack Rabbit Jones and his evil alter ego King Amish. The album is meant to be “projected into your mind’s eye, and viewed as a theatrical experience,” the Jack Rabbit press release notes.
“I initially had a grand scheme to release a small comic with it and do an elaborate stage production early on, but as I got deeper into the writing process it became clear that the songs would be cohesive enough to allow the listener enough room to imagine their own interpretation,” said Houlihan. “The songs evolved into a dialogue between two people, one of which has a split personality like a Jekyll/Hyde character, and this creates a messed-up love triangle.”
The album opens with Houlihan’s acoustic gallop on “Mosquito Coast,” where he wraps a well-worn couplet in the chorus: “Tell my body not to leave my soul, I’ll grow up but I’ll never grow old/I’m so tired doin’ what I’m told, breakin’ my back for another man’s gold.” Houlihan certainly channels Orbison on standout cuts “Black Butte” and “Burial Waltz.” In “Jealous Vow,” Houlihan’s conflicted character vows, “I will have my vengeance on your soul” and is “tortured by rushing winds” on “Pity Creek Ravine,” though on “Emerson” he confidently declares that “love can heal our scars.” And it’s no coincidence that some of the most beautiful moments occur when Houlihan and Callery are entwined around the mic, particularly on “Little Bird” and “You’ve Disappeared” (she will join HTH for the entire performance on Friday). Their rendition of “Ease Your Troubled Mind” at the Theatre 82 show held the room in total silence. This song is absolutely gorgeous.
“Will is a gifted songwriter and an amazing soul,” commended Callery. “I can’t wait for everyone to hear his music.” - The Providence Phoenix/ Chris Conti

The drive down to Providence on May 30th was absolute hell. The on ramp to get onto 95 south was backed up for a good hour and a half due to an earlier crash. After passing that, the skies opened up and surged a river from the clouds onto the black tar. White knuckled, nearly nose to the cold glass of the windshield, I finally made it to Providence and managed to procure a spot directly across from the marquee of the Columbus Theatre where I saw folks that resembled folks I would imagine seeing at one of these shows. My people. I grew anxious for what was inside awaiting me…

I entered the building, recited my name for the lovely young woman manning the admission desk and felt transformed back in time. This, you see, was indeed my first time experiencing this magical place and the show I chose for my cherry breaker was indeed the right one.

Heading up the stair case I was greeted immediately by the night’s star, my friend and fellow songwriting compadre, Will Houlihan aka Haunt the House. Will was decked out in his distinct hat, festooned in delightful hawk’s feathers (ok, maybe not hawks, but some bird of pretty for sure). A big hug and a few words later, I ran into other friends and it felt like a regular old musical reunion with friends I see all too infrequently. The performance space upstairs in the Columbus is like a warm embrace. Its cozy, its inviting, and it’s incredibly intimate. Red casted light with its patterned carpet hanging behind the stage. It feels part burlesue performance space, part speakeasy, and extremely charming. Needless to say, a perfect spot for a CD release for Houlihan and company’s sound.

The first band up was Ol’Factory. They had a real Allman Brothers, 70s dueling guitars, bluesy rock goodness feel to them. They really started the night off on a highnote. Incredible guitar licks, the lead singer, Shea, has one of those voices that can only be sung by a person that has earned that voice. With its distinct rasp and rawness it makes you do a double take. Truly an energetic and soulful performance. They were a very welcome inclusion of the night for my ears.

The next band was a bit more the speed I expected from Will’s CD Release. A bit more of that “haunting waltz” feel to the music of Alec K Redfearn and the Eyesores. Very intriguing music and well thought arrangements. What truly struck me is the sounds that they made come from an accordion. The balance between musicality and words was pretty much even spread, without words being sung for long stretches of instrumental breaks. Honestly, if a caterpillar passed me a pipe of opium during the performance, I wouldn’t have been all too surprised…and probably would have partaken.

Next up was the star of the night. Haunt the House. Made up of some of Providence’s best musicians including some friends of mine, the brainchild of Will Houlihan, has a truly fitting name. Will’s songs are the pinnacle of simplistic beauty and set across the background of the Columbus theatre, this is a show I am not going to soon forget. The band cruised through the new record almost from front to back, but were sure to include my favorite song from Will’s repertoire. That song is “Vampyre” and I am honest in saying I am happy it was so dark in the theatre, because what I was witness too was such a moving experience I was as close to tears as I could be without tasting salt streaming down my cheeks to my mouth. The harmonies and the dynamic of the band on stage was something of magic. Will and the band were all so “in it”…well, his mandolin player was a bit all over the stage, but I think that added to the charm of the band. Everyone on stage was tight, the sound was phenomenal and the vibe was extraordinary.

This will not be a night I ever forget. The BEST night of music that I have taken in, in a very, very long time. Magic, absolute magic. - Red Line Roots/ Brian Carroll

There are those who try and fake vigor and enthusiasm. The world is full of "douche face" guitar solos, crappy rhyming schemes in songs, and jackasses dressed in late 19th century garb singing about the farmland when they live in a 3 story brownstone in Allston. This is not of those people. Will Houlihan absolutely exudes passion for his music and songs.




Rural Instrospection Study Group

There is a beautiful simplicity to this release. Its so emotionally full, but the sound has this hollow "man alone in an empty room with a guitar" vibe to it. The music is really quite incredible. There's some hints of Jeff Buckley there. The second track 'Vamprye' leads off with a shrill, shocking, but incredibly beautiful vocal falsetto.I just really really want to listen to this over and over again. It's a short 6 tracks, but still feels like a complete and well presented thought. Something that is loose, but still consciously purposeful. Spooky, powerful, and affecting. With the way Houlihan sings and arranges his work its no surprise he goes by the moniker "Haunt the House".

http://hauntthehouse.bandcamp.com/

Haunt the House

While Haunt the House is Will and his performing act, he also has a myriad of folks join him on stage to perform as this act. Always a treat, always more emotion driven and more beautiful than the last time you see them. They are constantly evolving the craft and perfecting how to really get that evocative and stirring sound. Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Will perform at a Brown Bird Tribute show. Quoting my recap " so f*cking beautiful, I have nothing else I could possibly say to better describe it". That's really it. I hate to use this again, but the music is haunting, the name fits. This is music who's purpose is to make you feel feelings. It simply evokes something inside of you that makes you feel moved. - Red Line Roots/ Brian Carroll

Didn’t think it was possible, but I’ve become hip to an excellent folk band out of Rhode Island that I didn’t discover at the Newport Folk Festival. Still, Haunt the House has the sound of a band you’d discover at Fort Adams Park: superlative songwriting, old school acoustic instrumentation, sweet summer harmonies and that indescribable special something that merits a second listen. Their debut album, Jack Rabbit Jones has all of these and more. Some top notch Americana.

Rdio: http://www . rdio.com/artist/Haunt_the_House/album/Jack_Rabbit_Jones/

Spotify: Haunt the House – Jack Rabbit Jones

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/haunt-the- house/album/jack-rabbit-jones - JamBase

There are some serious spectral forces at work on Haunt the House’s full-length debut, Jack Rabbit Jones. Some of them are the ghosts of olde time music, simple and from the gut, the kinds of things that tend to wind up exorcised by studio polish and insincerity. Others are the astrally projected souls of a Who’s Who of local heavy hitters, like Allysen Callery, Amato Zinno of Vudu Sister, and Bessie Bessin of Pier Jump. But mostly what you hear are the ghosts of one man’s love and loss.

“I got married when I was 20. I ended up getting divorced at 22. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, marriage or anything like that,” says Will Houlihan, who started Haunt the House as a solo project before putting together a band for the new record. “I was devastated about what had happened. Then I met a girl when I was about 24 or 25, and was just in the mode of trying to rebuild a family because I was so hurt about what had happened and I felt like that was what I needed again in my life. But I didn’t really give myself the time to heal, didn’t give myself the time to grow, so I remarried. We were married for about three years, something had happened and we ended up getting a divorce.”

Add to that the fact that he has a son from each marriage, and that he didn’t find his love for music until after his second divorce. “I was having a hard time making heads or tails of it. Is this even okay for me to be doing? I’ve always been the guy to go work three jobs. So I was struggling with whether or not this was acceptable to do as a father.”

Love, betrayal, regret, fear. These are the ghosts that inhabit the dusty corners of Jack Rabbit Jones and Will channels them like a chord-strumming medium. One could argue that he got two lifetimes worth of whatever it is that drives other songwriters in just one decade, but at least they drive him. He turned it into something powerful, which isn’t to say he’s not a little bit broken – after all, a man who sings like he does can’t be faking it – but he’s too humble to brag about being stronger for it, or for saying that his music hits somewhere close to where a cynic like me might think faith belongs, which isn’t surprising considering how significant a role his own beliefs play in his life and his music.

“It’s inextricable from my personality. I see it as something integral to my being an artist. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know how inspired I’d be because naturally I tend towards being miserable and brooding. I think in the last couple of years God’s provided opportunity to show me that things aren’t always bleak. It’s been reiterated over and over again, even through my bleakest times.

“Everything that has happened has been a blessing. Even the things that haven’t been good in the moment. I look back and see that those things needed to happen,” he says. “This is my opportunity to really pursue something and show them that if you believe in something you should go for it. No matter what the obstacles are you can overcome them as long as you have good intentions, a good heart and patience.”

All of that pain and trust in something bigger than himself are imbued with a heartbreaking scope and atmosphere on Jack Rabbit Jones. Accordion, mandolin, upright bass and often painfully beautiful harmonies fill out the space where Will’s voice and chords once lingered and disintegrated like sonic apparitions on his solo EP and in the intimate performances he built his reputation on.

This month, Will takes Haunt the House on the road with Bessie and Amato for a smattering of shows across New England, including a stop at Fall Fest at Misquamicut Beach on September 12.

“There’s an energy at a live show that you can’t get on a recording,” he says, and at this point whatever it is that drives him – pain, God, wanting to be something his boys will look up to – lights up his eyes. “You finish a song on stage and that moment between finishing the last chord and the applause, if there is any, is magic. It’s like you put something out there and you let it go.” - Southern Rhode Island Magazine

Haunt the House plays Mosquito Coast for MyMusicRX - MymusicRX

.. - Rolling Stone Magazine