Hind Legs
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Hind Legs

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"Hind Legs are hard in the paint"

On a Saturday in the middle of an icy January, Hind Legs---a two- or sometimes three-piece garage band---shot its first music video.

Halloway Jones, the lead singer and guitarist, hopes the video will give the group momentum as they head out on tour in a few weeks.

"Music videos spread, they get viral real fast," she says, sitting on a couch in her living room. She's holding on to an old, worn-out classical guitar, the kind with the nylon strings. "Someone might see the video, approach us and say, 'Let's make an album together.'"

Adrian Bruhm says that these days bands usually have to fork out a lot of cash for recording and do it on their own. After that, a band is considered lucky if a label picks up the album and distributes it. Hind Legs are hoping for that kind of luck.

Bruhm hosts $Rockin for Dollar$ every week at Reflections and was there for the video shoot, which took place in Jones' apartment.

Her living room---before the shoot--- was as clean as her white-shirted guests. By the end, the room and extras were covered in rainbow splatters of paint.

Drummer Ben Deinstadt says that the whole experience was extremely satisfying, especially the paint-slinging. The raucous video shoot mirrored Hind Legs' fun and scrappy sound.

Jones and Deinstadt are releasing their video at Gus' Pub on Valentine's Day, before heading out on their eastern Canada tour. With them they are taking Jeremy Costello and Nick Dourado, the glam-rock duo known as Special Costello.

About her nearing tour, Jones says, "It's exhausting and I hate it, but there is nothing more fun."
p>Hind Legs w/ Special Costello, Slumlord, The Cannisters, Vixens, Tuesday, February 14 at Gus’ Pub, 2605 Agricola, 6/$5, 10:30pm - The Coast


"When creative worlds collide"

It was in the midst of multi-coloured chaos that Holloway Jones saw her two creative worlds collide. The artist and member of the Halifax-based band, Hind Legs, recently hosted a paint fight at her home, an event that was caught on tape and used to create the band's music video.

"Music is so immediate and social, whereas painting is a slow, often monotonous act, predominately performed in isolation. Lots of people throwing paint around my living room was the most cathartic thing I could imagine, like combining the two experiences. It was magical," Jones said.

Hind Legs is made up of Jones and her musical counterpart, Ben Deinstadt. Born last winter, Hind Legs has released one EP to date, called Pleasure Cave. The cover was hand-painted by Jess Lincoln, the artist that introduced the now bandmates, and features Jones standing in a scummy bathtub in her tights and bra, and Deinstadt sprawled out inside of it. They're currently planning to follow up that last release with a full-length this summer, but expect to a hear a different sound coming from the band this time around.

"Ben got a reverb pedal for me, so expect lots more reverb. Less punk, more psych."

But regardless of how their sound changes, you can be sure that Hind Legs will constantly be churning out art of all kinds to accompany their music; the two are intertwined.

"Art is important to us. Our first show we played dressed up like dinosaurs. I've been known to set up a booth and do drawings for people in the audience," Jones said. "In New Brunswick I'm going to be drawing audience members business cards, just a quick drawing of an animal or an obscure object, their name, and a false occupation, like, Private Eye or Fancy Feline Enthusiast." - [here] magazine


"Ben Rayner’s Reasons to Live for Dec. 18"

Hind Legs, Pleasure Cave. I'm not saying that co-ed Halifax punk trio Hind Legs is on the same level as (or even remotely similar to) a young Hole, but one might someday regard the band's debut EP, Pleasure Cave, in the same way one regards Pretty on the Inside in hindsight — as a loose, splattery, not-entirely-representative effort by a new-ish band gifted with a powerfully voiced female lead singer and loads of character, but still not quite ready to make its big album statement.

Hind Legs is still goofy, self-aware fun here, but for the moment the best place to experience that fun is by seeing these three carry on onstage, where it all makes a little more sense. They were a pleasant discovery at this year's Halifax Pop Explosion and frontgal Hally Jones is an infectious presence. Catch 'em at Rancho Relaxo on Wednesday. - The Toronto Star


"Show Overview: Risk It For the Biscuit - NSCAD Gallery Show ft. Hind Legs"

Set up on the floor in the corner of the gallery, the band was appropriate for the setting, with quick, simple, and catchy songs that none the less hid a darker emotional aspect from front women Hally Jones, who showcased some of the work on display for me, including her own. - Noisography.com


"Hind Legs: Pleasure Cave (independent)"

Hind Legs’ debut, Pleasure Cave, is not at all like that cave in The Descent, but it is also a little spooky and a lady yells in it. Halloway Jones belts out the grungy tunes like nobody’s business over a thick layer of fuzz. Hind Legs turns out lyrically funny songs (about surfing, unicorns, dolphins that don’t know shit about surfing) that end up sounding like angry pop blasts when paired with the dark garage music. “Hips”--- a waltzy number---shows something softer from Jones’ turn-it-up-to-11 voice and the album’s finale, “Father’s House,” builds to a satisfying crescendo, featuring Chief Thundercloud’s signature singing saw vocals. - THE COAST


"Album Review: Hind Legs - Pleasure Cave"

What happens if someone took a jazz rock drummer with grunge ambitions, added an angry John Frusciante (RHCP), and a blues bassist with a hunger for the groove? Hind Legs. Filled with soul, angst, and some unstoppable rhythms Hind Legs is composed of howling vocalist/guitarist Halloway Jones, groovin’ bassist Brad Braaten, and master of the beat Ben Deinstadt.

Truth be told I didn’t know much about Hind Legs other than Halloway Jones has a particularly funny web series called ‘Question/Time with Jones’ (which can be found on YouTube) where the vocalist invites local HRM musicians into her apartment and chats with them about upcoming shows, musical adventures and releases/recordings. That being said one doesn’t need to know much about this band to have their ass kicked by this album.

Pleasure Cave has 2 diamonds in the rough that pulled my attention the most –Diamonds and Father’s House (featuring Chief Thundercloud). While Diamonds sounds like something the Rolling Stones would of wrote if they had a little more passion and not so much cocaine, Father’s House is filled with dissonant, eerie sounding chords reminiscent of much darker and emotion filled version of Bush.

Packed with frustration and passion, Hind Legs blast out Pleasure cave with a raw, unpolished, and angry sound. While the sonic quality isn’t a masterpiece the musicianship is definitely right on the money. Each musician plays off of one another while vocalist Halloway Jones howls over it all with a dissonant yet soulful voice. Pleasure Cave is the type of album that if it was released in ’94 or ’95, would now be looked at as a defining moment in grunge history.

Even though this isn’t an album I would put in my CD changer or iPod on a regular basis, it is still an easy album to enjoy by fans of any genre with the ability to broaden their horizons. If you can dig a psychedelic grunge album then this is the way to go without question. However I wouldn’t recommend operation of heavy machinery while listening to this album as without a doubt you will zone out and be transported into a realm of emotion created by Ms. Jones.

Any band who can put this much effort and emotion into an album that clocks in just under 21 minutes is definitely a band worth checking out.

Hind Legs – Pleasure Cave gets an easy 3 strums out of 5. - Noisography.com


"Band to Watch: Hind Legs"

I met Hind Legs at Grooves Record Shop in London; vocalist Halloway Jones, batting her tired eyes behind brown, thick-rimmed glasses and a black fringe, and drummer Ben Deinstadt, with a red velvet fez perched on top of a floppy haircut, stumbled in after driving from Thornhill. Arriving at their gig to learn there was no drum kit or bass amp available for their performance, Jones, Deinstadt and bassist Brent Braaten (who joined us in a Tin-Tin t-shirt and square-rimmed black frames) expressed no real annoyance. With cool resolve, they simply split up to sort it out, a few of us going to borrow a kit, the other two going to rent an amp.

Hind Legs had booked their small tour only about a month before, around the same time Braaten joined the former two-piece, and in the meantime have been featured on the cover of The Coast’s New Music 2011 issue and shared a stage with the Pack A.D at Halifax’ The Seahorse. Forming only about six months ago, (or maybe it was nine—the actual conception of Hind Legs is still contested among Jones and Deinstadt), the young band started out playing mostly covers of The Undertones and The White Stripes at parties, their first show being at Jones’ boyfriend’s Halloween party. “We only had two real songs,” Jones recalls of their earliest days. They started playing “real shows” in December starting with an opening slot at Gus’ Pub for The Bad Bad Bad, who didn’t even show up for the gig. “It was in the middle of a snowstorm!” Jones explains. “We thought no one was going to come out, but then all these people showed up.”

“We’ve played at some sketchy punk houses a bunch of times,” Deinstadt adds. “Hally punched a guy out once. It was crazy! ... Yeah, he grabbed my mic and was like ‘I hate women!’ So I punched him. And then he got beat up by a bunch of tiny lesbians. It was great!” she laughs.

“They threw him down a set of stairs!" responds Deinstadt, who Jones would call “the sensitive one” in the group. "I felt kind of bad for him. He was just a stupid guy.”

The group’s take-it-all garage rock is dirty and sexy, wailing leather-clad black and blues, consistently drawing a following of Halifax’ art punks and student population. Jones’ vocals are part Patti Smith, part a female version of Black Key’s frontman Dan Auerbach, breaking hearts and taking no prisoners, punching out the blues with a punk rock guitar scrawl. Their live show will give you a black eye, but their easygoing manner and goofy banter will deepen your dimples. “This one’s my dad’s favourite song,” Jones’ announces before launching into ‘Get Some’ from their debut release Pleasure Cave.

The six-track album is available at the group’s Band Camp, but in place of hard copy albums, which are on their way to being produced, the group sells zines at their merch stand. Each page features a hand-drawn picture or comic that illustrates the songs on Pleasure Cave, credited to Jones herself and friends from the NSCAD Fine Arts program, where she’s a student. On the back of the booklet is a code which allows fans to download the entire album for free.

Continuing through their setlist, Jones slides into "The Pigeon Song", a slower, more bluesy tune. “And this one’s my mom’s favourite.” She and her mother, an immigrant from Zimbabwe where Jones spent time as a child, share the same (uncommon) favourite animal. “When I was a kid she actually used to call me ‘pigeon’” Jones smiles. Her affinity for the plucky city birds inspired the cover photo for the new music issue of The Coast. Jones smiles charmingly at the camera seated on a park bench in between Braaten and Deinstadt, who throw their hands up in the air and yell to scare a group of pigeons flying towards the camera. “We spent so much money on bread!” Deinstadt remembers of the shoot. “There was a hot dog vendor there selling us buns for a buck a piece.”

They called it “the parents tour”. In Montreal, the group stayed with their friend and “roadie” Lauren Bell’s parents, with Deinstadt’s in Ottawa, and in Toronto with Jones’. (Had they made it as far West as Regina, where Braaten hails from, they likely would have stayed with his too). While hopping from parents’ house to house in suburbs across Eastern Canada is not exactly “rock and roll” by most standards, it does have its perks. “We’ve been eating really well,” Deinstadt grins. With home-cooked meals and hard-rocking tunes fuelling them, Hind Legs finished up their tour at Toronto’s Rancho Relaxo with Falcon Punch last month. These days, the group moves live performances to the backburner while Deinstadt travels Western Canada, resting deservedly on their hind legs for the remainder of the summer before their drummer returns to Halifax in the Fall to resume classes at Dalhousie University, and to break the group’s brief fast. You’ve been warned: don’t let Hind Legs pass you by. - Little Red Umbrella


"Band to Watch: Hind Legs"

I met Hind Legs at Grooves Record Shop in London; vocalist Halloway Jones, batting her tired eyes behind brown, thick-rimmed glasses and a black fringe, and drummer Ben Deinstadt, with a red velvet fez perched on top of a floppy haircut, stumbled in after driving from Thornhill. Arriving at their gig to learn there was no drum kit or bass amp available for their performance, Jones, Deinstadt and bassist Brent Braaten (who joined us in a Tin-Tin t-shirt and square-rimmed black frames) expressed no real annoyance. With cool resolve, they simply split up to sort it out, a few of us going to borrow a kit, the other two going to rent an amp.

Hind Legs had booked their small tour only about a month before, around the same time Braaten joined the former two-piece, and in the meantime have been featured on the cover of The Coast’s New Music 2011 issue and shared a stage with the Pack A.D at Halifax’ The Seahorse. Forming only about six months ago, (or maybe it was nine—the actual conception of Hind Legs is still contested among Jones and Deinstadt), the young band started out playing mostly covers of The Undertones and The White Stripes at parties, their first show being at Jones’ boyfriend’s Halloween party. “We only had two real songs,” Jones recalls of their earliest days. They started playing “real shows” in December starting with an opening slot at Gus’ Pub for The Bad Bad Bad, who didn’t even show up for the gig. “It was in the middle of a snowstorm!” Jones explains. “We thought no one was going to come out, but then all these people showed up.”

“We’ve played at some sketchy punk houses a bunch of times,” Deinstadt adds. “Hally punched a guy out once. It was crazy! ... Yeah, he grabbed my mic and was like ‘I hate women!’ So I punched him. And then he got beat up by a bunch of tiny lesbians. It was great!” she laughs.

“They threw him down a set of stairs!" responds Deinstadt, who Jones would call “the sensitive one” in the group. "I felt kind of bad for him. He was just a stupid guy.”

The group’s take-it-all garage rock is dirty and sexy, wailing leather-clad black and blues, consistently drawing a following of Halifax’ art punks and student population. Jones’ vocals are part Patti Smith, part a female version of Black Key’s frontman Dan Auerbach, breaking hearts and taking no prisoners, punching out the blues with a punk rock guitar scrawl. Their live show will give you a black eye, but their easygoing manner and goofy banter will deepen your dimples. “This one’s my dad’s favourite song,” Jones’ announces before launching into ‘Get Some’ from their debut release Pleasure Cave.

The six-track album is available at the group’s Band Camp, but in place of hard copy albums, which are on their way to being produced, the group sells zines at their merch stand. Each page features a hand-drawn picture or comic that illustrates the songs on Pleasure Cave, credited to Jones herself and friends from the NSCAD Fine Arts program, where she’s a student. On the back of the booklet is a code which allows fans to download the entire album for free.

Continuing through their setlist, Jones slides into "The Pigeon Song", a slower, more bluesy tune. “And this one’s my mom’s favourite.” She and her mother, an immigrant from Zimbabwe where Jones spent time as a child, share the same (uncommon) favourite animal. “When I was a kid she actually used to call me ‘pigeon’” Jones smiles. Her affinity for the plucky city birds inspired the cover photo for the new music issue of The Coast. Jones smiles charmingly at the camera seated on a park bench in between Braaten and Deinstadt, who throw their hands up in the air and yell to scare a group of pigeons flying towards the camera. “We spent so much money on bread!” Deinstadt remembers of the shoot. “There was a hot dog vendor there selling us buns for a buck a piece.”

They called it “the parents tour”. In Montreal, the group stayed with their friend and “roadie” Lauren Bell’s parents, with Deinstadt’s in Ottawa, and in Toronto with Jones’. (Had they made it as far West as Regina, where Braaten hails from, they likely would have stayed with his too). While hopping from parents’ house to house in suburbs across Eastern Canada is not exactly “rock and roll” by most standards, it does have its perks. “We’ve been eating really well,” Deinstadt grins. With home-cooked meals and hard-rocking tunes fuelling them, Hind Legs finished up their tour at Toronto’s Rancho Relaxo with Falcon Punch last month. These days, the group moves live performances to the backburner while Deinstadt travels Western Canada, resting deservedly on their hind legs for the remainder of the summer before their drummer returns to Halifax in the Fall to resume classes at Dalhousie University, and to break the group’s brief fast. You’ve been warned: don’t let Hind Legs pass you by. - Little Red Umbrella


"Five Silly Questions with Hind Legs"

Hind Legs are a sweet, gnarly little two-piece who have recently started playing in public. Halloway Jones (vocals, guitars) and Ben Deinstadt (drums) make crunchy music from a bygone era. Their songs would not be out of place on the Singles soundtrack, except there’d be a lot less Chris Cornell and a lot more of Jones’ soulful wailing. Soon they will play a house party near you.

1. What did you do last Saturday night?

Jones: I celebrated Valentine's Day early by drinking a bottle of Buckley's and watching Suspiria. Ben took a minute from watching Beyonce videos to email Margaret Atwood about his cat, Margaret Catwood.

2. How do you know each other and how'd you get together?

Ben was eating pasta in a Dalhousie cafeteria in first year and I grabbed a handful of his meal and walked off. A few years later a mutual friend (Jess Lincoln, who is responsible for our album artwork) gave Ben my number and I got an awkward message on my answering machine asking if I wanted to start a band.


3. If you were both forced to wear a horse suit, which one of you would assume the role of the front part of the horse, and which one would make up the, uh, hind legs?

Ben is a real bitch so I guess he'd be the hind legs. But I'm not sure I have the mental dexterity to lead a horse. Also, he's nine inches taller than me. This is a tough question. We'd be a grossly-shaped horse.

horse.jpg

4. I see you have done some recording. What else is coming up for you (shows, parties, etc)

We’re releasing our first album, Pleasure Cave, shortly. We also just recorded a song for a Scribbler cover compilation. Ben’s working on organizing a hypothetical song-for-song two-piece band duel (KFC two-piece meal for the winners, vegan alternative: two cucumbers. If anyone's interested they should contact us facebook.com/hindlegs.) I'm working on convincing strangers to let us play their house parties, because booking bar shows is confusing. We try to play Rockin' 4 Dollars every week.

5. So Valentine’s Day just happened. What’s your favorite makeout album?

Ben hates making out. I'm all about Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. - THE COAST


"Show Overview: August 5th 2011 @ Gus' Pub"

Hind Legs started off their set with some impromptu lullabies and wedding toasts before delving into their set of grungy rock tunes. Front woman Halloway Jones screams, shouts, twists, and crones while the rest of the band drives the bus with fast and catchy drum and bass licks. Fortunately you don't have to take my stupid word for it, since we caught the whole set on tape as part of the Noisography Live Concert Series – so check back in a day or two and you can hear it for yourself. - Noisography.com


"HFX Pop Explosion"

First up were Hind Legs. Formerly a duo, now a trio, this band really impressed me right from the start. Loud and genuine, Hind Legs had no trouble heating up a rainy east coast night with their catchy garage rock. When the set started the floor was nearly empty, but within the first three songs it started filling up with enthusiastic dancers as the audience got a feel for what this Halifax band had to offer. Hind Legs is a powerhouse with Halloway Jones leading the charge with alternately gritty and beautiful vocals. Dan and I each noted that between the amazing sound mix and the double microphones for Jones, we didn’t miss a note or word of the performance. With stage banter that was quirky and irreverent, Jones introduced one song as a tune about sexy unicorns, they never let our attention wander during a set that everyone agreed was too short, as the crowd cajoled the band into a one song encore. - Two Way Monolouges


"Halifax Pop Explosion, Day 2"

An endearingly sloppy and bent-humoured co-ed garage-punk trio from Halifax. Their set featured two separate songs about adultery and a breathlessly fast cover of the White Stripes’ “Hotel Yorba.” Bespectacled singer/guitarist Hally Jones is very funny and reminds me a touch of one of my favourite music writers, Sarah Liss. So I like Hind Legs is what I’m saying, I guess. - Toronto.com


"Hind Legs rule at slightly weird"

I hadn’t intended to meet Hind Legs at a weird, heretofore-unknown-to-me jam space called Headquarters in the north end at 11pm on a Sunday night. But singer/guitarist Hally Jones is rather charmingly persistent---“Dude! You have to come to Headquarters!” she texted, over and over again---and so I went.

At the door, Jones is resplendent in a floor-length fur coat, motorcycle boots and her usual glasses with dark almond-shaped lenses. “I’m giving you the tour,” she says, and leads me up a shadowy flight of stairs, past a bike with a skull decked out in pirate gear in its basket. We whirl up to the living room, where people are sitting around in chairs in various states of disrepair, listening to music and shouting. The other two Hind Legs are also in attendance---drummer Ben Deinstadt, who has the face of a choirboy and a flop of blond hair, and the band’s newest third Leg, bassist Brent Braaten, a tall, affable guy.

Together we step onto the roof, which overlooks Gottingen Street and the twinkly lights of Dartmouth to the east. “Look how nice Dartmouth looks,” says Jones. She and the boys are seated in a kayak, stored on the roof for reasons unknown. At this moment in the dark, laughing together, they look like three friends who grew up sharing a clubhouse and reading each other’s comics. They look like nice, slightly weird kids---which is one reason why it’s pretty great that they make such dirty, pulverizing rock ’n’ roll music.

Jones has been writing songs since she was in her early teens---she’s 21 now. She says a lot of the songs were about dead birds. “I had this shitty friend who recorded me once and he told me I couldn’t sing, so I only did one song and stopped,” she said. She spent the next few years getting into trouble around Toronto, briefly playing with a band called Don’t Get the Herps. She moved to Halifax, enrolled at NSCAD for painting and drawing, and kept getting into trouble. “I thought the best way to meet people was to steal their shit,” she says. She met Deinstadt---a marine biology student at Dalhousie---when she stole a handful of pasta off his tray in a cafeteria. Two years later, mutual friends connected the two since, in Jones’ words, “Ben’s kind of a pansy.”

After a while, Jones decided to fill out the Hind Legs sound with a bassist. She met Braaten outside Perks on Quinpool Road and they talked for four hours, in spite of an apparent age difference: “I told Hally that my last band opened for Trooper and she was like, ‘Who the fuck is Trooper?’” Braaten says.

The newly rounded out version of Hind Legs is busy; they have an album coming out with Jay Methot called Pleasure Cave, a split tape with the Radiator Collective and they’re currently selling “Win a Date with Hind Legs!” tickets to raffle off at a show at Club 1668 tonight in order to raise money for their tour to Toronto, happening in mid-June. They’re also putting together a comic book to release with the album. All this aside, the best thing about Hind Legs is seeing them live---Jones wails, Deinstadt is intensely focused and Braaten dances ---and watching their growing cluster of admirers go crazy. They are the sweetest band in Halifax; it’s hard not to fall in love with them. “We’re like rock ’n’ roll,” says Braaten, “but for nice people.”
- THE COAST


"Hey you ...!"

...in reference to my previous post. I hope that none of you thought I was downplaying the greatness of Hind Legs by saying “they’re better now”. I said that under the mutual understanding that we have that they were already awesome and will blow you away even farther with their bass player man. - $ROCKIN 4 DOLLAR$


"Shoe Drinking!"

I’m never going to stop saying good things about Hind Legs, they continue to impress me. - $ROCKIN4DOLLAR$


"Show Overview: Photo & Video post from WELCOME TO BITCH COUNTRY"

I now bring you a lovely visual overview of Saturday night's show, which minus my awful state, was a GREAT evening! - noisography.com


Discography

Pleasure Cave (October 29th 2011)

Photos

Bio

Hind Legs is Halloway Jones (guitar/vox) and Ben Deinstadt (drums). The two have nothing in common beyond a mutual appreciation for sloppy garage music. They bare each other's company for the sake of their fans, and the slowly fading hope that people will find them more attractive for being in a band.

The band plays live and records with an assortment of bassists and sometimes a second guitar player.