The Hounds

While I have an opportunity, not just being a part of the big word show but more so as my profession being a promoter, to see about 15-20 local bands perform a week. A lot of the bands Tucson has to offer are sub par. I figure that comment might get me in trouble with some groups but the truth is that I'm not paid to be the Tucson Music Cheerleader.

I did have an opportunity to see for the first time a dubish/blue'sy sounding band called 'The Hounds' perform @ Skirts on Friday. I have to say I have never been so impressed by a local band since the first time I saw Ph8 perform. These guys are talent.

If you are a fan of Pepper, Sublime, The Mad Caddies, The Cat Empire or any band of the likes you HAVE to check out 'The Hounds'


http://www.myspace.com/thehoundsound


Just a heads up! There cd release is May 16th @ Club Congress w/ The Jons - Tim (The Big Word Show)

News Release
March 24, 2008
Contact: Eric Allen
5277 N Sunset Shadows Pl
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 548-5992
rasloco@comcast.net

FOR RELEASE: May 12, 2008
Local Tucson Band The Hounds Debut CD Release Party
TUCSON, AZ. ND Promotions will host The Hounds debut CD release party at Club Congress on Friday, May 16, 2008. Club Congress is located at 311 East Congress Street in downtown Tucson. The Hounds will be accompanied in Tucson by The Jons, Blazing Edisons and Triple Double. Doors for the show open at 9pm.
Formed in the summer of 2004, The Hounds spent 2 years in the studio recording their full length debut album entitled "Bonafied", set to be released on May 16th. "We are a blues, hip-hop, reggae band served up southern style," says band front man Yogi. Applying their rough swaggering wicked sound they call The Hound Sound, The Hounds are commonly compared to today's brand of independent west coast music. "We have a laid back, kick back sound similar to G Love & Special Sauce, Sublime, and Pepper," say southern bred musicians Yogi, Blue and Bruiser, "We make music people can relate to and dance to. This album is gonna be kick ass." The Hounds influences range from delta blues pioneers Muddy Waters to the west coast reggae stylings of Sublime.
This is a 21 and over event and there will be a 4 dollar cover charge. The Hounds CDs and T-shirts will be available for purchase. Also enjoy the bands free giveaways.
##
Source: Eric Allen
Writer: Eric Allen - Eric Allen

Our lone representation from down Tucson way this time out, the Hounds check in with a two-song single to tease us until their album comes out. With only two tunes to deal with it's hard to figure exactly what these guys will be up to on their full-length but it sounds like it'll be fun. "She Got Stars" is a funky, relaxed number that bounces along to a prominent bass riff while "The Backroom" is a plea for a booty call rendezvous in the storage closet. Mash-up Jack Johnson and Beck and you have the beginning of a description for the Hounds. - Kevin Wierzbicki

Get ready to loosen up after listening to Tucson’s own blues-reggae-hip-hop group, The Hounds, and songs from their new EP. A CD release party Nov. 21 2009 at Plush makes that easy to do, as your $5 cover includes a copy of "The Deuce."

We sat down with singer and guitarist Yogi to talk about the band's second CD—the full-length "Bonafied" came out in 2008—and to see what's next.

The members: In addition to Yogi, the singer's brother, Blue (bass) and friend Bruiser (drummer) round out the group. Yogi and Blue were raised in Houston but have lived in Tucson for the great majority of their lives. Bruiser is a native of San Diego but has also lived in Tucson for quite some time.

The music: “Since we were kids, [music] has been in our lives. It's not all we know, but something we all have a passion for,” Yogi says as he sits back, comfortable in a black T-shirt and jeans, sipping Starbucks coffee through one of those famous green straws.

The blues-reggae-hip-hop mixture creates a “Sublime or Sugar Ray” type sound, Yogi explains, which he says the band has worked really hard to get right since they first began in 2004. He says their sound really hasn’t changed over the past five years, only gotten more comfortable and improved.

The three band members write the lyrics and music together, so it's a truly collaborative effort you get with "The Deuce." Yogi notes that The Hounds felt out what works for them and the resultant EP really shows how talented and capable they are.

And though their first album took about two years to produce, Yogi expects a new set of 12 or so songs to come out in about 12 months.

The shows: After "Bonafied" was born, The Hounds started booking shows all around Arizona. In 2008 alone, they played more than 75 shows (!), including trips to Flagstaff, Phoenix and Prescott as well as a few shows in California and Texas. Locally, The Hounds have played throughout downtown and Fourth Avenue, with plenty of performances at one of their favorites, The Hut.

In addition to the CD release party at Plush, The Hounds play a New Year's Eve party at The Hut and open for Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime at The Rialto Theatre in February.

The future: The relaxed but determined trio is looking to tour more extensively and, hopefully, get signed.

“We are currently booking a California tour for 2010 with friends of ours out there," Yogi says. "Hopefully we'll continue to spread The Hounds throughout the U.S. That would be awesome!” - Tracy Nour

Nominated for the 2009 Tammie Awards for best reggae group. - Tammies.com

Local trio group The Hounds, drops The Deuce at Plush. No potty humor here: That's the name of The Hounds' new EP, their follow-up to last year's debut album, Bonafied. The EP features new tracks that spotlight the soulful hip-hop, blues and beach-reggae grooves we've come to expect from Yogi and the boys, and will be available for one night only. Everyone who attends the release show will get a free copy.

The Hounds celebrate the release of The Deuce on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Openers Tom Walbank and the Ambassadors and The Grand Royale start the night off at 9:30 p.m. - Stephen Seigel

The Hounds are a local trio who, on their debut album, Bonafied (FYI), effortlessly merge blues, hip-hop and reggae. The group spent a full two years recording and mixing the album, and emerged with a collection that's sure to appeal to fans of Sublime and G. love & Special Sauce.
The thing all these acts have in common is a penchant for laid-back grooves perfect for a spliff-smoking sesh on the front porch. So while a track like "Take Me There" uses a Bo Diddley beat to get its point across, and "She Got Stars" is an undeniably infectious sing-along, it's almost useless to parse this stuff: The charm is in the vibe, in the groove, in the feel-good feeling it evokes. Yes, it's perfect for sipping beers, but it works just as well as an antidote for the Sunday-morning hangover that follows. - Stephen Seigel

If you are down with the ska-punk stylings of Sublime, that long-defunct band straight outta Long Beach, you'll probably dig The Hounds at Club Congress on Friday May 16th 2008. The band is celebrating the release of their debut album, "Bonafied." The Hounds are a Tucson band with deep roots in the ska, reggae and Delta blues traditions. - Gerald Gay

Nominated for the 2008 Tammie Awards for best upcoming artist, best album, and best bassist. - Tammies.com

The trio whose music rolls and bounces along the groove lines of hip-hop, reggae, roots, pop and blues sensibilities has been establishing itself not only in the live local music scene, but also seriously in cyberspace. "We've had a lot of sales from Japan through CD Baby," said Yogi, singer and guitarist. Their web marketing has also garnered music sales from Europe. Being so, getting gigs in this town was initially a tougher deal. "Tucson's a hard scene to break," Yogi stated simply. "We did shows in Phoenix before Tucson." The Hounds' vocalist/guitarist chills on this writer's Armory Park porch, and we chat about the music scene while my canines frantically scratch at the front door to see who is visiting. "Do you like dogs, do you mind if I let mine out?" I ask, hoping he doesn't get annoyed. "Not at all, I love dogs, I have two," he smiles. "I wouldn't have named the band The Hounds if I didn't love dogs!" And so the naming of the band is fondly remembered. "The name came when we were sitting at home, playing acoustic guitar. We watched my dogs Tyson and Louie rolling around - like the rugged laziness of our sound." Yogi, with Blue (bassist and biological brother) and Bruiser (percussionist and band bro) have laid down some rad, funky rocking tracks that cull from a combined influence of Beastie Boys, Muddy Waters, Digital Underground and G. Love. "Blue and I grew up in Houston and we were listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn and old school hip hop. We played music in our teens, but there weren't really bands we were serious about. "Bruiser is from San Diego and he was into hip hop and has that Cali reggae vibe. He brought the rhythm."

The tunes are fun, catchy, and highly melodic - written for rug cutting. If you don't find yourself jigging, you'll need to promptly check your tude or realize you ain't got the rhythm. "The songs all start with the melody and it's all rhythm based," Yogi said. "Blue and I mostly write the songs, but I can give Bruiser a guitar riff and he lays the beat. Blue is really good at structuring the songs and brings the hip hop bass sound. I'm a lazy guitar player. I'm more into the development of the song than actually playing guitar." Perhaps he's lazy with the guitar, but Yogi and the dudes spent two years working on their first album Bonafied and have been developing their sound since the group came together in 2004. Currently recording their second album aptly titled Deuce in Yogi's home studio, the group is fastidious when putting the songs together. "As picky as we are, the recording process is the hardest. You don't want to cringe when you hear a mistake." The trio is looking at a fall release date for Deuce. This spring, The Hounds are planning a couple of regional mini-tours and will see their song She Got Stars released as part of a regional compilation. Last year, they were runners up for the 2008 TAMMIE awards in the categories of Best New Release, Best Up and Coming Artists, and Best Bassist.

Check out The Hounds at www.myspace.com/thehoundsound or see them this month at: The Hut, January 9 with Fayuca; Club Congress, January 21 with Uprooted and Rasta Sauce; Rialto Theatre with Badfish, Scotty Don't and Skitn.
- Jamie Manser