The Sin Hounds
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The Sin Hounds

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The best kept secret in music

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"Bluesy bouillabaisse Live Review 07/15/06"

I'm not quite sure what a Sin Hound is, but I imagine it's the kind of folk who are more apt to be out late at a jumpin' juke joint than following Ben Franklin mottoes. I wouldn't want to tar anyone's reputation, but the gentlemen of Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds play like they're up to no good.

When I walked into 550 last Saturday, they were already working on a fine bluesy groove. Jon's playing was very fluid and the sound was both bumpin' and danceable. The stripped-down blues rock was a good fit for the club. Jon did that whole call and response thing with his singing and soloing-- definitely in the blues tradition.

So I was a little surprised that their next song was more in the jangly indie pop realm. Then he brought out the lap steel and I was even happier. Subsequent songs had the band sounding like the Black Crowes and having a little bit of a reggae tinge. Like in an early Police way, not an annoying way.

There was also some Hendrix thrown in there, and some serious Led Zep-style groove riding. I have to say I quite enjoy a heavy, loud groove once in a while, especially if it's catchy. I was also reminded of "Rocks"-era Primal Scream.

Songs like "Shackles and Rage" returned to the melodic-yet-heavy side of things, almost in an early Pearl Jam way. Not that I am a big fan of the PJ (yes, I have seen them live and no, I don't want to follow them around on tour forever) but some of their early anthems are classic in my mind.

I'd call Jon & his band mates a well-rounded bunch, especially for those who have an appreciation for classic rock and blues. They're not a total throwback either-- definitely worth checking out. - Maggie Large - Telegraph Macon.com Amped


"Live Show Review by the Southeast Performer 06/03/06"

Southeast Performer August 2006
By Alex Adan

Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds
Aurora Coffee — Virginia Highlands
Atlanta, GA
June 3

Atlanta’s annual Virginia Highlands Summerfest is usually a mix of pretentious aging yuppies and hipsters, overpriced artwork and crafts, and music from folks who simply knew the right people, but Criminal Records/Aurora Coffee offered an escape from the banal with a parking lot line-up of blues-derived rockers which featured such locals as Chickens and Pigs, Ocha La Rocha, Brad Jones, and Day Mars Ray.

One of the night’s highlights was Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds, a trio that created an applauding audience out of passersby and drivers and passengers stuck in festival traffic. Harris has the spirit of an old, black musician trapped in the body of a young, country, white boy. He displayed his guitar mastery, making facial expressions that would have you believe every string was linked to his nervous system and even showing off his skills on the slide guitar. The Sin Hounds made an appropriate accompaniment, steadily laying down the framework for soulful compositions that pay homage to the Allman Brothers, just shorter and more youthful.

The crowd was so pleased that they demanded an encore, which is uncommon for short festival sets, but one request snowballed into a chant. Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds returned with a Led Zeppelin cover, satisfying the spectators and showing their roots. With one live album under their belt and a tour agenda of various country taverns and festivals, this group is sure to develop a loyal fan base and hopefully put out a studio release.
- Southeast Performer


"Last Days of Chattanooga - CD Review"

The Enigma
Chattanooga, TN.

MARCH 6, 2005
New Music News
BY THOMAS MARTIN

Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds
Last Days of Chattanooga
Independent

Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds have put together an eleven track album combining
soul, rock, reggae and blues. The end result is a big album citing big influences and expert musicianship.

Harris, a one-time Chattanooga resident and one-of-nine former frontmen for the streamlining Milele Roots hasn't severed his connection to island music. The skanking 'blame' is a testament to Harris' tropic influence and proves that he was much more than a Caribbean tourist. But the real dirt of the album is the twisted mixture of blues-based stompers and soul-mellow semi-standards. 'LH Voodoo' & 'Dragging My Heart to its Grave' stab straight at classic blues constructions with a delta twist. Obvious attractions to ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers and Muddy Waters are poured into the collection. Your ears may do double takes at some hooks seemingly familiar. Yet there are just as many envelope pushers. Harris can throw down an angry edge such as the ready-for-radio 'Shackles & Rage' or build out gaping moody spaces, 'Last Days of Chattanooga'.

The album, produced at Ultrasound Studios is a quiet, minimalist success. A blue-to-the-bone retro style recording with the balls of 70's vinyl all achieved with a computer. No electro-static hesitations in the instrumentation or interfering fuzz. Instrumentation and execution of material is excellent. Tones are nailed down, timing is dead on. The overall sound is somewhere between smoky bar and winter festival.

Hip enough for the Fat Possum collectors and sweet enough for the Van Morrison recollectors. File this one under 'Greasy Listening', because The Last Days of Chattanooga is as dirty as it is clean. It's like putting on a new suit when you haven't showered in days.


www.enigmaonline.com/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1228
- The Enigma - Chattanooga, TN.


"Live Show Review by Jambase.com 09/04/05"

Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds Ignite Atlanta

By Gant Smith
Jambase.com

09.04.05
Blind Willie's
Atlanta, GA

It's funny how the past can catch up with you. Remember the days before the Internet and tape trading message boards, when the only free music you could get in your mailbox was running a BMG/Columbia House CD scam? Come on, you remember it - all the CDs that your brother had on vinyl or the replacements for the ones lost to the "I'll bring right back" guy. All it took was a name on a postcard and a penny, and the tunes were yours. I racked up loads of classic albums from Derek & the Dominos' Layla, Jimi Hendrix's Greatest Hits, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and The Allman Brothers' Decade of Hits to name a few. I mean eight CDs for a cent - come on. Well, as fate would have it, those CDs were not meant for me to keep. As soon as they were mine, they were gone. I either left them at a party or in a car on a random cross-country road trip following a band and a girl. The music was literally meant to travel and be free.

As my travels led me into Blind Willie's, a blues joint in Atlanta's Virginia–Highland's neighborhood, on Labor Day weekend, I was drenched in a glorious revival of the sounds and feelings of those albums. Depth, soul, and rock dripped from the ceiling, quenching what we all needed in our quest for live music: the way it makes you feel inside, the way it makes you move, the way it brings it all back. Drenched in sweat at Atlanta's premiere blues bar, Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds showcased songs from their self-produced debut Last Days of Chattanooga while ripping through two sets of music that was etched in original, rowdy, southern-style stomping blues jams, intimate acoustic testimonials, and a bag full of classic 70s vinyl covers.

Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds is an up-and-coming band conjuring up quite a buzz in the heavily populated Atlanta music scene. They are an eclectic sound of blues, rock, and folk with a firm grip on the pulse of Americana. Front man Jon Harris is an Atlanta native who has served time in a variety of groups before deciding to step up and front his own band. His soulful voice and engaging presence on stage connect him to his audience in a passionate and electrifying way. Inspired by the guitar techniques of Eric Clapton, Freddie King, and Duane Allman, Harris plays as his own mixing boards, constantly tweaking the tempo and viciousness of his output with each and every song. Laying down the wall of power on the kit is drummer and Huntsville, Alabama native Brad Fowler. Classically trained in jazz and regimented fundamentals, Fowler is everything and more in a rhythm section. Whether it's taking the bridge of a song to a thunderous second level or laying down a soft canvas for Harris to paint over, Fowler's chops are powerful yet graceful and provide that perfectly needed balance of melody and intensity. Rounding out the trio is its newest member, bassist Ray Dombrowski. At what was once a hole in the band being filled nightly with a rotating cast of friends and musicians, Dombrowski has added new depth and a brings touches of funk to the trio. Playing his first full show with the band at Blind Willie's (the band's home base), his skills and knowledge of the instrument have added a cohesive core and helped round out the Sin Hounds.

As I strolled into the show a few songs late, the guys were warming up the crowd with a juke-jumping cover of Eric Clapton's "Bottle of Red Wine." If Harris's demanding howls of "get your man a bottle of red wine" were any indication, the night had just begun and refreshments would be needed. The gears shifted ever so slightly as the band played a few raucous cuts from their Last Days album, such as the groovy blues "Draggin' My Heart to Its Grave," and introduced some new material such as the lap steel-slapping "Meet Me in the Valley." This is where Harris truly took the opportunity to strut his stuff. His exploding bottle of thunder and lighting style brought out the gospel and electricity that the instrument provides and allowed him the room to explore his songs in a very greasy way.

Like pulling the puppet strings, JHSH pulled back the pace and settled the crowd down with a warm glass of whiskey on "Tender Water" and a taste of some island-themed heartache with "Blame." But with a giant mural of Blind Willie McTell himself staring down on the stage, Harris wanted to dig deeper into the heart of the blues and southern rock consciousness. Rounding out the first set were the Dixie dirt-influenced "Hey Mama" and "Shackles & Rage," both tracks from Last Days, and the guys nailed them both. After a short break, Harris and his Hounds picked right up where they left off by gearing up the faithful with a rousing interpretation of the Taj Mahal classic "Leaving Trunk." Believing that there must be a change, JHSH transitioned into their garage-pop anthem "Say It's Alright," followed by the surfboard-rock of - Jambase.com


"Last Days of Chattanooga - CD Review"

Stomp and Stammer
Jeff Clark

On their independent CD, Last Days of Chattanooga, Jon Harris and the Sin Hounds make their case for pickup truck blues-rock, with a nod toward the soul-tinged psychedelic boogie that made the Black Crowes a household name. - Stomp and Stammer


Discography

Last Days of Chattanooga 2004 LP

Story to Tell 2006 Live EP

Both CDs are currently being played in their entirety and in constant rotation on www.houndogradio.com

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

The Sin Hounds are a three piece band that have been conjuring up quite a buzz in the heavily populated Atlanta music scene. Singer/guitarist Jon Harris, drummer/vocalist Brad Fowler, and bassist/vocalist Clint Aul weave a potent blend of Rock & Roll that has been described as “blue-to-the bone with the balls of 70s vinyl.” Taking their queue from groups like the Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Derek and the Dominos and The Black Keys; the Sin Hounds are anything but cliché.

For the last three years the trio has been busy building their Atlanta fan base as well as their regional following. Being able to share the stage with such names as Tishamingo, Blueground Undergrass, & Johnny Neal has prepared these three to deliver a tight, power-packed set. Their live show has been described in reviews by both Jamebase.com and the Southeastern Performer as a moving and jaw dropping experience.

The Sin Hounds two releases, Last Days of Chattanooga & Story to Tell, have been met with praise from critics and fans. Last Days, an “edgy mix of down-and-dirty rockers and moody acoustic numbers”, has been described as “greasy” and “hip”. Story to Tell, is a snap shot of the band during a sold out, hometown show in Atlanta and documents the energy of a Sin Hounds performance. This March the Sin Hounds will be heading into the studio w/ legendary producer David Barbe (R.E.M., the Drive-by Truckers) to start recording their second studio release.

From the guitar and lap steel to the driving drums and bass, their music and vigor truly knows no boundaries. It invites the listener to experience it with the band. Despite the Sin Hounds experience, they are just beginning.