Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2005
Release the z'Howndz
Toronto's z'Howndz is composed of members of Tetrezene, a Do Make Say Thinker and someone from Tangiers (the band, not the city ... but why not both?). From the chatter I gather the band is supposed to be a busman's holiday from art rock ... a chance to get down'n'sleazy. Really, they make me think of early 1970s Cleveland band The Mirrors (live, anyway; their disc left me a little chilled).
Andrew Carver
The Ottawa Sun
- The Ottawa Sun
!earshot online
Z’Houndz
Release
New Glue
The debut album Release by Z’Howndz is one of those classic cliche rock recordings which proclaims true-rock sayings like “this album meant to be played loud or not at all” and “this recording is 100% analogue” written all over their liner notes, and it also features wanky rock-bloated song titles like “sex & drugs & rock & roll”, “starfucker” and “cockblocked”. But don’t take this the wrong way, once you cut through all that smokescreen rock posturing mumbo jumbo, you realize, “hey holy shit! This record rocks!”.
Release is a damn good happy roughed-up boozy bar-band rock recording. All the tracks push forward and the whole recording plays through seamless. Slip this on at a party and see what happens. This will definitely loosen people up. Toronto-based Z’Howndz are comprised of: Ryder Graham (vocals, guitar), James Payment (drums), Ben Boles (guitar), Brian Cram (trumpet) and Shelton Deverell (b3 organ/rhodes). Release also features horn work by saxophonist and Shuffle Demon Richard Underhill.
As much as I was like “oh fuck...” when I first picked up this recording, I ended up loving it above all else. You can download samples from Release and a copy of the bands Sept 28th, 2003 Wavelength performance from the New Glue Records web page. Checkitout!
By L Pounds
Dec 23, 2004
- !earshot online
Spill magazine
Z’Howndz
Release
New Glue Records
Typified by deep, growling vocals and curious scuzzcore grooves, z’Howndz have released their debut album and from the sounds of things, could really give two shits if you buy it or not. Release isn’t an angry album but it’s very tough sounding; full of blunt edges and attitude to spare. Lead barker Ryder Graham is the headmaster elect and when he’s not spewing battery acid or glass blowing his guitar, he’s kidnapping his fellow Howndz from their rent-paying dayjobs. Do Make Say Think, the Tangiers, the Shuffle Demons, even long-lost orchestral rockers Guh have fallen victimn to Graham’s sticky fingers and as a result, have been forced to relinquish members for the duration of Release’s 51 minutes. Luckily, Graham eventually returns these men yet not without the blackened taint of soot-ladden spizzle and the unholy reak of homegrown moonshine. Highlights include the loosy goosey chug of “Drag” and the barbed wire deep throat of “Dirty Blues” but truthfully, this albums demands to be listened to in it’s entirety, if only to see where Graham steers this ship. If you must know, it’s through a prefab oil slick and out the other side where he and bandmates feast on a gravel and ether buffet. Chow down, wideload, and gorge yourself upon z’Howndz today www.newgluerecords.com
- Cameron Gordon
- Spill magazine
Discography
New Glue Records vol.1: Sniff (2003)
-"Starfucker" included in film "Clean" (Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung) Cannes 2004 Winner
-#1 on CIUT Radio
z'Howndz: Release (2004)
-Various film placements
-national college radio charts
z'Howndz: Fat Free (...sometime 2007)
also: composed music for int'l tv show "Restaurant Makeover" (now 4th season!)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
"Toronto's answer to the Velvet Underground."
- Jeff Rogers, YMusic Top 5
"Think Beefheart if he played his blues straight up,
or Zappa if he thought less with his brain and more with his groin."
-Stuart Berman, eye magazine
"Hey, holy shit! This band Rocks!" -earshot magazine
Z’howndz are a six piece (occasionally larger, sometimes fewer.), no holds barred, rock and roll band from downtown Toronto On.
The band started with a beer fueled introductory conversation between Ryder and Jimmy P at a cottage in north Ontario. The two expressed a similar desire to “rock” in ways their current musical projects (James; ‘Do Make Say Think’, Ryder; ‘Tetrezene’, ‘Tourettes’ and composing for television.) “didn’t”.
Within weeks the two were bashing and thrashing and developing the sound that became “the hounds”. Weeks later saw the addition of another guitar (Ben: Tetrezene, Cadillac Bill, techno producer) and an organ (Shelton: Tangiers, Lullabye Arkestra) and change in name to “zhoundz”. That same summer the four spent a day at Toronto studio “Signal to Noise” with owner Rob Sanzo and produced a five song demo. Three of these songs were included in the compilation: “New Glue Records vol.1: Sniff “ (2003) and saw the song "Starfucker" licenced to the film "Clean" (Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung. Cannes 2004 Winner) and the band receiving national college radio play.
Soon after, James invited his friend Brian to provide trumpet and brass arrangements for the full release “Release” (which saw the bands name change to “z’Howndz”). This CD helped get the band the job of composing music for the television show “Restaurant Makeover”. And soon after that, during recording for “Fat Free”, Ryder invited his friend Rob to fill out the sound with bass guitar.
Now with this history behind them, z’Howndz are looking squarely at the future with all the optimism their acquired pessimism will afford them.
Look outz. Z’howndz ‘s coming for zu.
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