After high school, Matt Myers didn’t really feel like going away to college, so he stayed in New Albany and went to Indiana University Southeast, across the river from Louisville. He didn’t feel like concentrating on anything, so he majored in general studies with a minor in philosophy. Six years later, when the time came to graduate, he thought a little about working in a coffee shop, but he never got around to finding a job. After one last winery gig, he traded in the acoustic duo he had with Katie Toupin and went electric with drummer Shane Cody, an old friend who’d moved back to town. Cody called up bassist Zak Appleby, and something almost clicked. All they needed was for Toupin to join them on organ, and halfway through a session with too many dogs barking in the background, Houndmouth was born. Recorded over five days in the high heat of the Hoosier summer, From The Hills Below The City (Rough Trade) feels like the second coming of the Band, mixing folk, country and rock into a whole that’s bigger than the sum of its parts, with each member writing songs, switching back and forth between instruments, and taking a turn on lead vocals. Houndmouth will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band.
Toupin: A friend recently said to me, “I always make a draft before I type something. There’s no backspace on a typewriter like there is on an old-school computer.” Although statements like this are laughable, there’s something going on with this new-age hipness. Of course, this is all coming from someone who enjoys shopping at thrift stores, riding my vintage Peugeot 10-speed and smoking my additive-free cigarettes. But I set my limits. For instance, the truest hipster doesn’t have an iPhone, they have an Nokia. The kind of phone you can drop out of a helicopter without ever losing your high score in Snake. But I get it. There is a certain amount of mental and physical well being to be attained by this hip lifestyle. To not be connected 24/7 is a blissful thing. To be a human being living in reality. Going to the park and hearing the birds instead of a Facebook notification. To read a book instead of sitting in front of a TV. For this reason, I got rid of my TV about a year ago and only miss it when I want to hook up my N64 and dominate with Yoshi.
Video after the jump.
