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: I am among the few people I know who doesn’t enjoy college basketball as much as professional basketball. If I’m going to watch basketball, I want to see super human beings displaying extraordinary athletic ability. I don’t care about the “fundamentals.” If I liked that, I’d watch high-school players pass the ball around for an hour before doing a layup. I’m in it for the half-court dunks. I’m in it for biceps the size of my thighs. I’m in it purely for the entertainment. I don’t want to know what the players do on their off time. I just want to see them doing their job with all of the flare and pizazz muster-able to enhance my viewing experience.
Video after the jump.
