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.
Cody: I recently purchased a GoPro Hero 3. You know, those tiny little HD cameras with wide-angle lenses that makes everything look really cool? The super hardcore eXXXtreme sports guys are all using them. They can be mounted on just about anything, and I figured why not get myself a new hobby. I studied sound design in college and had to do music and foley work on films and thought, “Hey, I could probably do that.” I could get cooler-looking shots than some of the lame film students at my all-digital-media college. Turns out I was wrong and right. I’m too ADD to edit a movie longer than 90 seconds. But this little GoPro does all the work for me. 720p and 60fps? Everything is cooler in slow motion. Just ask Dave Chappelle. Don’t look for us skydiving, surfing 30-foot waves or doing double backflips on a dirt bike. We are far too white and lanky for that. Just see how we act in the hotel, backstage or onstage.
Video after the jump.
