From the release of their debut album, Sparkle Sparkle and a memorable performance at Riot Fest in Denver, all the way to the perfect ending of 2016 on tour with The Pretty Reckless and Them Evils, Holy White Hounds have had an incredibly busy year. So it comes as no surprise that the Des Moines quartet is already gearing up to kick 2017’s ass, with tour dates throughout January and plans to hit the studio again soon. Read all about the new album, the band’s year so far and their plans for the future below!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Holy White Hounds for any readers who may not be familiar?
We’re a rock and roll band from Iowa, who’s aiming to get people out of their seats and tapping their feet. Brent and I met in 2005 and have been playing music on and off ever since then. Hounds started in earnest in 2013 when we finally found the right lineup of bad dudes with rad attitudes. We’ve been busy writing and touring pretty much since then.
You guys have had a busy year with the release of your album, Sparkle Sparkle and tons of tour dates! What has been the highlight of your year so far?
There are really so many highlights, it’s hard to nail down one. We’re living such a surreal life that everything kind of takes on a dream like quality; whether it’s showing up to a show and having their be a line of kids waiting to see it, to laughing so hard we’re crying because one of us tripped sprinting across a McDonald’s parking lot at 3am. I know it’s cheesy but this whole year has been a highlight; the good, the bad, and the funny.
It being your debut album, did you have any major goals in mind for Sparkle Sparkle when you were working on it?
We just wanted to put out the best record possible. Honestly, everything that’s happened since then we’ve just been lucky and grateful for. We’ve been playing music for a long time and decided to try to do something that was a bit more professional than previous releases. By taking a little more time than we usually do we were lucky enough to get some local radio play. In turn, that led us to our kick-ass management and then to our home at Razor & Tie.
What was the biggest lesson you learned while writing and recording the album?
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to know how to listen to people around you. Everyone has different strengths. Knowing when and where to play to your singer, drummer, engineer and/or producer’s strength’s is an integral part of how we got the album done. Knowing when and how to trust your vision with others and vice versa is something that I think helped us out a lot.
You’re currently out on the road with The Pretty Reckless until the end of the year! What are you most looking forward to on the upcoming shows?
Personally, I’m looking forward to just seeing some parts of the country I haven’t seen in a while! Also, it’s been an amazing opportunity and experience. The Pretty Reckless have been super nice. It’s been great getting to hang out with them and their crew. Them Evils have also been rad. It’s been great making some new friends through rock n’ roll. After this we are touring with The Struts in December. We are really looking forward to that. We love them!
We recently caught you guys when you were in town for Riot Fest in September! What was your favorite memory from the festival?
Honestly, parts of Riot Fest are a little hazy! The crowd was super into our set, which was great. Also, the festival was well run and they treated us great. Getting to catch Violent Soho and see those guys up close was game changing.
With the year slowly winding down, do you have any goals or plans for 2017 yet?
There are a few things up in the air. We’re doing a short run on the East Coast at the tail end of January. After that I think we’re going to keep writing and will get back in the studio sooner than later.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
First, thank you for the interview. Secondly, I’d like to tell people to check out holywhitehounds.com to see if we’ll be in a city near you. If we are, we can rock out together and make some memories. Keep on rockin’ in the free world!
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