Houndmouth

In late 2011, Matt Myers, Zak Appleby and Shane Cody started playing music together in a historic home in New Albany, Indiana dubbed “The Green House.” Its rooms were adorned with relics from times past, so it was no surprise that songs such as “Penitentiary” bounced off the walls. Nostalgic sounds from their first album seemed to serve as a welcome escape for listeners from the relentless demands of the digital age. But if you asked any one of the guys, they were ‘just having fun.’

Houndmouth signed with legendary indie label Rough Trade Records in 2012. From The Hills Below The City landed them on several world-famous platforms such as fellow lovable Hoosier, David Letterman’s stage. When vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Matt Myers first spoke with big-name producer Dave Cobb prior to working together on their sophomore LP Little Neon Limelight, the two laughingly agreed to “not make another fucking boring Americana record.” A natural sounding album captured in a familiar fashion came together, except this time with a #1 adult alternative radio single in “Sedona.” “I never once thought of us as an Americana band,” says drummer Shane Cody. “The four of us were just a rock band, but some of us had Southern accents,” he laughs. Cue Golden Age, the third album featuring some of the band’s most innovative and experimental songs yet. Coining the term “retro future”, Houndmouth combined creative songwriting with avant-garde instrumentation like the synthesized roar of an actual black jaguar on the track “Black Jaguar”.

The band finds themselves recording and also touring their upcoming untitled fourth album expected to release in 2021. From their humble start, genre-defining hits, and experimentation, Houndmouth has and continues to make their impactful felt with the unique take on storytelling through music.

A chance encounter at a house concert proved to be the turning point for Sam Filiatreau, a rising songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky, who blends the lyricism of ‘70s vinyl with the acoustic feel of Appalachian folk music. His remarkable debut album arrives on Gjenny Lou Records, a new label launched by Caamp’s Taylor Meier.
 
“I hadn’t really known about them,” Filiatreau says of Caamp. “I guess I remember hearing about this band from Athens, Ohio, through my friend that went to college there, but that house show was really my first introduction. It was like this weird random meeting. There were 20 people there, maybe. You always hear about artists that are discovered by somebody who’s already established, but I never really thought that would happen to me.”
 
Burned out by playing in a local rock band for seven or eight years, Filiatreau hopped on that house concert lineup on Valentine’s Day 2019 to play a few acoustic songs. He was just a friend of a friend who took an open slot between Meier and fellow Caamp member Matt Vinson, who were touring the Midwest together with solo side projects. A conversation after the show ultimately led to an invitation for Filiatreau to join them on a Caamp tour and to finally make a solo album.
 
Asked about the instant connection, Filiatreau says, “We hit it off pretty well, but I think it was mostly the songs. Taylor always talks about it to me that I just started playing and he looked at Matt across the room, and he was like, ‘We’re going to do something with this.’ We hung out until 4 or 5 in the morning that night too. So, right off the bat, musically, we were into the same thing, and we both love folk music and solo performances. We just had a great time together.”
 
That instantly comfortable vibe translates perfectly to Filiatreau’s self-titled album, which the three musicians recorded in a cabin near Athens, Ohio. His partner, Maggie Halfman, came up on the third day to provide harmony vocals.
 
“Taylor, Matt and I went up there for three days and disassembled this living room and got it the way that we wanted it. We brought a bunch of instruments and worked out the songs there,” Filiatreau remembers. “I’d sent them some home demos to give an idea of some of the songs we might do. But when we got there, I just started playing songs for them, figuring out which ones were ready. We slept there, then wake up and hang out if we wanted to. There was a swimming pool so we’d go swimming. Play some songs, take a break. It was the first time I’d been able to take my time, even though three days isn’t a lot of time. We were living with the record.”
 
Filiatreau had done his own share of living prior to that, too. One of seven children, he discovered the music of Bruce Springsteen as a kid by watching a concert DVD with his dad. By 10 years old, he observed his older sister’s friends smoking pot and playing music. “They were starting to get experimental,” he recalls. “It was cool and felt new to me, and I was like, ‘I want to do that. Those guys are awesome.’”
 
As a teenager who began writing songs almost as soon as he learned to play guitar, Filiatreau found his calling in the storytelling songs of ‘70s country, along with John Prine and Randy Newman. “They were writing these stories that nobody else would, and I really like that kind of style,” he says. “Just being able to pull a song out of anything. Whether it be an inanimate object or simple conversations, I think that’s super cool.”
 
Deciding to pursue music full-time at 16, Filiatreau quit high school, moved out of the family home, and joined a rock band. However, most of his free time was dedicated to traveling to area festivals, absorbing what he calls “sad mountain music,” and honing his own songwriting and singing. Along with his own gigs, Filiatreau has also played shows with Houndmouth and the Felice Brothers.
 
“I feel like it’s important when you’re learning how to play music and write songs to know that there are people who are superior to you, that there’s always somebody so much better than you, and that’s OK,” he says. “All you can do is learn from these people, whether it’s how they play songs, how they play their guitar, or how they’re writing songs. Going to those festivals, you get a mixed bag of influences that are so crucial to becoming a musician. You need to cut your teeth with people. You need to be bad playing with other people.”
 
On his debut album, Filiatreau vividly portrays contentment on “Fine by Me” as well as heartbreak on “El Camino” and “Hold the Door.” The easygoing vibe of “Wrecking Ball” especially reflects his approach of writing conversationally, creating a narrative that may or may not be about his own experiences.
 
“Whenever I’m writing songs, there’s not really an idea. I’m just singing a first line until I like something,” he says. “And then you get it, and you’re like, ‘OK, how can I make a story from that?’ I guess by the end of it, a wrecking ball is like something that somebody’s always dreading, and everybody hates it because it’s tearing something down, but it just wants to be loved.”
 
Asked if there’s a thread tying these songs together, Filiatreau says, “I don’t have a theme, other than it is honest and not trying too hard. I feel like whenever I’m writing songs or music, I’m trying to find that fine line of doing something well, but also not taking it too seriously. To me, this record feels loose and fun. It feels exactly like the time we had at that cabin, which is cool. I feel like we captured exactly what was going on there.”
 
ABOUT SAM FILIATREAU
 
A chance encounter at a house concert proved to be the turning point for Sam Filiatreau, a rising songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky, who blends the lyricism of ‘70s vinyl with the acoustic feel of Appalachian folk music. His remarkable debut album arrives on Gjenny Lou Records, a new label launched by Caamp’s Taylor Meier. As a teenager who began writing songs almost as soon as he learned to play guitar, Filiatreau found his calling in the storytelling songs of John Prine and Randy Newman, then immersed himself in the festival scene to hone his craft. His debut single is “Wrecking Ball.”