Such Hounds On Hounding Their Craft

Like many nascent bands today, Williamsburg-based Such Hounds has rock influences and is comprised of earnest young men with a creative vision and boundless energy. But unlike a lot of them, Such Hounds manages to stand out as balancing that passion with songwriting skill and strong vocals. They also do not deal in egos – they are a true collaboration.

As children of the late 1980s and 90s, Matt Martin, Ross Anderson, and Matt Giordano grew up in that perfect transition period where they lived through the sounds of contemporary rock – pop rock, alternative rock, grunge rock – that echoed on the airwaves, but also grew up being raised by parents who instilled in them a love of some of the greatest rock influences from the 60s and 70s.

“I grew up listening to my parent’s music, so Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills and Nash,” said Anderson, 25, who was childhood friends with guitarist Giordano, 25, in upstate New York’s Putnam County. “I was going to play the saxophone, but my parents said that drums would be sweeter, and I thought about it and said, yeah, they’re right.”

Martin, 26, was raised in Miami, but shared the same musical influences as his future bandmates. The group’s lead vocalist and guitarist noted, however, that when they first formed the band a year ago, he brought in some of his original compositions and Giordano and Anderson tweaked them.

“If it was just me, the music would be [more of] a folk song,” said Martin. “These guys manage to add depth and style to it. Now Matt [Giordano] is writing some songs, so it’s a little more collaborative.”

The trio agree that “it’s tough to start out” in the music scene, much less the Brooklyn music scene, and “music trends come and go very quickly.” That’s why, they say, their approach to standing out is to create music that they enjoy. “People see the authenticity. We are just very genuine about the music we play,” explained Anderson.

“We’re really truthful. I’ve played music with friends, use them as a sounding board, and they say I write too much of the same,” added Martin, who noted that their “general themes are of overcoming personal growth, loneliness, and moving forward.”

Some of their original compositions, “Sleeping With Me,” “Drink The Moon,” and “Cement,” were released on a three-track EP in January, 2012, introducing listeners to their casually soulful lyrics and playlist-ready rhythms.

Asked to describe their sound, the guys pause for a long moment. “In our simplest form, we are a rock band,” they finally stated. “We pull folk, blues, and also more modern stuff. Contemporary from the early 90s, emo, alt. rock, grunge rock, anything we listen to and like.”

Then, by way of explaining their hesitation, they added that “musicians hate [to assign a] genre [to] themselves, but love to talk about it. So we listen, have an open mind, and somehow glue it together.”

The guys – who met through mutual friends just over a year ago –will be playing as part of the CMJ Music Marathon in Manhattan (October 16-20), and are gearing up to release a seven-inch vinyl record by late fall with local indie label, “The Sleepover Party.”

“We’ve kind of been recording in our bedrooms, and they have the same ethic at [The Sleepover Party,” explained Martin about why Such Hounds chose to sign with the label.

Right now, the guys are working on writing all new songs, and in general, they try to rehearse at least once a week. Anderson noted that they are “pretty much doing everything on our own at this point. We book our own tours, get our own dress, record our own songs.” Recent shows have been at Mercury Lounge, Matchless, Grasslands, and Bowery Electric; they also did a summer tour through small clubs in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, and Boston.”

On top of that, they all have full-time jobs. Anderson works at a record label in the city, doing PR for bands, while Giordano does audio production for TV and film, and Martin, who has a degree in illustration and fine arts, is trying to get into the music industry. “It’s crazy,” he said. “It’s a balance.”

No matter what, though, all three of the members of Such Hounds state that they will continue to work – together – on increasing their exposure. As Anderson said, “We’re buddies first before anything else.”