Houndmouth—Zak Appleby, Shane Cody, Matt Myers and Katie Toupin—from the farmlands of Kentuckiana, formed by chance in late 2011. Their influences include the Band (“Levon Helm is my hero,” says Cody), David Bowie, Randy Newman and the Faces. And as such, they make a kind of music perhaps best categorized as y’alternative (the Venn diagram overlap of Americana, blues, folk and rock). The quartet’s debut full-length, From the Hills Below the City, arrives in June, but if their self-titled EP (stream it below) is any indication, Houndmouth (above, doing “Penitentiary” for Close Shave Music at last year’s Forecastle Festival) just might follow the path of such like-minded bands as the Lumineers and the Head and the Heart. See them tonight at Mercury Lounge.
Peter Liddle (guitar and vocals) originally started Dry the River as a solo project. But wanting a bigger sound, he invited Will Harvey (violin and keys), Scott Miller (bass and vocals), Matt Taylor (guitar and vocals) and Jon Warren (drums and percussion) to join him in making what he calls “folkie gospel music played by a post-punk band.” Appearances at Glastonbury and SXSW last year earned Dry the River (above, doing “Bible Belt” on a boat in an Amsterdam canal for Face Culture) comparisons to Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. And following the release of their debut LP, Shallow Bed, this past spring, the English five-piece has hit the road. See them, alongside Houndmouth and Yellowbirds, tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom.
