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Alltar Stream Live at Ceremony of Sludge in Full

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on February 12th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

alltar

Portland, Oregon’s Alltar — also stylized as A//tar — release Live at Ceremony of Sludge today, Feb. 12. The recording was captured in the final days of the before-time, March 6, 2020, at Ceremony of Sludge IX at the World Famous Kenton Club in Portland. The long-running and loyally-localist festival has been overseen by Justin Brown and Blaine Andrews since its inception, and Alltar took part in an evening lineup that included the likes of Glasghote (who also released their set), San Francisco’s Brume, plus Usnea and Zyl. Past editions have boasted the likes of Holy GroveWitch Mountain (for whom Justin Brown plays bass), Megaton Leviathan and many, many others.

Alltar stepped sure-footed into that righteous company last March, playing essentially a three-song/33-minute set filled out by interludes of Moog synth from vocalist Juan Carlos Caceres, who is revealed to be an even more significant presence on stage than his performance on Alltar‘s 2019 debut, Hallowed (review here), as he engages the crowd and shifts between post-hardcore screams and cleaner-sung shouts atop the post-metal/atmosludge riffs of Tim Burke and Colin Hill, Casey Braunger‘s bass and Nate Wright‘s drums. The fact that none of these dudes are strangers to each other — 60 percent of the band also plays in Hound the Wolves, and there’s history going back further than that — comes through in the comfort level of the performance, and Alltar Live at Ceremony of Sludgenobody suffers from the showcase, be it in “War Altar” or “Arcana” and “Cantilate” that surround on either side.

I single out “War Altar” because of the three longer pieces on Live at Ceremony of Sludge — the shorter ones are the “Intro,” “Interlude” and “Ceremony of Sludge” — “War Altar” is the only one that appeared on Hallowed. The obvious deduction there is that “Arcana” and “Cantilate” — both drawing from a kind of mysticism element, the latter capping in particularly crushing fashion — are new. Perhaps had 2020 happened in another reality, Alltar would already be on their second album. We’ll never know, but whether those songs are new or were written around the same time as Hallowed and held back for the proverbial “next one,” they showcase the band’s atmospheric side well. That’s further bolstered by the interludes between songs, of course, but within the churning progressions as well and the loud/quiet trades, shifts in vocal approach, etc., Alltar play out a ranging dynamic that only seems to be pushing deeper into itself as it willfully basks in the ethereal.

That sensibility would be difficult enough to pull together in the studio, let alone on a live album, but despite the stage banter’s grounding effect in time and place, Alltar manage to cast a mood across their relatively brief set — they played as second of the five — that resonates in its quieter spaces and outright stomp alike. Listening to “Arcana” and “Cantilate,” my impression winds up similar to how I felt coming out of Hallowed, which is that Alltar are a unit rife with forward potential. The fact that they can carry that across on stage as documented here only makes them a stronger band in my mind, and it’s all the more reason to look forward to their next offering, whenever it might arrive.

There is a glut of live releases happening right now as bands offer up the audio from livestreams or dig into the backlog of recorded shows past, but I don’t think that’s a negative at all, and Alltar join the ranks with a particularly telling and progressive vibe that’s still manageable for an easy front-to-back listen. Hell’s bells, it’s three songs.

So enjoy it:

Juan Carlos Caceres on Live at Ceremony of Sludge:

It’s mindboggling to think that this was our last show and it’s been almost a year since then. There’s no doubt that this pandemic has derailed the lives and passions of so many people. As challenging as it has been, I like to focus on the positive memories of having done this show and the standout for me is… community. Ceremony of Sludge doesn’t just showcase our city’s best underground heavy bands, it more so, highlights the incredible sense of community that our heavy music scene has. I know that I don’t just speak for myself when I say that we are all lucky to have people like Justin Brown, Blaine Andrew, and their crew in this scene. They have worked hard to bring nine years of incredible line ups together. I feel immense gratitude to have played five nights at four different Ceremony shows through out the years and get to meet so many amazing people along the way. For A//tar, this was a special show. Not only were we making our second appearance in two years but we were debuting two unrecorded tracks and there’s no doubt that we all felt the pressure of delivering a high quality performance. We are really pleased with how well the audio was captured and are so excited to share this with people.

Order “Live At Ceremony of Sludge”: https://alltar.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-ceremony-of-sludge

“Ceremony of Sluuuuudge, baby!” comes booming through the speakers from vocalist Juan Carlos Caceres, whose amiable attitude contrasts with both the Ozzy-like wailing and harsher screaming – both of which hitting impressive peaks on “War Altar”. The lyrics draw from a wide range of topics; in the bands’ words, “the triumphs and tribulations of human-kind. From the technical and artistic birth of society’s achievements in art and technology, as well as the rise of power, war, destruction, and the control of humanity.”

Alltar is:
Nate Wright – Drums (Hound the Wolves, Tigers On Opium)
Tim Burke – Guitars, Samples (ex-Boneworm, Hound the Wolves, Electric Ring, ex-Skull Island)
Colin Hill – Guitars, Samples
Juan Carlos Caceres – Vocals, Moog Synthesizers (Tigers On Opium, ex-Sioux, Hound the Wolves, The Hungry Ghost)
Casey Braunger – Bass (He is Me)

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Alltar Stream Hallowed LP in Full; Album out This Week

Posted in audiObelisk on September 4th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

alltar

Portland, Oregon, post-metallers Alltar — also stylized as A//TAR, as on their logo/cover art — will release their debut album, Hallowed, through Monochord Records this Friday, Sept. 6. The initial offering from the band that also comprises three-fifths of recently-discussed noisemakers Hound the Wolves — those being vocalist, Moog-ist Juan Carlos Caceres, guitarist/sampler Tim Burke and drummer Nate WrightColin Hill plays guitar and Sean Frederick plays bass on the recording and has since been replaced by Casey Braunger — is made up of four songs that run a very vinyl-friendly 35 minutes and brings forth Isis-style hypnotic march and atmospheric spread, dug into with volume trades that remind of Rwake‘s later work with a sense of volatility that seems to revel in never quite letting the listener know when the tension is going to pay off. With everything but vocals recorded and mixed by Fester at Caravan Studios, Haywire Studios, and the Hypercube and vocals helmed by Jeanot Lewis-Rolland at JLR Audio Productions and mastering by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering, it is straightforward in its arrangements to be positioning itself as a root form of post-metal, bringing the aesthetic full circle and back to its cerebral roots in churning rhythms and shifts between deeply-weighted contemplation and voluminous sway and crash.

The album breaks cleanly into two vinyl sides with two songs apiece, the second longer than the first by about five minutes, but all the more immersive for that. The relative brevity of what Alltar do here — as a style that essentially began with Neurosis in the late ’90s and early ’00s, a pattern of CD-era album lengths for post-metal has been set as a tenet of the subgenre — makes Hallowed effective at creating the impression of playing to essential elements. That’s not to say the record is simple in arrangement or execution, with Moog and samples here and there, spoken word on the 11-minute side A closer “War Altar” and side B opener “Induction” and loud/quiet trades across the span, but that neither is it an effects wash, and the guitars of Hill and Burke are plainly more interested in crunch than sprawl. There’s no post-rock float, and even in the windy intro to opener “Horology,” the quiet stretch is more about creating tension ahead of the punch to come, and the same goes for the Moog-laced beginning of closer “Spoils,” though alltar hallowedthe latter might be as close as they come, even if it’s offset by the slowest and hardest-bashing crash to be found on the record.

It’s interesting to note the idea of worship in what Alltar are doing. Their moniker, for example. “All,” and “altar,” together. And calling their first record Hallowed would seem to be underscoring the point. Their music itself, while of a lineage with the aforementioned Isis and of course that band’s forebears in Neurosis and their many acolytes, is made all the more distinct through this notion, but the prevailing vibe of the tracks themselves is more mournful than celebratory. That’s true as Caceres shifts between clean singing and shouts throughout and even as “Spoils” churn-chugs to its ultimate conclusion, following up on the charged design of “War Altar” in a way that feels conceptual. Alltar, then, seem to be calling more into question in terms of who we are and what we choose to worship. This is a decidedly American ideal: the crafting of identity through reconciliation with history either personal or cultural, and if Alltar‘s scope is set to encompass, well, everything, then it seems only fair to call that ambitious as an understatement and remain impressed at the sense of focus they nonetheless conjure throughout their well-plotted material, delivered with what sounds like a burgeoning sense of patience.

And normally, this is the part where I’d say I expect that sense of patience to come more to the fore their next time out, but frankly, I don’t. Alltar‘s Hallowed has been sitting on the proverbial shelf for nearly two years since it was recorded as the band dealt with label issues — Monochord Records is their own and also put out Hound the Wolves, so technically this is a self-release — and I would think that the pent up frustration, one way or another, would manifest in their next batch of songs, or at least in parts should they keep up the loud/quiet trades one finds throughout these four tracks. All the same, it will be interesting to hear as they move forward just in what fashion they do, how their arrangements grow and flourish and in what manner they build on the solid foundation they’ve given themselves to work from here in theme and style. I’ll reserve any further speculation so as to prevent feeling like a jackass later when I’m so very wrong, but take the intrigue as a sign that whatever Alltar do as a sequel will be worth chasing down to find out where they end up.

They’re on tour later in September out west, and you’ll find those dates under the full stream of Hallowed below, as well as some more background from the PR wire.

I hope you enjoy:

alltar tour

Founded by guitarist Tim Burke (also of Hound The Wolves) in 2016, the band has developed through a careful, deliberate evolution to reach its perfect lineup with Juan Carlos Caceres (vocals, Moog), Nate Wright (drums), Colin Hill (guitar, samples) and Casey Braunger (bass.) With the same deliberation, the band spent the latter half of 2017 recording their 4-song debut album at 3 different studios in Portland, then mixing and mastering in Spring 2018. A record label came into the picture soon thereafter, though the album release was held up as the label’s funds were scarce. Eventually, the label folded and the band wrestled back their masters, choosing to self-release, now well into 2019.

“Upon the A//TAR we place our past,” the band declares. “Through the triumphs and tribulations of human-kind. From the technical and artistic birth of society’s achievements in art and technology, as well as the rise of power, war, destruction, and the control of humanity. Through the inevitable dark decay and cold loss, our music is inspired.”

Tracked by Jeanot Lewis-Rolland at the Magic Closet and JLR Audio Productions. Mixed by Fester. Mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering. Hallowed will be available on CD and download on September 6th, 2019. Pre-orders are available HERE.

A//TAR LIVE 2019:
09/04 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
09/20 Eugene, OR @ Sessions’ Lounge
09/21 Boise, ID @ The Shredder
09/22 Reno, NV @ TBA
09/23 Sacramento, CA @ On The Y
09/24 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
09/25 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Blue Lagoon
09/26 Oakland, CA @ The Golden Bull
09/28 Seattle, WA @ The Highline
10/05 Portland, OR @ Twilight Bar

A//TAR is:
Tim Burke – Guitar, Samples
Juan Carlos Caceres – Vocals, Moog, Spoken Word
Casey Braunger – Bass
Nate Wright – Drums
Colin Hill – Guitar

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Hound the Wolves & Glasghote Stream Split LP in its Entirety

Posted in audiObelisk on July 31st, 2019 by JJ Koczan

hound the wolves

glasghote (Photo by William Corwin)

Portland, Oregon, five-piece Hound the Wolves and trio Glasghote will release their new split LP on Monochord Records this Friday, Aug. 2. As one might expect, the two bands share more in common than a hometown, as each group takes its own angle toward post-metallic vibes. Over the course of two songs apiece resulting in a total 31-minute run, the split veers through broad-running atmospherics and an at-times surprising melodic awareness en route to a feedback-soaked crush that would make Conan blush, which of course is a kind of atmosphere unto itself. Either way you go — and each band has clearly made its own choice in that regard; Glasghote‘s work is so deep in low-end it actually demands you turn it up just to hear it properly — the sense of aesthetic runs no less thick than the tones, as Hound the Wolves pull away from some of the more direct Americana of their 2018 debut, Camera Obscura (discussed here), in favor of a still vast but less earthly space.

This process begins with 12-minute opener “Godhead” unfolding the longest and broadest of the inclusions on the split, holding a tension in its bassline even as the guitar stretches out over parts unknown and echoing vocal proclamations recalling earlier Rwake‘s semi-spoken approach in its quieter moments that soon gives over to a more outwardly heavy sway. There are layers at work in clean vocals and screams and louder guitar, bass, drums, synth, etc., but by its eighth minute, “Godhead” has receded and it chooses never to get quite so active again, its initial linear build proving more parabolic as the track goes on. At 7:45, which is also longer than either of Glasghote‘s songs, “Live Through the Day, Run Through the Night” is more even-tempered and given to a post-rock drift rather than the two extremes of the prior track. They are a patient enough band to pull it off, ultimately, and the soulfully fuzzed solo in the second half alone is worth the price of admission, capturing perhaps the wistfulness inherent in Americana without giving over to the actual tropes of the style.

Hound the Wolves Glasghote SplitGlasghote announce their arrival with a riff. As well they should. The let’s-go-CROSH trio skirt the line of abrasion on “Croatoan,” which along with the subsequent “Eye of Ra” was recorded by none other than Billy Anderson, but their plays toward extremity across what turns out to be a relatively short 11 minutes divided over the two songs is fun-brutal rather than no-fun-brutal, and their revelry in psychotic tone and riffage is as immersive as it sounds like a good time to wield. One supposes they’re stylistically less complex than Hound the Wolves — again, Conan are a big influence, right down to the higher- and lower-register shouts that cut through the morass of guitar and bass on “Eye of Ra” — but as they follow-up their 2018 Doom Stew Records debut, Rite of the Siren, the three-piece go full-on into the aural grime and cull righteousness from it, their screamier edge signifying some root in West Coast noise or perhaps more metallic fare, but still put to welcome use amidst all the surrounding punishment. And there is plenty of that to be had in that 11 minutes. They pack it in pretty tight.

And just in case the point hasn’t gotten across, the split brings out two different takes on post-modern heavy, with Hound the Wolves bringing a more contemplative approach to exploring desolation and Glasghote gleefully crafting that desolation through the violence of their material — come to think of it, perhaps the order of appearance should’ve been switched; something about “Godhead” has an “aftermath”-type feel to it — but neither is out of place alongside the other, and someone who snags one of the limited CDs pressed by Monochord likely won’t have any trouble making the leap between them, such as it is. At the same time, the fact that their approaches are different enough means that they avoid the sense of competition that splits can sometimes bring out between acts who are more similar, so that Hound the Wolves only complement Glasghote and Glasghote only do the same for Hound the Wolves. That, to me, seems like a much better system.

Again, release date is Aug. 2, which is Friday. They’ve got a release show in Portland and everything. The full offering is streaming below, and you’ll find all the recording background and whatnot beneath that, courtesy of the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

What started as an art project among friends has transformed into the full-blown heavy rock experience of Portland’s Hound the Wolves. Formed in 2015, Hound the Wolves pulls euphonic inspiration from the mysterious and clandestine maneuvers that occur behind the shroud of darkness. Principal songwriter Juan Carlos Caceres incorporates occultism, numerology, and sacred geometry as leitmotifs in the band’s songs, while the perseverance of man, acceptance of societal ills, and the discovery of light in darkness are written as recurring lyrical themes. These elements find themselves translated sonically through droned patterns; earthy and worldly rhythmic density; and meditative, cyclical repetition that make for a haunted psych-metal experience.

Glasghote is a sludge/doom metal band hailing from Portland, OR. Glasghote formed in 2017 in the basement of founding members Jake Shaffer (guitar and vocals) and Jordan Huston (drums) with the addition of Chad Johnson (bass) coming just a few months later. Glasghote emerged on the Portland local scene with bone shattering tones and a wall of sound in tow. In one short year Glasghote signed with Doom Stew Records and released their debut full length Rite of the Siren. The band pulls influences from Thou, Primitive Man, High on Fire.

Track Listing:
1. Hound The Wolves — “Godhead”
2. Hound The Wolves — “Live Through The Day, Run Through The Night”
3. Glasghote — “Croatoan”
4. Glasghote — “Eye of Ra”

Produced by Hound the Wolves and TRIANGLES. Graphic design by Matt Howl, based on a photograph by Kristin Lee.

HTW’s songs were written and arranged by Hound The Wolves with lyrics by Juan Carlos Caceres. The songs were tracked by Jeanot Lewis-Rolland at the Magic Closet and JLR Audio Productions, mixed by Jeanot Lewis-Rolland, and mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering.

Glasghote’s songs were tracked, mixed, and mastered by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Melvins, Weedeater) at Hallowed Halls Recording Studio.

Upcoming Live Performances
8/2 @ Tonic Lounge in Portland, OR — Hound The Wolves, Glasghote, WILL
8/8 @ Substation in Seattle, WA — DANGG, Hound The Wolves, Glasghote, Darkmysticwoods

Hound The Wolves are:
Tim Burke – lap steel, drones, soundscapes
Juan Carlos Caceres – Guitar, vocals, words
Cory DeCaire – Bass
Ryan McPhaill – Drums
Nate Wright – Moog, aux percussion

Glasghote are:
Jake Shaffer – Guitar and Vocals
Chad Johnson – Bass
Jordan Huston – Drums

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Six Dumb Questions with Hound the Wolves

Posted in Six Dumb Questions on April 10th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

hound the wolves

Stylistically ranging and definitively of the Pacific Northwest, Camera Obscura is the striking debut album from Portland, Oregon, five-piece Hound the Wolves. It is comprised of just four songs — and one could really argue that two of them are intros feeding into the other two; one flowing work per intended vinyl side — and runs 32 minutes of soundscaped spaciousness and aggressive outbursts manifest in the screams of guitarist Juan Carlos Caceres, and given an underlying sense of Americana through Tim Burke‘s lap steel. With Cory DeCaire of Mane of the Cur on bass, Ryan McPhaill (Sioux) on drums and Nate Wright providing Moog and additional percussion, the band presents a complete ambience in the six-minute “Omnia in Numeris Situ Sunt,” which in turn gives way to the complementary “Everything Lies Veiled in Numbers” at the end of the record.

That last piece, passing the nine-minute mark and putting the capstone on the album as a whole, is obviously a pivotal moment for Hound the Wolves, and they more than live up to the task. An even greater impression, however, might be made on side A in the interplay between four-minute opener “If Lost in Mind” and the subsequent “Masquerade,” which is 13 minutes long and takes hold following the hypnotic chants and echoes an drones of “If Lost in Mind” with a sudden progressive metal turn that, rhythmically, calls to mind Kylesa at their best. Caceres, melodic on the opener, offers a harsher take in the early going, rounding out with the lines “It’s all a masquerade/It’s all in your head/If the illusion was real/We would not exist,” at about three and a half minutes in before Burke‘s lap steel comes to the fore to lead the transition into a quieter space. Backed by the slow build in McPhaill‘s drums, the track oozes through a long middle section stretch of open-feeling atmospherics. Vocals aren’t absent, but echo in semi-spoken proclamations layered with shouts in places, and it isn’t until about 11 minutes in that the payoff hits, with a fuller-toned, undulating riff; some great Cascadian beast lurching to consciousness.

Intensity builds for the next couple minutes before they crash out, and “Omnia in Numeris Situ Sunt” arrives, its ritual bell atop a resonant and semi-foreboding drone, and it may indeed be that some kind of ritual has begun, as “Everything Lies Veiled in Numbers” shows surprising patience in its execution, never really launching into the same kind of payoff as “Masquerade,” but still reveling in ambient heft for the duration. Equal parts earthy and psychedelic, it’s a resounding finish to a record that’s earned nothing less, even if it’s not the loudest moment to be found in the tracklisting.

The process of putting together Camera Obscura was begun in 2015, so it’s safe to say it’s been a while in the making. In the Q&A below, Tim Burke attributes some of that to holdups in the mixing process — which, given the layering at work in these songs, I’m inclined to believe — and of course the ever-present financial concerns. Burke also discusses how the band came together, their recent tour around the album release, their plans going forward, and more.

Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions:

hound the wolves camera obscura

Six Dumb Questions with Hound the Wolves

Tell me about how Hound the Wolves got together? How much of your sound was thought out as a goal beforehand, and how much was just how it worked out when you started playing? What was the impetus behind starting the band in the first place?

The band started because Juan and I had bonded on our love of U.S. Christmas, and how we both thought they were underappreciated. Juan found out I played lap steel, and we got together to jam. We had three songs written within a few hours based on skeletons Juan had already. I don’t know that we really had an idea of the sound in mind, we didn’t even really start out with the idea of starting a band; both Juan and I had other projects at the time. But the things we were coming up with were ear-opening, so to speak. The next time Juan and I got together, we talked about auditioning drummers.

We auditioned several drummers we knew, and Ryan (Salvador, Sioux) was one of them, and we asked him to join the band. We had quite a time finding a bassist however, but eventually Cory (Mane of the Cur), whom I had known for a while, joined on bass. Nate (Tigers on Opium, A//TAR) was the final piece of the puzzle. I had reservations about adding Nate at first, because I didn’t want someone who would come in and play a bunch and overcrowd the sonic space, which in my experience is a problem for a lot of people. But Nate has a great musical sensibility, and added just the right amount of Moog embellishments and percussion additions, and it was the icing on the cake. This was the point where we started thinking about what Hound the Wolves would be as a band.

What was the writing process like for Camera Obscura? The breadth of influences is pretty vast. Does everyone contribute to the songwriting? How does a piece like “Masquerade” come together in the first place?

Organically. I can’t really remember how we wrote “Masquerade.” It was not difficult in the sense that I don’t remember struggling on this song, it was almost as if it came out practically fully formed. There was a skeleton of some of the parts that Juan had originally. But the song just came together, let’s try this, what if I do this, how long should this section be, and the pieces all fell into place without much struggle.

Everyone contributes their own parts. We tend to take rough ideas or outlines, then develop and arrange them as a group. There are other times when we just jam on a riff, and just see where it goes. Sometimes you find gold by panning through some improvisation. One thing I can say is we do not use formulas or rules to write our songs.

Camera Obscura seems to be broken into two sides, with two pairs of tracks related to each other. Can you talk about the flow of the release from front to back and how the songs are meant to interact? Tell me about the relationship – other than linguistic – between “Omnia in Numeris Sita Sunt” and “Everything Lies Veiled in Numbers.”

“If Lost in Mind” is meant to be an intro. It is a stripped-down song that actually materialized late in the recording process, but when we started to talk about putting out an album, we had to decide what songs and in what order. We talked a lot about some different options for songs and orders. After “If Lost in Mind,” “Masquerade” takes a very different direction, going heavy and starting a musical ride that covers a lot of ground. Musically, we are all over the place from heavy to light to drones, etc., and the first two songs really capture the essences of Hound the Wolves music currently. So those two songs are really an introduction to the band.

“Omnia in Numeris Sita Sunt” and “Everything Lies Veiled in Numbers” are linked together, as you may note from the titles, as well as musically. “Omnia” is a song that started an intro to our live sets, a way to ease an audience to what we are doing, and to get the people at our shows into a headspace. The song starts and builds to a crescendo and then you are ready for “ELVIN.” “ELVIN” is a moody, mellower track that also builds in similar fashion, but it doesn’t cover the same kind of ground as “Masquerade,” which makes more sense at the end of the album. The observant may also notice that these song will fit perfectly as pairs on a vinyl release. We hope that we will be able to get Camera Obscura out on vinyl at some point.

How long were you guys in the studio making Camera Obscura and what was that process like?

The initial tracking took place over a weekend in May of 2015. We self-funded the recording process, and there are a lot of choices for recording studios and engineers in Portland. Juan had worked with his friend Jeanot Rolland-Lewis previously, and Jeanot had been taking over more engineering work from Ian Watt (Ape Machine, High Watt Booking) owner of the Magic Closet Studio in Portland. So we set up for two days of tracking at Magic Closet. We got all the drums tracked, as well as bass and Juan’s guitars over that weekend.

Over the next few months, we went in individually with Jeanot at his studio to track slide, Moog, vocals, bells, and the aux percussion. From there we went through a very long process of mixing. It was quite a process, but we do have a lot going on in these recordings, and we are all experienced at recording, so we listen close and want to get all the details just right. This can be difficult when recording on a budget, because sometimes you have to look at what you want, and the cost it would take to achieve that result, and weigh that against how big of a deal the problem part is. I mean, I don’t want to spend $1k to fix a relatively minor issue with the recordings. There were a few compromises we had to make because we are recording on a budget.

We did get a bit bogged down in the mixing process, and not the least of which was how to pay for the recording we were doing. Most of the band members do not have a bunch of extra money after meeting expenses to chip into the band, and we don’t play shows enough (nor make enough from them) to fund recording, though what we do make does help. We also had no merch at that time to help fund the band, so it was all out of pocket.

Eventually, we were able to work things out though, and the final step recording-wise was taking the album to Ryan Foster of Foster Mastering. Ryan is amazing and took the album, and really made it sound awesome no matter what device I listened on. Of course, once the album was done, there was another major question, how to release this album and get people to know it exists? We had the recordings ready to go for a while before we figured out the rest of the parts of the release. In retrospect, we should have started the planning earlier, while we were in the mixing phase. Every time I go through this process, I learn new lessons.

How were the release show and the other regional shows in the PNW? How much touring will you do generally, and how much does the album represent what Hound the Wolves do live? What’s the relationship between the band on stage and the band in the studio for you?

The release tour went fantastically! You never know how things are going to play out when you book a tour. But we played with some amazing bands for our first time playing in Washington. We took a new-to-us van on the road (‘82 Ford Prospector), and while we did have some issues with starting the van a few times, it was fixed on the second day by cleaning the battery terminals. Highlights from the tour would be when we opened for Year of the Cobra at The Funhouse in Seattle. Upwell, a band Jack Endino plays bass for was also on the bill, and Mr. Endino ended up buying a CD from us, which was pretty cool.

Our release show in Portland was fantastic, we played with our friends in Young Hunter (go check them out, they have a new album, Dayhiker, out), and Mammoth Salmon. It turned out that this show was to be Mammoth Salmon’s last show, but that happened after we booked the show. I have been playing shows with Paul [Dudziak] and Mammoth Salmon for over five years, and after seeing them open for Earthless last fall, I felt Mammoth Salmon had really become a force to be reckoned with. It was great to see the community show Mammoth Salmon some love at their last show. All the bands we played with on this tour were fantastic.

After doing this tour, we were wishing it was longer, it felt like we were just hitting our stride. As far as how much touring we plan to do, it depends much on how things go for the band. It is difficult for us all to take time off work financially and go tour, since we are in a startup phase of the band. That being said, we really want to tour more, and we are talking to some people about some West Coast festivals in the fall, we have another album and more videos in the works. I would like to do another longer tour of the West Coast in the fall, built around festival dates, but we will have to see how that comes together. We basically are taking things one step at a time, and figuring out what we can do next.

The stage show is an experience of sight and sound. We intend our shows to be a coming together of people who want to focus on the present. We live in a world of constant distraction and information overload, and we try to make our shows about living in the moment, without distractions, without consideration for the past or future, but just focusing on the now.

In the studio, we simply try to capture our sound, and translate it into a recorded format. I remember having a conversation with Jeanot about a few areas of the mix where we were discussing our options. Jeanot has come to see us live, and he commented that we sounded on the recordings exactly like we did live. Ultimately, that is what we were trying to capture on these recordings, what we sounded like as five people playing music together in a room. We want to hold onto the ability to perform what we record live, and have been talking about how we can add elements and still maintain them during live performance. We want to add more visual elements as well. We have a way that we are confident will work for us.

Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

We are meeting soon to discuss our next steps and make sure we have alignment with our plans. Currently the general outline would be to release videos for the other tracks on Camera Obscura, and then to figure out the new release targeted for the Fall. We have a number of tracks that we have written and arranged. Optimally we would be doing releases on a six month to one year schedule, with videos coming out regularly. We will see if we can make that happen.

It takes a lot of dedication in the form of time, energy, and money to create music with a band, so if your readers enjoy what we are creating, their support would be greatly appreciated. We are on all the major digital platforms, but we are fans of Bandcamp, and suggest those interested in supporting us shop there first. You can find links to all our social media at houndthewolves.com. There is a newsletter sign up at the bottom of the page that is a great way to keep up with what the band is doing.

Hound the Wolves, Camera Obscura (2018)

Hound the Wolves, “If Lost in Mind” official video

Hound the Wolves website

Hound the Wolves on Bandcamp

Hound the Wolves on Facebooks

Hound the Wolves on Twitter

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Hound the Wolves Announce Northwestern Tour; New Video Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 6th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Portland atmospheric sludge five-piece Hound the Wolves release their debut full-length, Camera Obscura, on Feb. 14. They cite the likes of Earth and Neurosis as influences in a kind of we-play-post-metal dogwhistle, but to that list I’d also add acts like Kylesa when it comes to the opening riff of “Masquerade,” Khanate (never a comparison I make lightly) for the ambient harshness and minimalist desolation of “Omnia in Numeris Sita Sunt” and even Dillinger Escape Plan for some of the screams from guitarist/vocalist Juan Carlos Caceres that are mixed in among cleaner vocals. It’s a rarefied-enough mix that one might almost dare to call it individual.

The band head out on the road to support the release pretty much immediately after it comes out, playing shows in Oregon and Washington over the course of a five-day stretch. They also have a recent official video for album opener “If Lost in Mind” — kind of an intro to the record, which plays out as a singular flow from one song to the next — and you can see that and the tour dates below, both off the PR wire:

hound the wolves

Hound the Wolves Announce Tour Dates in Support of New Album Camera Obscura

Hound the Wolves are gearing up to hit the road on a short stint in their home region, playing shows in support of their debut album Camera Obscura, out this Valentine’s Day. The band is set to hit adored local haunts in Oregon and Washington, landing in their hometown right in the middle of their tour stint. Dates are below and links can be followed for more info.

February 15th – The Shakedown, Bellingham, Wa
February 16th – The Funhouse, Seattle, Wa
February 17th – High Water Mark, Portland, Or
February 18th – Old Nick’s Pub, Eugene, Or
February 19th – The Capital, Bend, Or

About Hound the Wolves:

Portland, Oregon’s Hound the Wolves liken themselves much to the climate that surrounds them – moody, mysterious and beautifully glum. Their creations are rooted in cyclical repetition and contrast, sonically transforming ritualistic practice into dark and gritty psych metal and droned stoner rock. Fans of Earth, Neurosis and U.S. Christmas now have a new band to enjoy.

Hound the Wolves is:
Tim Burke – lap steel, drones, soundscapes
Juan Carlos Caceres – Guitar, vocals, words
Cory DeCaire – Bass
Ryan McPhaill – Drums
Nate Wright – Moog, aux percussion

https://houndthewolves.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/houndthewolves/
https://twitter.com/HoundTheWolves
https://www.instagram.com/houndthewolves/
https://www.facebook.com/Monochord-Records-2003885266558540/

Hound the Wolves, “If Lost in Mind” official video

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