Fit For Hounds

Bands come and go, fade and break up but others last through the change of tides. What separates those that stay and those that go?

For William Conrad Doerrfeld, 19, of Fit For Hounds from the Sammamish area, it’s about direction and how serious and professional the musicians are in the creative process. "We have so much more of a direction," he said at a recent rehearsal. "I think we have a distinct, unique sound."

Fit For Hounds is a Plateau-based alternative dance-rock-pop group of four teenagers who attended Skyline High School and primarily met through music and drama programs on campus.

The members’ original goal in creating the band was to enter the Experience Music Project’s Sound Off! 2011- touted as the largest underage band contest in the Pacific Northwest - and win. The band members are ready to take their first step and are scheduled to compete on Feb. 19 at EMP in Seattle.

William Conrad Doerrfeld, 19, composes the songs and is responsible for synth and vocals. His sister, Alicia Doerrfeld, 17, also helps with vocals, as well as plays electric guitar. Scott Sherman, 18, is responsible for guitar and bass, and Zach Barokas, 17, mans the drum set, and when needed, a metal whistle.

Although William Conrad admits that his initial motivation for writing songs was the break-up of a relationship, he said that his song composition now revolves around the melody and the melding of the parts, not the lyrics:

"The lyrics don’t really mean as much as the music for me," he said. "What I care about is the feeling the music gives me and…all the parts, intertwining."

William Conrad added that he purposefully creates abstract and open-ended lyrics, which can be individually interpreted, making the music a truly custom experience for each listener.

Among those who have inspired the band are: The Strokes and Julian Casablancas, Hot Hot Heat and The Hives.

The band members have varied training and abilities, to which William Conrad credited their “distinct, unique sound.” Alicia has vocal and jazz training, while Zach has an extensive background in hip-hop and heavy-metal styles. Scott and William Conrad have dabbled with sax and trumpet, respectively, as well as piano.

Unlike other teenage bands, Fit For Hounds is polished, cohesive and has the stage presence of a band that has been performing for years. The group itself is a tight-knit bunch of friends who get along well and genuinely love the music they create.

Watching them perform, an audience member barely notices the quick glances that are exchanged, showing that they are of one mindset and absolutely listening to one another.

Their goal is to convey to their audiences the excitement and energy they experience playing music.

"We want people to be entertained by us," Sherman said. "It’s all about us getting our music out there. We’ve put so much time into this we just want people to know us and like us...that’s the best feeling."

If they place in the EMP contest, Fit For Hounds could win performance time at local festivals and on the radio, band equipment and consultation time with a recording academy. Past Sound Off! winners include Sol, Brite Futures, and Schoolyard Heroes and have gone on to become major performing acts outside of Seattle. The groups also maintain a large presence in the city.

Eventually, Fit For Hounds would like to reach a professional level. Following Sound Off!, the band is working on a possible West Coast tour, as well as expanding to larger venues in Seattle, such as Neumos and the Showbox.

Sherman credits living on the Plateau and the Seattle area with much of the group’s musical drive. "We live in an area that’s just rich in music. We have kind of an underground scene," he said. "It’s affected me. I remember in middle school I always wanted to play a show at the (Old Redmond) Fire House."

Fit For Hounds has come a long way since the Old Fire House and their talent has been noticed.

Tarik Abouzied, a well-respected local drummer and teacher, and mentor for Fit For Hounds offered a great review of their development.

“The first time I heard Fit For Hounds I was surprised at how mature the band sounded. The songwriting and musicianship is strong and they have an immediately identifiable sound, which is rare for any rock band let alone one made of teenagers," he said. "They still have some growing to do but I have no doubt that they'll keep getting better and better."

Sherman explained: “We’re doing it for the people, we’re not doing it for ourselves."

Added William Conrad: “It’s like a virus, you just wanna spread it!” - Samantha Grone, Sammamish Patch

Fit for Hounds, a band created by UW freshman Bill Doerrfeld, sticks out of the crowd in a time when creativity in music is key.

#Comprised of four high school friends, brother and sister Bill Doerrfeld (vocals) and Alicia Doerrfeld (guitar), Scott Sherman (bass) and Zach Barokas (drums), Fit for Hounds has a unique chemistry that bolstered the band into the finals of this year’s Sound Off!: Battle of the Underage Bands.

#Originally Bill Doerrfeld’s solo project, Fit for Hounds has since grown into a full band that takes its music seriously.

#“We want our band to be something that’s not just a Seattle-known name, but a country-wide deal,” Sherman said.

#Sound Off!, the Northwest’s largest underage battle of the bands, has been an invaluable experience. While they have participated in similar competitions and won three battles of the bands in the past, all members of the group said that nothing they have done before can compare to the professional experience gained on this new stage. So far, the band has had a positive experience in Sound Off!, a competition it had been working toward making for the past year.

#“Sound Off! has been extremely professional with us,” Alicia Doerrfeld said. “We’ve met a lot of great bands and made a lot of connections; overall it’s just been a really great experience.”

#More than anything, Fit for Hounds wants to be heard. Regardless of whether they win at Sound Off!, the band has made connections with other bands that it hopes will be a gateway to more shows at bigger venues. The band has worked diligently to create its own sound while incorporating subtle influences from bands like The Strokes, The Killers and Hot Hot Heat.

#“Fit for Hounds stands out because we have a unique sound that is technical but also catchy,” Barokas said. “Our music is very easy to dance to, it’s very easy to groove to, and it’s very easy to relate to.”

#Band members agreed that establishing a fan base is a top priority of theirs. Right now the immediate goal of the band is to spread its sound by offering free downloads of its music on its website. Bill Doerrfeld said that the people who give his band a chance end up loving it.

#“Being in Sound Off! has reinforced the fact that people really enjoy the music we create,” he said.

#Fit for Hounds has two goals in mind for the future: to become rock stars and make a living while doing what they love to do. To become a professional, well-known band, Fit for Hounds holds regular rehearsals and scrutinizes every detail of its music note-by-note and beat-by-beat, Barokas said.

#“We all consider the fact that this could be a career for us,” Bill Doerrfeld said. “There’s a lot of baby steps. Our next goal is to print 500 CDs, then there’s a ladder of venues we have to play before playing a show at the Showbox, which is our next year-long goal.”

#Fit for Hounds will perform in the Sound Off! finals on March 5 at 8 p.m. at the Experience Music Project. Tickets cost $7 with student ID and $10 for general admission.

#Reach contributing writer Joe Infantino at development@dailyuw.com. - The Daily (University of Washington)

Fit for Hounds are a young synth-pop and rock band out of Issaquah that got their name from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. When Brutus decides that Caesar's ambitions necessitate his assassination, he says, "Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods, not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds." It sounds harsh, but this band isn't. They're as well mannered as can be, and they're hungry to play and be heard. Their sound is a polished and tight Strokes/Killers/1980s-dance-influenced blend.

This year, Fit for Hounds entered EMP's 10th annual Sound Off! competition and were chosen as one of 12 semifinalists to compete in February's battle of the bands. The winner gets to play at Bumbershoot and live on 107.7 The End. (Multiple winners also receive studio time and gear.) The band consists of 19-year-old William Conrad Doerrfeld, who writes the songs, sings, and plays synth, his 17- year-old sister Alicia Doerrfeld on guitar, 18-year-old Scott Sherman on bass, and 17-year-old Zach Barokas on drums. Zach had an Algebra II exam the morning after this interview, so let's hope he did well and that no carcasses were hewed.

How did you all become Sound Off! semifinalists?

WCD: Sound Off! has always been a goal of mine. I applied the last couple years and didn't make it in. So when we started this band, we said, let's apply and take it really seriously and hope to get in. This year, we did! There's an online application process through EMP. They want to see a history of performances and hear your songs. There's a youth advisory board that goes through all the applications. They filter it down, and then it goes to another panel, and they choose 12 finalists. This year, there were 130 bands that submitted from all over the Northwest. We're really excited.

Now there will be a gigantic death- match battle of the bands?

ZB: There are three semifinals now. Ours is February 19. Then the finals on March 5 to decide the winner.

AD: When we went to the orientation, one thing they said is that they don't like calling it a battle of the bands.

There was an orientation?

ZB: Yeah, the 12 finalists had an orientation where we met a panel of media professionals who talked us through the process and what happens if we win. We got to meet the other bands, too.

WCD: It was cool. They really want the bands to talk to each other and get to know each other. They said, "This is the future of Seattle music—you all will be working with each other a lot in the coming years." The bassist from Schoolyard Heroes spoke, too.

Was there any trash-talking? What's it like playing in a battle of the bands?

WCD: It was great to get to meet these other bands. Usually with battles of the bands, there's a weird dynamic between all the bands. You want to be really friendly and supportive and say, "Good luck, bro." But at the same time, you want to win.

ZB: Usually after the show, people are more supportive. But before, it's really awkward. We go into it thinking, "The other bands are just as good as we are, and they've been working just as hard." We don't want to overdo it, but we want to play well enough to make an impression.

AD: You can tell everyone's checking each other out. But in the end, it's key to just go onstage and have fun.

SS: You're definitely sizing everyone up. What's their gear like? Do they look like they can play? I'll check out their music beforehand and do some scouting. I always try to gauge what we're going into.

When I was 15, I was in a band called the Beaver Trappers. We were terrible, but we entered a battle of the bands at a Methodist church. I was scared as hell. These 25-year-old dudes in a metal band called Throttle Your Mother's Puma walked in with all this pro gear and entered the contest right at the last minute. They were totally friends with the judges and got them high, so they won. It was a rip-off. Does this kind of thing still happen?

WCD: Sound Off! is under 21, so I don't think Throttle Your Mother's Puma will be playing.

Who judges Sound Off!? What are they judging for?

ZB: Industry professionals. Maybe Natalie Portman's Shaved Head? They're judging for creativity, originality, composition, audience involvement, and musicianship.

And breakdancing.

SS: I hope not.

Who chooses the order the bands play in? What's the best slot to play?

WCD: For Sound Off!, the bands are drawing straws.

AD: No one wants to play first. I think last is the best slot to play. You're leaving the last impression.

SS: If you don't do something that's more memorable than the bands that play after you, you don't have as good a chance. It's a fight to do something that makes the judges think, "That set definitely stood out."

What's next for y'all? What do you want to do with your music and your band?

WCD: Sound Off! is all we're thinking about and getting ready for now. At some point, we'd like to make this what we do for a living, to make it a profession. So we're going about it like that, dedicating everything we have to it.

SS: I've been putting a lot of time into thinking how to market us. I work at the Jamba Juice in Issaquah and always have CDs on me, in case there's someone I need to give one to.

You have the hookup on juiced wheatgrass there. What's so healthy about wheatgrass?

SS: It has vitamin K, so it's good for detoxing. And they say that one ounce of juiced wheatgrass has two and a half pounds of vegetable nutrients in it.

You all won an Eastside battle of the bands, right?

WCD: Yes, and one in Issaquah, as well. They were a lot smaller.

So you all have the battle of the bands thing down. Will it be weird for you to play an actual club show?

WCD: I don't think so. That's what we want, to just play as many good shows as possible. We've played around 15 or 20 shows so far. We've gotten to play at the L.A.B., El Corazón, Ground Zero, Old Fire House, Kirkland Teen Center. We're hoping to play Vera soon.

What do you hope to win at Sound Off!?

AD: To get to play Bumbershoot. That would be huge for us. The studio time and the gear would be great, too. But Bumbershoot is what we're really hoping for.

How do you all write songs?

WCD: Up to this point, it's been me writing the songs. I'll record a demo version of the song using Logic Studio on my computer and then give it to the rest of the band. And they all put their spin on it.

SS: He gives us the skeleton of the song, and we flesh it out with our own feel. He's open to our interpretation.

ZB: We all get to have a say. It's a group thing. It's never Bill's way or the highway.

Since Bill and Alicia are brother and sister, how does that affect things? Is there ever sibling squabbling?

AD: We're actually really good friends. I think it just makes the band tighter, and the music. We hang out a lot.

In "Clap if You Hear Me," you sing, "Long ago, my heart fell oh so low" and about "cities burning." Is this song about a dark time in your life?

WCD: I took a year off after high school and went to Guatemala with a not-for-profit agency to do community service. I raised money by selling car washes, and had a benefit concert, and made a website to help pay for my trip. The second semester there, they canceled the program. So I came home and was kind of alone. My girlfriend dumped me and started dating one of my sister's friends. So yeah, it's about a dark time. I took that money and time that I had left over and started this band. And channeled the energy that way. I'm dedicated to Fit for Hounds. We all are.

Have you ever thought of getting an ice cream cone tattooed on your face like Gucci Mane? That's dedication.

WCD: I think I would get a hound tattoo.

How long have you guys been playing your instruments?

SS: I've been playing bass for two years; I started piano when I was 5.

AD: I've been playing guitar for seven years.

ZB: Five years on the drums so far.

WCD: I've been officially singing for a couple years, but I guess I've always sung. I started with piano, then got into trumpet, then drums, and kind of taught myself how to play guitar and bass.

The drums are solid on these songs. Zach, how did you become so dialed in?

ZB: I guess for me, learning to play was an escape. I didn't have a ton of friends, but I had drums. And I played all the time.

What are some bands you've played with that you like?

WCD: Shotty, Box, Jar of Rain, the Steelwells from Orange County.

Has there been a battle of the bands for y'all that hasn't gone so well?

WCD: Yes. We entered a "Classic Rock-a-Thon" at the Old Fire House and it was a cover-song thing. We had the idea to play '80s dance pop songs, like A-ha and Depeche Mode. Everyone else was playing like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Pink Floyd, even Beatles. We played, and no one clapped. It was sad.

Metallica is classic rock?

AD: I guess. They said we could play anything between 1950 and 1995.

WCD: Learning the songs changed the way I started to write songs, though. So it was good. Even if there was no clapping. It made me start listening to a bunch of New Order and Human League.

How often do y'all rehearse? Are y'all rehearsing any differently for Sound Off!?

ZB: At least three times a week. Sundays, we go all day.

SS: Lately, we've been doing this thing where if we make a mistake on a song, we play it over until we get it right.

WCD: We are definitely rehearsing differently for Sound Off! What Great Waves did was really inspiring to me. They won last year. They had dedicated an entire year to just playing music. Sound Off! has been a yearlong goal for us. I'd say we're way more serious now.
- The Stranger