Houndstooth Bindles
Columbus, Ohio, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
MEMBERS » Jesse Pearson (drums); Bill Wolfe (bass, guitar); Virginia Pishioneri (banjo, guitar, vocals); Nick Johnson (mandolin, guitar, vocals); and Lois Kwa (fiddle)
STYLE » “folk, hillbilly”
WEBSITE » www.singingmoonrecords.com/houndstoothbindles
CONCERT »9 p.m. Friday at Ruby Tuesday, 1978 Summit St.
ADMISSION »$5
The musicians of Houndstooth Bindles straddle two worlds: They create folksy, rollicking music amid life in central Ohio neighborhoods such as Clintonville and Old Oaks.
Such a dichotomy is made evident on their self-titled EP, which includes a tune by singer-guitarist Nick Johnson titled Daddy’s Farm.
The lyrics examine a family debate over where to make its roots: the homestead or a high-rise.
“I grew up in an urban area, so it is not exactly true to life,” said Johnson, a 29-year-old resident of the Weinland Park neighborhood, near the Short North.
“The inspiration for this song was loosely based on the experience of my cousins .?.?. in a rural area in central Missouri.”
The ensemble will offer a Friday show for country cousins and city slickers.
Q How did the band get its name?
A We wanted to somehow capture the idea of a hobo — a bindle is the bag on a stick that hobos are often depicted carrying — but one that is fancy, as we are all city dwellers. Bill (Wolfe) suggested the houndstooth pattern.
Q How would you describe your music?
A We call it hillbilly music. It is somewhat similar to Old Crow Medicine Show, but our primary influences are folk singers like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie.
Q The band doesn’t have a designated leader. What do you do?
A We have just always operated that whoever writes the song sings it.
Switching between three different lead singers keeps things interesting for the audience.
Q Why should someone see you in concert?
A If you enjoy dancing, songs about moonshine and murder — and the occasional adult beverage.
— Kevin Joy?
kjoy@dispatch.com? - Columbus Dispatch
Hillbilly music comes in all stripes, from glitzy Nashville country to stark “Deliverance” folk. Though their screaming fiddles are no stranger to melody, Houndstooth Bindles keep it raw.
That mostly works out swell for the Columbus quintet, which will celebrate the release of its self-titled EP with a show Friday at Cafe Bourbon Street. Raucous energy runs rampant through these six tracks of twang with a bang. The roughshod quality only becomes irksome when the dual vocalists hit a sour note, though that probably won’t be much of a problem amidst a clamor of clinking bottles and stomping feet.
The Wayfarers and Allie and the Redbuds will play, too. - Columbus Alive
Houndstooth Bindles are a tough act to pin down, stylistically. Easy comparisons could be drawn to the Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons because of the high energy banjo and mandolin sounds, but just because they all share amped up elements of old-timey string bands doesn’t make them the same, or even similar. HTB describe their own music as “similar to bluegrass, but stylistically we draw more from folk singers like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, with added punk tempos and aesthetic.” Their description is accurate. - thehot17.com
Discography
Houndstooth Bindles Self-Titled EP, January, 2012. Available for sale at singingmoonrecords.com.
Photos
Bio
Featuring multiple singers and no traditional front-man, Houndstooth Bindles is a five-piece band with three song writers, percussive guitar and mandolin playing of Nick Johnson, dynamic claw-hammer banjo of Virginia Pishioneri, sweet and melodic fiddle of Lois Kwa, rock-steady bass of Bill Wolfe, and sensible yet driving drums of Jesse Pearson. The band is influenced by classic folk singers including Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, and modern string bands such as Old Crow Medicine Show and Split-Lip Rayfield.
The band began in early 2011 and since then has earned a reputation for innovative song-writing and dynamic performances. We draw heavily from the folk tradition, but play in a ruckus, almost irreverent manner.
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