Hundred Yard Smash

Hundred Yard Smash has been described as "a breath of fresh air in the pop/rock music scene". With their eclectic blend of vintage yet trendy sounds, Hundred Yard Smash is a throwback to a time when rock was pure, fun, and singable. This is a group that will have you dancing in minutes, drawing influences from Marvin Gaye, MGMT, Eric Clapton, and Maroon 5. Their first EP, Running in Circles, was released in January of 2012 and has received excellent reviews from listeners and fellow musicians. Check out Running in Circles on iTunes. - Mariner Chesapeake

Who’s Hundred Yard Smash? How did you guys all meet and what’s the meaning behind your band’s name?

Sam and Danny have been playing together since high school. They started writing some of our first songs, including “Running in Circles” inside a small storage closet next to their high school’s auditorium. Our drummer, Tyler, found a video of one of their covers on the internet and insisted that they get together and jam. He recommended his friend Will to play bass, and that completed Hundred Yard Smash. Seeing as how we all smash regularly, the band name was a natural fit. We’re not just talking cymbals and guitars, either.



How would you describe your music?

It’s tough for us to put a single label on it, but we like to think of it as rock music that you can enjoy after a long day at work or during a slow drive down a desert highway. Our music is heavily influenced by the blues, but also has flavors of reggae, classic rock, Motown, and ’90s pop.



What are your music influences?

We all listen to really different types of music, and that’s what makes our sound unique. Everybody contributes a separate voice. But our greatest influence is the love we receive from our fans. We live for them.



What are you looking to spread with your music?

We don’t like to force our beliefs upon others. We just want them to feel the groove, to dance and be inspired. The best feeling you can get is when you see people singing along with your songs because they’re having a great time. There’s actually a chemical released in your brain when you sing with other people, and it’s the same chemical that gets released when you have sex. We just want people to have orgasms at our shows.



What has been one of the funniest moments you guys have been or took part?

Most of our funniest moments aren’t exactly family appropriate, but it was pretty awesome when Tyler lit his drumsticks on fire. When they burned down to his hands, he threw them in the grass, and the whole yard almost lit up.



Running in Circles. Can you tell us more about the process recording and working on this album?

A lot of the songs have been floating around forever, but when we finalized the lineup we decided it was time to record an album. It turned out that our new bass player was also a dope producer, so we cut all the tracks and turned out an EP. We could have easily released it as a full-length, but this seemed like a better value to the fans.



Are there any plans for the near future?

We continue to smash day in and day out, hungry to play some big festivals this summer and maybe sign to an indie label. We keep our schedules full, sometimes with three gigs in a single weekend, and we’re making music our full time job.



What’s that song you can’t stop listening to?

“Call Me Maybe”. Definitely.



Do you feel you guys are moving on the right direction?

Our growth over the past year has been staggering, and we plan on keeping that up. We’re putting a lot of energy into refining our sound and providing the most entertaining live show possible. It’s not an issue of moving in the right direction. Or the left direction for that matter. It’s about moving up, and that’s exactly where we’re going.



Check out more at: http://www.HundredYardSmash.com
- Vents Magazine

Hundred Yard Smash hits the scene with this superbly diverse collection of great new rock songs, many with huge hit potential. The infectious title track, Running In Circles, will stick in your brain, but in a totally good way. It is refreshing to hear this release that values tight performances, great production values and quality songwriting. Hundred Yard Smash is comprised of Sam O'Hare, vocalist and guitarist, Will Melones, bassist, record producer and recording engineer, Tyler Pietruszka, drummer and Danny Garrett, keyboardist and harmonica player. There are great bass and harmonica solos on the catchy and up tempo Morning Time. Moonlines and Days are melancholy works, with especially powerful vocal and guitar performances by Sam O'Hare. Scaggsville is a great contrasting blues song, complemented by guest saxophone performances by Omari Russell and vocalist Jess Garcia. St. Pete can be compared to a gospel tune mixed with the Grateful Dead - and it totally works, complimented by tight horn arrangements by guest arranger Jorge Ayala. Waiting, a intense, introspective ballad with minimal accompaniment, is a great way to finish the album. Producer Will Melones has led an amazing project with Running in Circles, and along with his colleagues in Hundred Yard Smash, will be THE musical force to experience in the coming years. - Amazon