Squirrelhouse

Last April, I listened to an unmixed version of Squirrelhouse’s debut album, “S.P.Q.R.� After hearing the nine tracks, I knew there was potential for a stellar debut from the Tuscaloosa band. I tried not to get too excited, though. After all, I have seen my fair share of talented bands flame out before hitting their stride.


Five months later, the album has been mixed and mastered and the shipment of cellophane-wrapped CDs sits in boxes on French horn player Beth Hataway’s hardwood floor.


The band will host an album release party tonight at the Mellow Mushroom featuring special guests Baak Gwai and Birmingham’s The Grenadines. “S.P.Q.R.� will be on sale for $10 at the show and the first 100 people through the door will receive a free beer. The Crimson White was lucky enough to get an early listen.


“S.P.Q.R� is an album that belies the band’s youth. The songs are danceable, catchy and flat-out fun. From the album artwork to the songwriting, this is a professional effort from a band with a bright future.


The album was recorded in Tuscaloosa at Old Capitol Recordings with Shane Lollar. It was mastered by Noah Mintz and produced by the band. Mintz has worked with bands like Broken Social Scene and Feist. Like the music of those bands, the album has an avant-garde, indie rock feel to it that makes it unique in a Southern college town.


I have heard Squirrelhouse compared to Sonic Youth with a French horn. Echoes of Radiohead can be heard at times in their music, but I say let’s forget the comparisons and claim this band for our own. Eat your heart out Atlanta; Squirrelhouse’s sound is something the Tuscaloosa music scene has sorely lacked.


The opener, “Midnight Train,� features spot-on guitar work from Patrick O’Sullivan and sunny, female backing vocals. It is impossible not to clap along when the song culminates with lead singer Paul Hanninen singing, “The sun’s coming up, but the night’s gonna stay / Yeah, the sun’s coming up, the dark ain’t goin’ away.�


“The Hunter� is a standout track on the album. The song is frantic and a little unnerving in the best way possible. As the song progresses, it becomes more chaotic and fun. The driving guitar line alone is enough to create an impromptu dance party wherever the song is played.


“Fours� sounds like it could be in an Apple or Volkswagen commercial. It is a slower, bouncy song that showcases Hanninen’s vocals and Hataway’s French horn. Hanninen said in a previous interview that the addition of Hataway’s horn to this song completely revitalized it. The French horn is the perfect compliment to Hanninen’s pleading refrain, “Don’t leave me now.�


“Truckin’� is another track that will have you dancing, thanks in part to the fine rhythm section of drummer Clay Pence and bassist Russell Bush. It also features more wonderful guitar riffs from O’Sullivan. I dare you to remain motionless while listening to this track.
There really is not a low point on this album. When you listen to “S.P.Q.R.,� you get lost, and when it is over, you’ll find yourself wanting more.


I have seen this band grow and mature over the past six months. Hanninen has become more comfortable as a frontman, Hataway’s horn adds something special, O’Sullivan is like a surgeon on guitar and Bush and Pence thump and crash on bass and drums.


After listening to “S.P.Q.R.,� I could not be happier to know that their potential has not been wasted. Squirrelhouse has released one of the best local albums of the year.


Key Tracks:
The Hunter
Fours
Midnight Train

4 out of 4 stars

--Caleb Johnson, The Crimson White - Caleb Johnson

BAND-IT invited Squirrelhouse to perform as the headline act for the magazine launch party at Little Willie’s on April 12. The band’s performance was seen by devoted fans as well as unfamiliar faces, and was well-received by all.

“I thought it was a great success; I like the magazine a lot and I enjoyed playing,� lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Hannien said of the event.

Squirrelhouse also recognizes other changes in Tuscaloosa’s attitude toward local music; including 90.7 The Capstone, Tuscapalooza and the size of the audiences coming to local shows in recent months.

Since January 2008, the band’s name has been catching a lot of buzz around Tuscaloosa; which could be the result of adding new members and instruments to the original line-up that had formed in January 2007. Drawing influence from the layering techniques of Wilco, Hannien said “It can never be a bad thing to add another instrument to a piece of music.� And if their hype is any justification, he is right.

Squirrelhouse has opened up for Taylor Hollingsworth, Baak Gwai and Pine Hill Haints, to name a few. The band’s opening slot for Baak Gwai in Tuscaloosa was one that Hannien said has been the most memorable. Mellow Mushroom’s packed crowd demanded an encore from the act, which in itself is a feat for a local musician. These fans did not come with the price of selling-out either, i.e. conforming to a sound in an effort to attract more people. “We will try new stuff, but only as long as we like it. If the crowd doesn’t like the music and we do, that’s okay to us,� Hannien said.

The band is not interested in conventional sounds, but they still have ambitions to be in it for the long hall. Members of Squirrelhouse will be graduating from the University of Alabama soon, which calls for more establishment as a band name in order to stay afloat, Hannien says.

Squirrelhouse’s debut album, expected for release this summer, could help with that dilemma. The band is looking to sell around 500 copies in their distribution around Tuscaloosa and on tour. With the help of Noah Mintz, former engineer for Feist and Broken Social Scene, the band could certainly accomplish their goal. After the release, the band is looking to sign with an independent record label, possibly in Birmingham. Squirrelhouse is currently touring around the South with dates lined up until August.--Nan Pearson, Band-it Magazine - Nan Pearson

Squirrelhouse, MySponge here, are a five-member band from Alabama and they have three things going on for them. One, they’ve got a great name. Two, the vocalist Paul Hanninen has a Finnish surname which raises interest in all us sad Finns who perk up our ears at the slightest reference to our little country. Three, they’ve got some good songs and stuff, you know.

Squirrelhouse has that 00’s indie sound - grounded, homely production but somewhat grander songs, traditional rock instruments mingling with non-traditional ones (in this case, a horn player is a fixed member of the band). Squirrelhouse stands out however with their own little special sound, adding a sort of hazy groove to every song. The bass is wonderfully lively, the ever-present horn really does sound absolutely wonderful and makes you wish more bands used horns in a more regular basis. The guitar tends to go on its completely own adventures instead of following the usual melody repeats which is another interesting side (check out the wildly frolicing lead on “Monster pt. 1″). Finally, you have Hanninen’s permanently daydreaming voice that manages to do quite a bit while emoting very little, often backed with a brightly contrasting female vocals.

The Myspace comes with five songs. “The Hunter”, “Nagasaki Shuffle” and “Fours” are taken from the band’s debut SPQR, the former rocking a bit more than the other material while Fours advances with a subtly funky, choppy rhythm and sweet horn melodies - Nagasaki being somewhere in the middle. The two-part Monster is from the band’s upcoming album and are the ones that raise the greatest interest, from the first part that perfectly showcases the lazy groove of the band’s sound and with a chorus that’s wonderfully striking in its utter simplistic nature, to the rolling and restless second part with some really addicting musical hooks. Most of these songs can be downloaded from here.

It’s very hard to say anything from a new (to me) band based on five songs but I guess the best way to sum up my opinion I’m actually posting about them here and I’m greatly interested in checking out their albums at some point. - Indie Paws

Squirrelhouse is a band out of well named Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Their music ranges from frantic and fun garage rock songs (The Hunter), to more laid back while still moving jams like Monster pt.1 and 2. And then my personal favorite: a poppy number complete with bells and backing vocals called Fours. Fours sounds like the song the two love interests find each other to, and amongst the droves of people reunite for a final kiss as the sidewalks empty and the future seems uncertain. That’s probably too deep of a reading and you’re free to imagine it in many other settings. If you’re feeling the need to be charmed by some fresh noises out of an awesomely named town definitely check these guys out. - The Tape

"There is no epic Squirrelhouse band biography to be told. The band tries to stay away from epic; this is not Spinal Tap. They would have you think they are just an average group of college kids making music - it is easy to imagine as they sit around the living room on couches and chairs.

But one listen to Squirrelhouse's unmixed and unmastered album proves otherwise. Hanninen, Bush, drummer Clay Pence, guitarist Patrick O'Sullivan, French horn player Beth Hataway, and vocalist and tambourine player Sarah Ondoscin know exactly what they are doing."--Caleb Johnson, The Crimson White - Caleb Johnson