Posts Tagged ‘The Happy Hollows’

  
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 7: The Happy Hollows

by Michael Fortes

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After having said my goodbyes to Evan, Brette and Aaron from the Parson Red Heads, I took to the road to make my next appointment. I was due to meet the Happy Hollows, who I had first heard during the same month I was first introduced to the Parson Red Heads. Sarah Negahdari’s seemingly boundless well of energy meshed so well with the pulsating, borderline-hardcore rhythms of bassist Charlie Mahoney and drummer Chris Hernandez that I had to meet this band.

On the day we shot this interview, there was much excitement in the air. The Happy Hollows were not only preparing for an appearance at Austin’s South by Southwest festival, they had also been feverishly working on recording new songs for an EP to be released in the wake of their SXSW gigs. (more…)

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Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 2: Leopold and his Fiction

by Michael Fortes

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To say that Sunday, February 15, 2009, was a busy day for me is an understatement. I had decided to devote the entire day to Parlour to Parlour shoots, after discovering that I couldn’t spread them across two days. Basically, nobody was willing to give up any of their precious Valentine’s Day hours for an interview. In hindsight, I should have known better than to propose V-day for anything other than a date. But all was well that ended well: I did have a date of my own on the 14th, and I made the rounds on the 15th to visit three different artists I had discovered through my time at Performer Magazine. Daniel James from Leopold and his Fiction was the first I met that day.


Standing next to the Happy Hollows‘ Sarah Negahdari at the Knockout in San Francisco’s Mission District, on the night I first saw Leopold and his Fiction perform live (the Hollows had just finished their opening set), I remarked to her that the band’s fierce grooves reminded me a lot of the blues rock & boogie of early the ’70s band Cactus. Her reaction to that statement was pretty much the same as that of Daniel James, Leopold’s chief songwriter, singer and guitarist, when I dropped in on his San Francisco apartment about six months later — “I’ve never heard them before.”

I get that a lot. (more…)

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Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Introducing… Parlour to Parlour

by Michael Fortes

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A year ago, I was in the midst of an existential crisis. I was functioning fairly well in my day job capacity at UCSF, and pumping out reviews for West Coast Performer Magazine, Bullz-Eye.com, and – on occasion – Popdose as well. But to what end?

I knew there was far more to life than keeping an office running and giving the world my informed opinion on which album had the greatest guitar solo of 2008 (it was actually on the Vagabond Skies EP by Peter Gabriel protégé Joseph Arthur). I had been reading self-help books, meeting with counselors, talking my parents’ ears off, and asking questions of anyone I thought might be able to give me some insight into the question of how best to realign my priorities.

Then, on a particularly odd day when I decided to load up WCP’s MySpace page to serve as my housecleaning soundtrack, I heard a song by a band whose stock in trade was warm, friendly harmonies, a ‘60s folk-rock streak and good vibes. Lots of other bands have these qualities, but something about this one was different. It moved me in a way I couldn’t quite explain. I jumped up from my sweeping chores to see who it was, and then checked the band’s tour schedule. (more…)

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Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Popdose Interview: Sarah Negahdari of the Happy Hollows

by Michael Fortes

In just two short years, the Happy Hollows have racked up some impressive milestones since their formation in L.A. – they’ve released two EPs (with a full-length album on the way), filmed about a half-dozen videos, played opening slots for sold out West coast appearances by the Silversun Pickups and Deerhoof, and have just played their first East coast date at New York’s annual CMJ festival on October 25.

In the midst of preparing for the release of the band’s new EP, and in the run-up to the CMJ appearance, Popdose seized the opportunity to catch up with the zany leader of this feisty Pixies-inspired band of indie rockers with the Fugazi-esque rhythm section, Sarah Negahdari. The original plan was to pass the phone between Sarah, bassist Charlie Mahoney and drummer Chris Hernandez, but as life took over, the plan didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, Sarah talked our ear off all by herself, getting us caught up with the history of the Happy Hollows, their new EP Imaginary (it’s free!), growing up with hippie parents, making a video with tiger cubs, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

Sarah Negahdari: Hello?

Popdose: Hi, is this Sarah?

SN: Yes! Hi, is this Michael?

PD: This is! How are you doing?

SN: Hey! How are you doing?

PD: I’m doing alright! You got the whole band together?

SN: No. (sounding disappointed) It’s been such a crazy day for Chris and Charlie, and they live so far away from me, and they can’t get here and they’re so sorry.

PD: Ohhhh, well definitely send them my regards.

SN: Oh, they are so sorry, they tried really hard.

PD: Well, maybe you can speak for them at certain points.

SN: OK.

PD: …and if not, I’m sure maybe we can hook up again another time.

SN: Good, cool. (laughs) Thanks you again so much for the Popdose interview! We’re gonna put a link to it really soon when we’re gonna start pushing for our EP. (more…)

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Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Making a Joyful Noise: The Happy Hollows @ The Knockout, San Francisco

by Michael Fortes

Sarah Negahdari, the Happy HollowsStanding inside the Knockout in San Francisco’s Mission district late on a Wednesday night, August 27, 2008, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. I know I’ve been in some club in the city before that had its walls decorated with vintage album covers… but was it this one? And had I been there that time for live music or just to hang? The sad part of the story is, if I had been in the place before, it would not have been longer than four years ago. Score one for aging.

But no matter, this night will surely keep its place in the ol’ memory banks much, much longer – from the warm, excited hug I received from the Happy Hollows’ lead singer/guitarist Sarah Negahdari before I even walked through the door, to the drunkenly enthusiastic girl in the audience who intimated she could be doing exactly what I’m doing right now (and in truth, her first impressions of the Happy Hollows matched mine almost exactly, so if she could get the essence of what she was saying translated to the screen/page, she could very well be a new voice in the ever-crowded blogosphere), and the striking contrast of the three bands on the bill, there was plenty more to associate with the venue this time than just a bunch of LP sleeves on the wall (and 45s too).

I first encountered the Happy Hollows, an energized Pixies-esque punk-ish trio from that hip section of L.A. known as Silver Lake, during San Francisco’s annual Mission Creek festival back in July. What made them stand out that Friday night in July was still very much on display more than a month later, and it was still working to their advantage. But more on that in a bit. (more…)

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