First Listen: The Hollers EP

If you’ve worked in the Seattle Music Scene long enough, you will have seen bands break up, member changes, name changes, and been lucky enough to watch musicians grow up and go through many configurations and growth. Such is the case of Trevor Boone, lead singer of The Hollers.

I first met Trevor when he was still in high school and in a band called Novelty Hill and cutting his teeth in the All-Ages venues of The Old Firehouse, KTUB, and Ground Zero. I remember that Novelty Hill was quite sophisticated for their age and chock full of aspiring talent.

Trevor has always worked hard, surrounded himself with good musicians, and put out quality product so when he invited me out to check out his new band, The Hollers, I felt pretty confident it would be worth my drive to the Sunset Tavern after a long day at work. I was not disappointed.

I got there as they were doing sound check and after hearing a snippet of a song, I knew I was in for something good. I already was perking up from a long day and looked forward to hearing the set. There were just a handful of patrons in the bar at that time but by the time they hit the stage, they had a good crowd.

This night was their self-titled EP Release show and you could feel the band was excited and so was the audience. Trevor broke out his new 1952 Fender Telecaster – the first left-handed guitar Fender EVER made. Says Trevor, “I sold “every” instrument I owned for that guitar!” And he played the hell out of it leaving it bloodied by the end. From the first down stroke the English style beat had the girls doing the shimmy (my fan barometer).

The Hollers have an infectious energy. Trevor Boone can barely contain himself; he has a joy about him when he sings that reminds me of the British Invasion and Peter Noone of Herman Hermits. He has an unusual stance at the mic, preferring to set it high and he up on the ball of his foot. And he has what I call a case of the “Happy Feet”, for they’re moving all the time. Holler’s guitarist Frank Gross, reminds me of a Rockabilly guitarist with his high energy playing style and his Gibson ES-335 slung low. He also adds harmonies. Bassist, Jordan Fuller is a chill player like most bassists but he and drummer Andrew Ching know how to hold down the line and keep the beats simple much like the British Beat, which compliments the Power-Pop style of the band, never trying to outshine their leader or draw attention away from him. I appreciate that. What makes their songs reminiscent of the British Invasion is that beat. No over-the-top solos, just drums and bass holding it tight.

The Hollers have a lot of promise. Their tunes are infectious and just make you feel good. I told Trevor that they’re a prescription for road rage. You just can’t help but feel happy in the car when you listen to them and may find yourself considering buying a convertible, letting other cars into your lane, driving the speed limit, and waving at those people on bridges holding peace signs. I’ve been playing the EP in my car while traveling down South on my I-5 commute and it’s been a good traveling companion. Like putting on rose colored glasses, life just seems a little lighter while listening.

This is a young band in terms of age ranging from around 24-26 years old and the time they’ve been together which has been about 6 months. They’re just now getting comfortable with each other so if they’re putting out these kinds of tunes at this early stage, I can’t wait to see how they progress. There is room for layering of vocals and Guitarist Frank Gross does add harmonies on a few songs but I’d like to see more of that in the future to fill out the sound.

Pop/Rock is having a resurgence and The Hollers brand of rock never goes out of style. It’s youthful and besides being reminiscent of Brit Rock, Trevor’s voice at times reminded me of Ludo lead singer, Andrew Volpe’s Love Me Dead or Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig’s youthful spirit in Diane Young.

Influences: Wilco, The Strokes, Tom Petty, The Beatles, Little Joy

You can pick up The Hollers EP at their next show:
Wed July 23^rd The Sunset Tavern with Po’ Brothers and RADAR 8:30pm $6 21+
Mon Aug 4^th The Tractor Tavern with Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden 8:30 $8 21+

Fresh off the Bob Rivers Show on July 7^th.