The Happy Hollows Archives - musings from boston

Happy Hollows finds their “Way Home”

On February 11, 2016

Photo by @eric_kelly

Just a ‘musings quickie’ tonight, to pass along the Happy Hollows’ pretty and sad new song, “Way Home.” But it’s ok; Happy Hollows are old friends of ours, so it’s cool. Why pretty and sad? Because at the root of Sarah’s luscious swirling guitar, elegant synthesizers, driving percussion and her captivating mystic banshee vocals is a melancholy tale about being away from home, on the road, and coming back to find that things have changed. It’s a lonely feeling of being tired, adrift and disconnected from previously familiar people and places. There’s a yearning for what once was, but there’s no going back. Stunning song, guys.

Sarah is joined by Charlie Mahoney (bass, synths), Matthew Fry (guitar) and Dan Marcellus (drums), and the song was produced by Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast). With the layers of synthesizers recreated live with the help of MIDI tracks and Ableton, all the parts, including vocals, were recorded in the studio in a single take. Pre-order the single now — it’s out February 23.

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Pisces (Sarah Negahdari) presents us with a gift of a Winter Horse

By julie

On February 8, 2014

In Indie Music

photo by Eric Kelly

From the inimitable Sarah Negahdari is a song offering from her beautiful side project Pisces. Called “Winter Horse,” it was first premiered on Buzz Bands in late January. Needless to say, it’s every bit as magical as her main gig with The Happy Hollows and her “fill in work” last year with Silversun Pickups. Charlie Mahoney and Chris Hernandez of The Happy Hollows add their magic on bass and drums. It was engineered and produced by Joel Morales and David Newton. Just awesome.

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My Musical Highlights of 2013

By julie

On December 30, 2013

In Indie Music

(clockwise from upper left): A blessing to see all my favorites this year - The Henry Clay People, The Happy Hollows, Malcolm Sosa's 123Death and The Airborne Toxic Event

I’ll be honest — 2013 was a bitch of an “all work and no play” year, but the times I did get to cut loose with some fine music were pretty spectacular. There were a few really nice festivals (not a format I’m typically fond of), an intimate backyard deck show in Echo Park and the swan song of a beloved L.A. band. What might have lacked in quantity was well compensated in quality. Due to my work circumstances, I had to select carefully, so what you’ll find here are mostly old favorites. As the year winds down, it does so on a rather ominous note, and I’m not entirely certain what the future holds. Ok, no one is ever certain; I’m especially not certain. If there’s anything in a musical vein that I hope for in 2014, it’s that however my life changes, it does so in a way that I can experience a wider range of musical delights in the new year. For a comprehensive overview of top recordings released in 2013, visit Ryan’s Smashing Life for his ’50 Best Albums of 2013.’ Meanwhile, here are six of my personal live performance highlights, in chronological order.

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Lost and Found (VI of XII)

By julie

On October 6, 2013

In Indie Music, Musings, Road Trips

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

Ryan Fuller and Rob Danson of Fort King, at The Echo

Part VI: Echo Park Rising, Sunday

Upon waking on Sunday morning, the second day of the Echo Park Rising Festival, I was badly in need of loud music, comfort food and a cozy spot to curl into a fetal position. Preferably all at once. I had a strange dream during the night. There was a paranoid and delusional crack head who had left a cryptic message on my friend’s cell phone, threatening to come by the house and quite possibly do us bodily harm. In a dazed panic, we discussed various options (call the police, take a posse back to the house, not go home that night and stay elsewhere, etc.), while standing in a drunken crowd that included a throng of KXLU DJs on the sidewalk outside the Lot 1 Cafe in the middle of the night. As the fog began to clear from my sleep-deprived brain, I realized it was not a dream. After an hour of strategizing our next move, we actually listened to the message and determined that he was not a serious threat after all. As it happened, our sleep was only disturbed by the usual roving dogs and ghetto birds. At a friend’s suggestion (thank you, Rob Danson), I grabbed my stuff, scrambled back to Lot 1 and found the safe haven, satisfying brunch and healing music I was looking for.

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Lost and Found (V of XII)

By julie

On September 29, 2013

In Indie Music, Musings, Reviews, Road Trips

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

Joey Siara at the final Henry Clay People show at the Echoplex during Echo Park Rising

Part V: Echo Park Rising, An Evening at the Echoplex

On this first evening of Echo Park Rising, it was all about The Henry Clay People. This was a band I first discovered in 2009 when they toured with The Airborne Toxic Event. Actually, it was before that, early on in 2008, as I was bouncing around from band page to band page on MySpace (remember MySpace?). If there was any band that captured the feeling of good ol’ classic rock ‘n’ roll and that careening out of control, celebratory and reckless spirit, it was HCP. Sadly, theirs was another one of those “almost but not quite” success stories. Here was a band that really seemed poised for at least the semi-big time, especially after major tours with Airborne and Silversun Pickups. But it didn’t happen as much nor as quickly as it needed to happen, and other important life events had to take precedence. So here we had their final performance, at Echo Park Rising, and Echo Park did indeed rise to the occasion.

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The (Infamous) Eastside L.A. 2013 Midyear Round-up! (part IV)

By julie

On August 17, 2013

In Indie Music

Andy and Joey Siara of The Henry Clay People - The Trocadero, Philadephia, Oct 10, 2009

Here we are, then — the final installment of my last Eastside L.A. Round-up. How appropriate that I’m trying to stay awake to finish this on the eve of the Echo Park Rising festival, which I’m happily attending this year. The festival was first conceived last year, and rose from the ashes of the freshly defunct Sunset Junction Street Fair. This year, there are 19 stages with bands performing over two days (including The Henry Clay People’s Swan song). Incredible. If you’re anywhere in or around L.A., most definitely check it out. Oh yeah, it’s FREE.

A very big “thank you” to all the wonderful bands I’ve been enjoying since 2008, and for those who are still alive and kicking, I’ll continue to cover their exploits individually. Support your local bands! Peace out.

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The Happy Hollows and their intoxicating “Amethyst”

By julie

On July 30, 2013

In Indie Music

There’s something else I’d like to commemorate today. The Happy Hollows have unleashed their second album, Amethyst (on Pesky Fruit Music). It was produced by Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, Fools Gold), mixed by Eric Palmquist at Palmquist Studios at Infrasonic Sound, and mastered by Joe Laporta at Sterling Sound NYC. I’ll do a full review upon my return from mecca with an actual physical copy in hand. They’ll be at Echo Park Rising in August.

For now, have a listen to “Endless” and “Galaxies.” Strong, powerful and driving, yet heavily laced with Sarah-woven fanciful magic. “Endless” really highlights her otherworldly voice. It’s shiver-inducing, beautiful stuff, and classic Happy Hollows.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/91653612″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/97660923″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The name amethyst comes from ancient Greek for “not” and “intoxicated”, which is ironic, since that is exactly the sort of reaction Happy Hollows’ music elicits. However, in the spiritual world, amethyst is said to enhance psychic powers and intuition by connecting the earth plane and other worlds, and opening one’s channels to telepathy, past lives and spirit communication. It is often used in meditations and for lucid dreaming. Now that makes perfect sense!

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The Happy Hollows ~ “Endless” (from upcoming new album!)

By julie

On May 30, 2013

In Indie Music

photo by Fisher Phillips

How I love this Eastside L.A. band, and this new song foretells wonderful things about The Happy Hollows’ upcoming album, Amethyst, which is due out July 30 on Pesky Fruit Music. According to Pinpoint Music, the album was recorded with producer Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, Fools Gold) at Black Iris studios in Echo Park and Infrasonic Sound in Los Angeles, and apparently they’ll be introducing some synth and drum machine sounds into the mix with Sarah’s delicious guitar shredding. Sounds interesting! For now, here’s “Endless” — and stay tuned! Here’s hoping for some East Coast tour dates when Amethyst comes out…

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/91653612″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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The Infamous Eastside L.A. 2013 Roundup, part II

By julie

On January 5, 2013

In Indie Music

A few bands with new albums out this year: The Happy Hollows, The Airborne Toxic Event (Anna & Noah at Osheaga) and Radar Bros.

I hope you enjoyed part I of the Eastside L.A. 2013 Roundup. In part II, we pick up where we left off, with the lovely Miss Sarah Negahdari‘s side project, Pisces.

Same rules apply. If the last update was last summer and not a word since then, I’m going to call the band MIA and assumed gone or on extended hiatus, unless I hear otherwise. Confirmed as defunct: Shadow Shadow Shade and Walking Sleep.

We continue now with the rest of our roundup. Good night, and good luck. >>

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Eastside L.A. Roundup – Part II of II

By julie

On February 16, 2012

In Indie Music

Sarah Negahdari (photo by Zoe-Ruth Erwin), Robert Francis, The Henry Clay People

Continuing on with part II of my Eastside L.A. Bands 2012 Roundup. Again, I’m only including artists who either are doing significant touring this year, or who have a new album just out, very recently out, or are working on something. If I’ve missed anyone or something big, please let me know. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight and good luck.

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screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Tag: The Happy Hollows Page 1 of 2

Happy Hollows finds their “Way Home”

Pisces (Sarah Negahdari) presents us with a gift of a Winter Horse

My Musical Highlights of 2013

Lost and Found (VI of XII)

Part VI: Echo Park Rising, Sunday

Lost and Found (V of XII)

Part V: Echo Park Rising, An Evening at the Echoplex

The (Infamous) Eastside L.A. 2013 Midyear Round-up! (part IV)

The Happy Hollows and their intoxicating “Amethyst”

The Happy Hollows ~ “Endless” (from upcoming new album!)

The Infamous Eastside L.A. 2013 Roundup, part II

Eastside L.A. Roundup – Part II of II