Nashville indie record label Me and The Machine Records is launching the debut album from their newest signing, Franklin, TN based act Stillhouse Hollow, set for worldwide release June 30th. When asked about the origins of the band and the songs chosen for their debut, Nathan Griffin, singer and guitarist for Stillhouse Hollow puts it quite simply: “The well was deeper than we first thought….†So too was the band’s beginning.
The boys had time for one more rehearsal upon landing at the Aberdeen Airport in South Dakota. After pulling out their instruments and playing for a while in a secluded corner of the terminal, they put the finishing touches on three hours worth of material and a band name. At that moment, what started off as a shared love for the music that comprised their freshly arranged set list (and what was also the soundtrack of their collective youth) became Stillhouse Hollow.
The time Stillhouse Hollow spent traveling over this beautiful and expansive part of the world in an old, beat-up school bus allowed them to reflect on and gain a greater understanding of simpler times. The stories they heard about the lives of the kind-hearted folks that also drove for hours to hear them play is prominently reflected in the songs on their debut album Dakota. As Stillhouse Hollow, Nathan Griffin, Joel Meeks, Jess Perkins and Scott Calpin exemplify the bond of great musicianship and are on a path to make their mark on the traditional American songbook.
Tracked at Dark Horse Recordings in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee during September 2008, Dakota compels the listener with an often abandoned authenticity and a nostalgia that – even if the listener didn’t experience these sounds in their time of origin – is ingrained into what can only be described as the genetic makeup of popular song. Yet, this pleasing familiarity contains a uniqueness that is brought into focus when Stillhouse Hollow picks up their instruments and start to sing.
“In a number of moments on Dakota it’s as if their songs have been transported back to us from a forgotten time,†says Josh Preston, co-owner of Me and the Machine Records. “Yet in the same instance, Stillhouse Hollow is not afraid to completely topple over stylistic boundaries while retaining a sense that these songs are like old friends.â€
So as the lights dim, pull up your seat at the Sandbar and look toward the stage. The show is about to begin.