The Head and the Heart

All the band members Charity Rose Tielen, Chris Zasche, Kenny Hensley, Tyler Wilson, Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell met after a series of open mic nights in a pub in Seattle. The band name, as explained by Johnson is based on the concept that “your head is telling you to be stable and find a good job, you know in your heart that this [the band] is what you're supposed to do even if it's crazy.”

The band spent most of their formulative years touring around the Northwest region of the United States, and released their first self-titled album in 2010, and then was re-released when they signed with Sub Pop Records in 2011. Having gained a lot of popularity, the band toured the United States, as well as Europe as the supporting act for various other bands such as Vampire Weekend, Dr. Dog, Iron and Wine and Death Cab For Cutie. They even made their debut television appearance on Conan at the end of 2011.

The band’s music was also featured on various, widely popular television shows. “Rivers and Roads” was used for both Chuck as well as How I Met Your Mother, and “Down In The Valley” was used for the British television show, “Beaver Falls.” Following the success of the first album, they released their sophomore album, “Let’s Be Still” in October 2013, which was entirely produced by all members of the band with the help of Shawn Simmons.

Comprised of guitarist and frontman Matt Myers, keyboard and vocalist Katie Toupin, bassist Zak Appleby, and drummer Shane Cody, Houndmouth was born in 2011. On the back of successful and immersive performances in Louisville, Kentucky and around Indiana, the band was invited to perform at the 2012 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. The show strongly aided the success of their debut, self-titled EP, following which Houndmouth were contacted by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade, who subsequently signed the band to his roster.

Later in 2012 the group was named “Band of the Week” by The Guardian, raising Houndmouth’s international reputation, before heading to the studio to record a debut full-length. In 2013 Houndmouth their debut studio album “From the Hills Below the City”, showcasing a selection of heart-on-the-sleeve, country/blues-infused, rock & roll tracks. In promotion of the record, Houndmouth performed on “Letterman”, “Conan”, and “World Cafe”, before embarking on their most ambitious tour to date including shows at Americana Music Festival, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza.

The majority of 2013 and 2014 was spent touring alongside the likes of the Wheeler Brothers, Andrew Combs, and Drive-By Truckers, regularly testing out new material. In March 2015, Houndmouth issued their sophomore studio album “Little Neon Limelight”, once again generating popular responses from the musical press.