Live Music Alert: Hoots and Hellmouth, June 10, 7 th St. Entry, Minneapolis

Catch them on NPR’s Mountain Stage, June 26, along with Pat McGee, Colin Linden, Tim Easton, and Meg Hutchinson.

Holy OPen Secret

The Holy Open Secret

Hoots and Hellmouth

MAD Dragon Records

If you haven’t heard Hoots and Hellmouth, get to your nearest computer and check them out at www.myspace/hootshellmouth. The trio of Sean Hoots (acoustic guitar), Andrew “Hellmouth” Gray (acoustic guitar), and Robert Berliner (mandolin) will get your feet tapping and your voice singing along.

Back in 2005, Hoots and Gray were heavy into the alt rock scene in Philadelphia and decided to bring their energy to a new writing and performing venture as a roots duo with twin acoustic guitars. Hoots brought in fellow band mate, Robert Berliner, from the indie rock band, Pilot Around the Sun, to play mandolin. Their breakthrough appearance at the 2006 Philadelphia Folk Festival flamed the adoration of area fans and eventually led them to the WEA-distributed Mad Dragon Records. In April 2007, they released their first album, a self-titled CD that launched them out of Pennsylvania and into other venues where eager fans awaited.

The trio testifies about the power of music on their website, saying “The exchange of music is a bond, a way to build community, an environment in which to share an experience. Sing with us! Dance with us! Lay your weary burden down and get lifted for a spell. Let’s break away from the traditional roles of performer and audience…..We’re not trying to sell you a product or influence you in any particular way. We’re not espousing any ideology other than that which builds community on a local level.” And, like most converts, they are zealous in their desire to bring you into their fold.

Hoots and Hellmouth

Their second release, The Holy Open Secret, that dropped June 2 is a gospel-laced, jamgrass, jug band tent show that has much more beneath the canvas and the rigging than just danceable roots music. They are superbly assisted by Todd Erk on upright bass throughout the CD, adding foundation for their full out revival.

The initial cut, “Root of the Industry,” is a slam at the music industry—and maybe consumerism in general. It starts out with a Fairport Convention feel that breaks quickly into the instrument and energy driven steam of Railroad Earth. The music is so exciting and the vocals are so interesting you just might miss the deeper lyrics that tout: “There’s life in the dirt if you can get around the root/of the tree of the knowledge of what makes a man labor for labor’s sake when he ain’t even in on the take.” And, of course, there is a charge to take up the figurative ax and “hack away at the root of the industry.”

More statements about society continue with “You and All of Us,” a tune that is enhanced with Tom Bendel on drums and percussion. It’s full of hoots and hollers and a jiving harmonica by Bob Beach. This one cut reminded me of a vinyl album from a Cincinnati band back in the early 70s, a straight up roots/rock opera called Testify.

And, of course, there is a clear message in “What Good Are Plowshares If We Use Them Like Swords,” with its organ backup by Joe Bisiri that sets the gospel tone while Bob Beach’s harmonica places it clearly in the blues. The vocals and rhythmic guitars deliver the message like a great Amen.

“Watch Your Mouth” is a jug bandesque cut with great backup vocals that is given a creepy side show edge with Joe Bisiri’s Hammond organ touches. “Family Band” also echoes the jugband feel but has a bit of old music hall thrown in. Its fun is intensified by Elizabeth Dodson Westphalen’s trombone and a lovely mandolin solo by Berliner.

Then there is the hand clapping tune, “Known for Possession,” with its infectious beat and sweet guitar licks and full-on counterpointal vocals.

The revival intensity is broken up by Gray’s melodic ballads such as “Three Penny Charm” and “Ne’er Do Well” that act as meditative testimonies placed in the middle of the album. These confessionals about flawed men seeking redemption through love are interesting touches to this album. They are good, but their inclusion shows Hoots and Hellmouth’s split personality that may or may not survive as the band seeks its identity. Softer, more Americana selections were also a signature of their debut CD.

In contrast, the slower, more thoughtful “Dishpan Hands” captures the old-time country feel with Berliner’s tasty mandolin. It again is a song about someone striving to be a better man.

But my favorite track of the whole album, ironically, is the quieter final track, “Roll, Brandywine, Roll.” It combines both soul and sweetness, swelling from a solo plea to full three-part harmonies that lift the song into an angelic anthem. Though the lyrics are a bit ambiguous, I chose to think of this tune as the story of someone having a spiritual epiphany, coming into union with the river and all of nature. The choice of that last tune is like the last hymn of a prayer meeting that carries you out of the revival tent and lingers with you on your way home.

Grab a listen online, hear them on NPR, or go see them live. You’ll come away happy in your spirit.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 7:53 pm and is filed under CD Reviews, Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.