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Jason StoJJsteimer
Gets Things His Way
P hil Collins has accepted death. It
sounds like a proclamation, but it's
really just an opinion—a lamentation
on the state of pop music today. It comes
from the mouth of Jason Stollsteimer, front
man for The Von Bondies and now the creative
force behind The Hounds Below.
So, where does Phil Collins' place in the
"five stages of grief” fit into that?
"Supposedly, he's retired from music.
Basically, he said his pop songwriting ability
is no longer relevant. People don't really care
about that anymore. I find that really inter
esting. Let's just say he's accepted death,"
Stollsteimer says. "I don't know any other way
to dance around it except that he's accepted
that he has nothing to do now. By doing that,
he's totally accepted death, and it sucks."
The demise of respect for lyrical, vocal and
pop sensibility in modern music is subjective.
Some people think Lady Gaga is a genius,
while others like Stollsteimer find a lot more
to admire in the golden days of Roy Orbison
and, yes, even in the career of Phil Collins.
The Hounds Below exists because Stollsteimer
doesn't believe in the irrelevancy of those
types of musicians.
"[The Von Bondies] was a garage rock
band. I fought so hard to make it not a garage
rock band, but it was," he says. "That was all
about playing as fast as we could and, basi
cally, about being teenagers. This is more
vocal-centric, more singable and less of just a
hit and run."
The band, which is actually Stollsteimer's
solo project, plays the kind of music he wants
to hear. The vocals are pronounced, the melo
dies are strong, and the lyrics have some kind
of message, even if only to him. With one EP
released so far (streaming at thehoundsbelow.
bandcamp.com), he says some have likened it
to Orbison backed by the Pixies.
It has taken him more than a decade to get
to this point, and some people may question
why it took him so long to actually make the
music he wanted to make. Some may wonder if
he stuck it out for commercial reasons. There's
no definitive answer, but the real reason may
be that when he first started, he was just a
dumb kid.
"When The Von Bondies started, it was just
a bunch of us getting together and drinking,
and it turned into something. When I was
19, we'd do a whole tour and do nine songs
a night, and I wouldn't have any lyrics. I'd
have a chorus and then I'd just rap, basically.
I'd sing the chorus and then ramble on about
nothing," he says. "I came into this knowing
what I wanted. I didn't want a democracy. I
didn't want anyone else to have a say."
It's been a few years since The Hounds
Below came into being, and Stollsteimer has
kept true to his word. With an oft-changing
crew of players, he's the only constant in the
band. It's his world, a place where he can
write the songs he wants and he can atone for
any trouble he may have found in the past,
including an infamous and bloody 2003 bar
brawl with Jack Whit* 1 .
"Before, I was the average 20-year-old guy
whining about crap—jealousy and bitterness.
It's different now. I'm less vain," he says. "I
made a lot of mistakes, and I'm now realizing
what they were and trying to learn from them
and avoid them, instead of putting myself in
bad situations, which I'm notorious for."
If having a better creative outlet in The
Hounds Below coupled with being a few years
wiser can help him with that, The Von Bondies
deserve to be on the back burner for now.
The newfound maturity certainly shows in his
songwriting and his vocals, which are quite
pretty for a former garage rocker. While not
sounding exactly like Orbison, the same kind
of appreciation for beauty is there. And while
not a dead ringer for the Pixies, the band does
offer a similarly fun and melodic brand of
pop/ rock and roll.
"Can you dance to it? Can you cry to
it? Can you make love to it? I don't know,"
Stollsteimer says. "But I like listening to
music I can sing along to and have a good
time, so I'd like to offer the same thing."
Jennifer Gibson
( ^
WHO: The Hounds Below,
Cowboy and Indian, TBA
WHERE: Caledonia Lounge
WHErt: Tuesday, June 7,9:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5(21+), $7 (18+)
V y
ATHENS
MUSICM
AWARDS
VOTE ONLINE: flagpole.com/MusicAwards
The Annual Flagpole Athens Music Awards Show is designed to
honor and celebrate those who make Athens, GA a center of
musical creativity, enjoyment & accomplishment.
The show kicks off AthFest Athens' annual musk and arts festhraL and wtil be held on Thursday,
June 23. You, the local musk fan, wfll choose the local performers you wish to recognize by ffittng
out this be**. AH awards are decided by a majority people's choice vote, so YOUR VOTE IS VERY
IMPORTANT.
A panel of local musk Judges has selected this year's finalists; Just check the box next to your
choice or write-in your own candidate In the space provided. You do not need to vote In every
category. Please man form to Flagpole Magazine, PO Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603; drop It off at
our office at 112 S. Foundry SL, or submit an online baHot at wwwJlagpole.com.
ELECTRONIC
□ Abandon the Earth Mission
□ Basshunter 64
□ FLT RSK
□ Steven Trimmer
□ Up Until Now
EXPERIMENTAL
□ Bubbly Mommy Gun
□ Geisterkatzen
□ Pocketful of Oaptonite
□ Raw Ass Temple
□ Whistling School for Boys
ROCK
□ Bambara
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□
□ The Humms
□ l
COVER BAND
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□ Bit Brigade
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of Motown
DJ
□ djrx
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JAZZ
□ Carl Lindberg
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HIP-HOP
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(feat EBt* Tha Showstoppa)
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POP
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WORLD
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□ Klezmer Local 42
□ The Knockouts
□ Repent at Leisure
POLK
□ Bran
□ EnUarme deRocher
□ Hope for AgokJensummer
□ MadeHna Adams
□ Yo Soybean
AMERICANA
□ Betsy Franck and the
Bareknuckle Band
□ Don Chambers+GOAT
□ Jim White
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□ Pack way Handte Band
PUNK
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□ Hot New Mexicans
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JAM
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□ Lefty Hathaway Band
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COUNTRY
SOUTHERN ROCK
□ The Burning Angeb
□ Clay Levered A the Chasers
□ Futurebtrds
□ Matt Hudgins Shit-Hot
Country Band
□ K»£Sr. Jones and the
County Fair
METAL
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□ ‘Powers
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UPSTART
□ Easter Island
□ Four Eyes
□ powerKompany
□ Ruby Kendrick
□ (Semi Circle
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□ Vestibules
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□ '
LIVE
□ Dead Confederate
□ E6 HoAday Surprise
□ Kite to tha Moon
□ Manray
□ Pocketful of flafrtnnlte
□ '
□ I
□ The Whigs
ALBUM OP THE UEAR
(Apr. 10 • Her. 11)
□ Rve Bght- Your God b
Dead to Me Now
□ Quiet Hooves • Saddle Up
□ Maseratl - Pyramids
□ Dead Confederate • Sugar
□ Lara Lynn * Have You Met
Lera Lynn?
□ Tunabunny • Tunabunny
□ Futurebtrds - Hampton's
Lullaby
□ of Montreal • False Priest
□ Grape Soda - Form a Sign
□ Bf Power - EM Power
BEST COVER ART
(Apr. 10 • Mar. 11) writ* band nama
BAND OP THE **EAR
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JUNE 1,2011 ■ FLAGPOLE.COM 13
