Holopaw [rank: 1007] based on users subscribed

"Holopaw is an American indie band in Gainesville, Florida. The band was named after the town of Holopaw in Osceola County, Florida, although none of the members of the band has ever lived there. One of its members, John Orth, joined up with Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and others in 2002 to release the album Sharpen Your Teeth under the band name Ugly Casanova. Another member, Michael Johnson, went on to join Kurt Heasley's Lilys. John Orth played with Jeff Hays as a duo for some time before joining with Michael Johnson, Ryan Gensemer, and Tobi Echevarria as Holopaw in its current state."

[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Holopaw" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]

Bandega Interview with Jeff Hayes of Holopaw (January 2010)

First rule of Holopaw: ample tiki torches.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: Our live shows have changed a fair bit over the years. For one thing, the instrumentation is different now than when we started. When John and I started the band, it was just us two and it was basically acoustic guitar and pedal steel. For the first couple of records and tours we added a lot of analog synth stuff. One ridiculous tour I remember after our first record, we had three guys playing 3 Korg MS-10s in the same song. With the latest record and tour we basically are a lot more rehearsed in general since all the members now live in the same town. We also have a new member, Matt Radick, playing cello as well as electric piano, which really helps fill out the sound in pleasant ways. Some stuff is the same...we are still doing stuff like video projections and having some of John's home accoutrements on stage (cracked concrete lawn bunnies, plywood owls, weirdly ornate lamps, etc).

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: Not to cop out on picking one but I've got two that are the top two for the same reason. When we were first starting and Sub Pop was interested in signing us, they came down to Florida to see us and we played outside on the back porch of a friend's lake house. It was a spring evening and the frogs were chorusing and at every quiet part they were louder than we were. That kind of sticks with me because there was something slightly cooler than what we were were doing going on in the background. The second one was on our most recent tour when we played at the back courtyard of the City Reliquary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Those folks are friends from a ways back and they had the place totally decked out with christmas lights, etc., and the atmosphere made it for me. So the moral is: to qualify for the next "Best Holopaw Show" it probably needs to start on a mountainside in the Swiss Alps or somewhere where there is an ample tiki torch to audience member ratio.

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: This is kind of strange but our "home" venue might not be in our "home" town. There are cool places to play here in Gainesville: The Atlantic, The Palomino, Common Grounds, but for some reason we've played more often at Cafe Eleven in St. Augustine, which is run by our friend Ryan. It's right across the street from the beach so there is always the potential for some naked night swimming and we always stay over at a place next door and the venue always treats us to scones and coffee the next day. If anyone who is reading this is thinking about opening a music club, don't forget the scones.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: Well, I was going to go with when I saw PETRA at the Jacksonville Colliseum when I was ten because when you see the smoke machine and lights synced to the synth arpeggios, that is what lets you know you want to be in a band. But I'll go with something more recent. We played with Joel Thibodeau from Death Vessel a couple of months ago and it was the kind of deal that when he was done playing, I was intimidated to get up and play next because he was so accomplished and it was all so seemingly effortless.

Q: Congratulations on what sounds like a fantastic CMJ tour to cap off the release of "Oh Glory, Oh Wilderness". What was the motivation behind working with Bakery Outlet Records and how did that new beginning affect the album?
A: We have a strong affinity for working with friends and Rich Diem, who runs Bakery Outlet, was someone everyone was comfortable with. We had some other things we were working on, but Rich just seemed to be the most excited about helping us get it out, so that was enough for us. The major effect of that change is that we started recording this record with no label at all so it was all on us in terms of coming up with the resources to make it happen. It was difficult in that respect but I think we are all really proud of the result.

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