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Words by Gant Smith :: Images by Jeremy Jones
Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds :: 09.04.05 :: Blind Willie's :: Atlanta, GA
Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds :: 09.04.05 |
It's funny how the past can catch up with you. Remember the days before the Internet and tape trading message boards, when the only free music you could get in your mailbox was running a BMG/Columbia House CD scam? Come on, you remember it - all the CDs that your brother had on vinyl or the replacements for the ones lost to the "I'll bring right back" guy. All it took was a name on a postcard and a penny, and the tunes were yours. I racked up loads of classic albums from Derek & the Dominos' Layla, Jimi Hendrix's Greatest Hits, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and The Allman Brothers' Decade of Hits to name a few. I mean eight CDs for a cent - come on. Well, as fate would have it, those CDs were not meant for me to keep. As soon as they were mine, they were gone. I either left them at a party or in a car on a random cross-country road trip following a band and a girl. The music was literally meant to travel and be free.
Jon Harris :: 09.04.05 |
As my travels led me into Blind Willie's, a blues joint in Atlanta's Virginia–Highland's neighborhood, on Labor Day weekend, I was drenched in a glorious revival of the sounds and feelings of those albums. Depth, soul, and rock dripped from the ceiling, quenching what we all needed in our quest for live music: the way it makes you feel inside, the way it makes you move, the way it brings it all back. Drenched in sweat at Atlanta's premiere blues bar, Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds showcased songs from their self-produced debut Last Days of Chattanooga while ripping through two sets of music that was etched in original, rowdy, southern-style stomping blues jams, intimate acoustic testimonials, and a bag full of classic 70s vinyl covers.
Dombrowski & Fowler :: 09.04.05 |
Jon Harris & the Sin Hounds is an up-and-coming band conjuring up quite a buzz in the heavily populated Atlanta music scene. They are an eclectic sound of blues, rock, and folk with a firm grip on the pulse of Americana. Front man Jon Harris is an Atlanta native who has served time in a variety of groups before deciding to step up and front his own band. His soulful voice and engaging presence on stage connect him to his audience in a passionate and electrifying way. Inspired by the guitar techniques of Eric Clapton, Freddie King, and Duane Allman, Harris plays as his own mixing boards, constantly tweaking the tempo and viciousness of his output with each and every song. Laying down the wall of power on the kit is drummer and Huntsville, Alabama native Brad Fowler. Classically trained in jazz and regimented fundamentals, Fowler is everything and more in a rhythm section. Whether it's taking the bridge of a song to a thunderous second level or laying down a soft canvas for Harris to paint over, Fowler's chops are powerful yet graceful and provide that perfectly needed balance of melody and intensity. Rounding out the trio is its newest member, bassist Ray Dombrowski. At what was once a hole in the band being filled nightly with a rotating cast of friends and musicians, Dombrowski has added new depth and a brings touches of funk to the trio. Playing his first full show with the band at Blind Willie's (the band's home base), his skills and knowledge of the instrument have added a cohesive core and helped round out the Sin Hounds.
Jon Harris :: 09.04.05 |
As I strolled into the show a few songs late, the guys were warming up the crowd with a juke-jumping cover of Eric Clapton's "Bottle of Red Wine." If Harris's demanding howls of "get your man a bottle of red wine" were any indication, the night had just begun and refreshments would be needed. The gears shifted ever so slightly as the band played a few raucous cuts from their Last Days album, such as the groovy blues "Draggin' My Heart to Its Grave," and introduced some new material such as the lap steel-slapping "Meet Me in the Valley." This is where Harris truly took the opportunity to strut his stuff. His exploding bottle of thunder and lighting style brought out the gospel and electricity that the instrument provides and allowed him the room to explore his songs in a very greasy way.
Jon Harris :: 09.04.05 |
Like pulling the puppet strings, JHSH pulled back the pace and settled the crowd down with a warm glass of whiskey on "Tender Water" and a taste of some island-themed heartache with "Blame." But with a giant mural of Blind Willie McTell himself staring down on the stage, Harris wanted to dig deeper into the heart of the blues and southern rock consciousness. Rounding out the first set were the Dixie dirt-influenced "Hey Mama" and "Shackles & Rage," both tracks from Last Days, and the guys nailed them both.
After a short break, Harris and his Hounds picked right up where they left off by gearing up the faithful with a rousing interpretation of the Taj Mahal classic "Leaving Trunk." Believing that there must be a change, JHSH transitioned into their garage-pop anthem "Say It's Alright," followed by the surfboard-rock of a new track titled "Postmarked the Prodigal." The fire was brewing with the band as they then reached back into their book of covers and pulled out an explosive "Hey Joe" with a complete tooth-picking and fire-flaming solo. Next, Harris picked up the lap steel again for a jaw-dropping homage to J.J. Cale's timeless classic "Cocaine."
Jon Harris :: 09.04.05 |
As the night and hour wore on, Harris gave the band a bit of a break and took the opportunity to highlight some of his acoustic singer/songwriter numbers from the album, including the title track "Last Days of Chattanooga" and the a cappella promise of "Snow on the Tracks." However, it was his beautiful and moving cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" that silenced the clanging beer bottles and whispering voices that often accompany these soft set breaks and brought the attention right back to the center of the stage where it belonged.
Knowing to end the night just like they started, in a glorious roar, the guys rejoined Harris and his lap steel for their kick-stomping funk jam "Left-Handed Voodoo." On every reach to the sky and slide of the steel, JHSH brought the remaining crowd to their feet and dared them not to move. With Fowler smashing the backbeat and Dombrowski walking the lines, the guys blazed through a few more covers including the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post," Clapton's "Further on up the Road," and Hendrix's "Fire."
The Sin Hounds are not your run-of-the-mill "white boy blues band," peppering their shows with obscure and crowd-favorite covers. They are a melting pot of sound that can move you to your feet one moment and then hush you for the next. They don't adhere to a certain genre, but they bring out the true essence of every style they address. Southern rockers will be in awe of them. Dancers will twirl to the medleys. Blues fans will respect them. Their music and vigor truly know no boundaries. Chances are, you'll want to call Columbia House to see if you can get those classic CDs back.
JamBase | Atlanta
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