Holler, Wild Rose!: a collective vision

ISTANBUL - Hailing from New Jersey, Holler, Wild Rose! is the perfect combination of shoegaze, post-rock and ambient. Despite the young existence of this seven-piece, they have already been compared to several masters of these genres in a big way. Their debut Our Little Hymnal is one of the wonders came out in 2007; promising a winning music cemented with heart! A Hymnal that is encouraging, moving, somewhat provoking and gripping all the way.

Here, they have answered some questions for Puddlegum; about the band, album and music:

Holler, Wild Rose! is an interesting name for a band which captures attention right away. I know it is also the title of the first song in the album - Our Little Hymnal. So why did you pick this name? Is the same-titled song inspired by the band-name or the band-name came after the song was written?

First things first! The band is named after the song. We were originally called aDive, so many years ago. In a tumultuous and defining moment for our group, we decided to change the name to proclaim a collective vision, which the song best describes. At it’s core, Holler, Wild Rose! is an earnest declaration that we believe in joy and in promise; we hope to be their standard-bearers.

You are a 7 (6?) piece band. It can be considered to be sort of a crowded group comparing to many other bands today. What advantages or disadvantages does it bring, do you think? I have always thought “more people in a band” must motivate more creativity and energy but can it also cause a difficulty for consistency? Do you all contribute when a song is being written?

We are a seven piece band, but we can be as little as five; Our rhythm guitarist and organist perform whenever they’re available. I would agree that a greater number of players increases creative energy, but I believe the key to accessing it is in the way in which our different members interact. One positive for us: we’ve had several years to learn about one another! First and foremost, we are friends and family that love each other, and our priority is lifting our voices together in unison; no one in the group is waiting for their turn to show off and solo. Our shared goal is better songwriting, not riffs or showmanship. I can honestly say when you put your mates first, it’ll enrich your friendship and cultivate a fertile soil for mutual contribution.

How do you feel about the reactions to your debut Our Little Hymnal? Do you think it is received by the community that you were addressing to? Or do you have a specific target community in the first place? Who would/should listen to your music?

Overall, we feel the reaction has been a positive and encouraging one. We definitely didn’t have a target market or demographic in mind in releasing this album; we hope that the music will reach people from all walks of life. We played an impromptu concert in the NYC subway system in October, and the most fantastic thing was seeing families and businessmen and college students alike all taking time in their busy lives to stop and listen- hope transcends so many barriers!

Our Little Hymnal is like a 12 episode - story combined by “selahs”. All of the songs in the album appear to be “pieces” of a “whole”. Could you tell that it is a shared story of yourselves that you built up in the 4 year time before releasing this album?

It’s not a proper story, but maybe a collection of vignettes all caught up in the same continuum. The subject matter was culled from the real experience of love and loss and learning. We did spend alot of effort in maintaining a sense of balance and cohesion.

Will you follow the same concept for your following works in the future? Maybe a sequel to Our Little Hymnal?

No sequels please! I’d simply say that any collective work we create in the future will be created in the pursuit of honesty and wholeness. We’ll do nothing less than draw up from the depths of us, and hopefully the listener will discern our motive is true.

Before releasing the debut; one of your former songs “Victory Shine” appeared in a Backlight compilation album - “Other Songs and Dances Vol I”. When comparing “Victory Sunshine” to “Our Little Hymnal”; the dark - downtempo sound can be heard in both but still I felt a soft transition from electronic-ambient to slightly noisy shoegaze -post-rock. How would you explain this change over? And how the fans have received this slight change?

Victory Shine was a wonderful chance for us to branch out and show the breadth of our sonic palette. We wrote and recorded it during the time we were writing Our Little Hymnal, so it’s definitely not a representation of an earlier writing phase for us. I would say, though, that we made a conscious decision not to indulge our electronic appetites in the recording of the album, for the sake of aural continuity.

You have been compared to plenty of inspiring names in the music business; from Jeff Buckley to My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Rós to Thom Yorke, David Bowie to Explosions In The Sky… Personally, you remind me of Galaxie 500 too! Have these names inspired you making your music, what are your inspirations? And what do you listen in general?

Those names are such pillars of alternative music, you’d have to live under a rock not to be influenced by them! With so many members, we could probably open up a little record shop of all our inspirations: folk, gospel, hip-hop, classical, rave, electronic, jungle, drum n”bass, just to name a few!

Are there any plans on making a music video for any song in Our Little Hymnal?

We have an amazing storyboard and script for Marylawn Hair. Now we’re just trying to come up with a budget- never easy. In the meantime, we believe the music itself can stand on its own, without visual interpretation.

Can we expect a European tour in the near future?

We would love nothing more than to spread our joy across the pond- we’ve had such positive European response, it’d be a shame not to be able to tour there. Hopefully we’ll be eastward bound in the latter half of 2008.

How the word about Holler, Wild Rose! is being spreaded? Where would you put “internet”, “tv”, “radio”, “press” in the way of publication?

Internet was the primary and is the invaluable medium. We’ve secured radio promotion, and the music is being played on over 100 independent stations in the US; that’s not including online radio broadcasts and satellite radio. Traditional magazine press has been a slower foray, though we’ve been featured on numerous blog reviews. Television is an arena we have yet to break.

Holler, Wild Rose! - Sun Vines

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=oaOBKE1v2g0[/youtube]

12.22.07 | Christmas Benefit Concert w/ Ben & Vesper, Ian McGlynn and more
13 Main street West Orange, New Jersey | $10

1.04.08 | The Luna Lounge w/ The Brother Kite
361 Metropolitain avenue (at Havemeyer street) Brroklyn, New York 11211| $10

1.31.08 | The Knitting Factory - Zombieville VIII
74 Leonard street New York, New York 10013

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