I'm sitting outside on a muggy Beaumont evening, laptop alive and buzzing on an aged wooded picnic table along Westgate Drive. In the distance I can hear cars streaking down Dowlen splashing tiny puddles of water onto the grassy curb. The smoke from a Marlboro Smooth 100 drifting from my hand does little to scatter the swarm of tiny mosquitos circling around my head. The bright LED glow of my computer screen is simply too inviting, and I've given up all hope of sharing this evening alone. As I scroll through my iTunes playlist searching for the perfect compliment to my reanimated morning coffee, the playful album art of a certain local favorite catches my eye as it has so many times before. My computer speakers come to life, and the air is filled with an ambient stuttered loop that reminds me of distorted wind chimes. Pantry Ants have delightfully sabotaged this would-be picnic.In 2009 I had the privilege to meet and perform alongside a truly precocious and, then, still relatively unknown Nederland trio. Hello Chief was brought to my attention by a mutual friend who had been raving about their exciting and energetic sound for weeks, continually insisting that I head out to one of their shows that summer before I would be forced to make the trek back to my college campus in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in August. Having never heard the band and in need of another act to fill the bill at a show I was putting together at The Barking Dog (BMT), I shot a blind and somewhat reluctant text to Jonathan Wooding. I remember not knowing what exactly to expect when Wooding and the band agreed to perform and as Hello Chief took the stage that night in late July. I can say now that I wasn't prepared for the auditory sensation that followed.
My college playlist was littered with bands like Minus the Bear, This Town Needs Guns, Arctic Monkeys, RX Bandits, and The Fall of Troy. As I watched in astonishment, I quickly began to understand why said mutual friend had been so very confident in my immediate positive reception of a band that sounded like more like they were merely visiting the Golden Triangle, the citrusy smell and influence of Southern California heavy on their backs. The small, now defunct, Pearl St. venue was alive that night, swaying to the tunes of a glorious conglomeration of mathy progressive alternative indie rock teaming with not so subtle hints of ska, reggae, experimental rock, and surf-gaze. It was there on the corner of Pearl and Bowie on a late Saturday night of well worth in Beaumont, and after taking twenty or so minutes to express my own surprise and newfound adoration of that which is Hello Chief to Jonathan Wooding (Bass and Vocals), Jake Hollier (Drums, Percussion, and Vocals), and Jordan Wright (Guitar and Vocals) that I knew. Southeast Texas was about to be rocked to it's core. No pun intended.
2010 and 2011 saw Hello Chief rise to become one of the prominent acts in Southeast Texas. It has become quite clear that I wasn't the only one who thought this band was making a significant impact as I find myself having had countless "Chiefy" conversations with artists and concert goers alike who are still singing the praises of the kings of progressive musical innovation in today's SETX music scene. It seemed like the Golden Triangle couldn't get enough of Hello Chief as I attended Chief shows hosted by Star Bar, The Art Studio, Victoria House, The Barking Dog- Orange, Logon Cafe, Tequila Rok, and other SETX venues all year. Whether it was the highly energetic and flawless live performances, the inventive mathy guitar loops ala Jordan Wright, Wooding's creative, dance inspiring bass hooks, Hollier's breakbeats and monolithic percussive but non intrusive presence, or the gravity of a band so unlike anything the area had ever seen or heard before, the fever had spread, and fans new and old were beginning to ask, "When and where can I get my hands on a Hello Chief record?!"
The answer came in early 2011 with the band's release of "Pantry Ants". The short 4 song EP is the first of hopefully many to be added to the Hello Chief arsenal. Four highly diverse tracks up for grabs on Bandcamp were the first to be made available to the band's growing fan base. The EP, though just a taste of what is Hello Chief, is a tremendous freshman effort by a band who is still only teething. After hearing the release in its entirety for the first time back in January I could not restrain myself from flooding Facebook and Twitter with words of praise and commendation. Today the Hello Chief play count on my Macbook Pro is somewhere around 60, and I certainly haven't gotten the least bit tired of hearing Pantry Ants grace my shuffled morning playlist once or twice a week.
"Pantry Ants", the debut Hello Chief EP is proof that Hello Chief is still perfecting the concept of stylish math pop vibery complete with complex rhythms and insidiously charming riffs and scales with an indie flare. The production is integrated and can be characterized by/with a broad stylistic diversity with ventures into psychedelic folk, prog, and art rock. Interesting enough, Hello Chief doesn't set up camp anywhere, and surprises listeners of "Pantry Ants" with augmentative tension, peculiar drum patterns, bursts of bassy showcasing, and technical yet free flowing breakdowns.
The first track, "Birds Outside", begins ever so subtly and erupts into a splendid jaw dropping introductory breakdown somewhere around 40 seconds in that seems to sub-musically scream, "THIS IS WHO WE ARE!!" The tune, instrumental for the most part, kicks into a lively dancelike groove around the two minute mark, serving as one of the finest feel good hooks of any 2011 EP I've come across - Maps and Atlases-eque with a twist of Givers.
Track two, "Hats" really showcases Wright's creative picking style from the opening notes. The more intimate flavor of this selection leaves plenty of room to showcase Hollier's vocal crooning. I love Wooding's presence on this track as he and Wright seem to carry this tune forward by the way of imaginative and harmonious licks, synergistic and complementary throughout. Forget cowbell, woodblock is the way to go on this one.
"Fay" is by far one of my favorite live tracks. The tune is carried through to the breakdown by a driving bass and what sounds like several twangy traded guitar riffs, but what is, in fact, Wright's spellbinding trademark looping. "Fay" then transforms into an edgy emotional guitar solo, followed by a few measures of full band stabs, and concludes with a beautiful verby jazz-like outro that's best experienced live, a little buzzed, and eyes closed. This is definitely an imaginative tune that leaves one satiating and hungry for more of the like.
The last track on the EP is a smooth moony little four minute marvel that explodes into an ambient lackadaisical dreamscape abruptly interrupted by a whimsical three part vocal arrangement amongst a driving mixture of chants and stabs concluded by This Town Needs Guns/early Minus the Bear-esque guitar work, and a playful dancing bass line accompanied by Hollier's smooth shaker and percussive ontogeny. In total, a masterful transformation that could only have be derived from the collaborative efforts of skilled progressively minded individuals working in complete synergy.
As a whole, this short EP is a great way to acquaint yourself with Hello Chief. "Vibey" is the best way to describe this EP in full. The tracks are solid, the mood is diverse - cool, crisp, energetic, and trancelike at times but, rest assured, that each tune is well constructed and thoughtful, inspiring foot tapping, soulful swaying, and a trip down a bouncy afternoon road to listener placidity and embedded with feel good math rock laden vibes. Pantry Ants is must have for any SETX listener, and we here at Greenhouse Music say with full confidence that you will not be disappointed. Most notably for fans of Maps and Atlases, RX Bandits, Givers, This Town Needs Guns, Tera Melos, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Facing New York. You can preview and purchase "Pantry Ants" at HelloChief.bandcamp.com
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Cheers,
Bo Michael King
