Hillstomp

At it’s core, the band consists of Henry Kammerer (Guitar, Banjo, Vocals) and John Johnson (Buckets, Drums, Clanks, Grunts); two worn, but exuberant voices singing and shouting above a swirling mass of banjo, buckets, slide, washboard, and car parts. Together, they create a visceral music that makes you want to stomp your feet, shout to the heavens, and love your neighbor. After 12 years of writhing, hypnotic stomp and shout celebrations that have left hundreds of clubs, barns and festivals drenched in sweat and covered in love, the duo continues to defy categorization. They have been called Mississippi trance blues, punkabilly, hill-country, Appalachian and punk blues (to list but a few), but none of it quite hits the nail squarely.

Between 2002 and 2010, the band released 2 eps and 4 full-length offerings. Those recordings, coupled with their legendary live performances, have helped to duct-tape together a distinctive sound that quickly bubbled upward in Portland’s roots, blues and indie circles. They have toured relentlessly across the US and Europe, becoming veterans of the Roots and Indie festival and club circuit. During this time, they have shared stages with The Avett Brothers, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Scott Biram, among others, and spent 3 weeks touring in support of The Reverend Horton Heat in support of 2010’s Darker The Night.

After taking a well deserved hiatus, Hillstomp returns to action with Portland, Ore, their debut on Fluff and Gravy Records, due out April 15, 2014 on lp and cd. The record picks up right where they left off, finding the band refining their craft and expanding their repertoire on 10 tracks that range from moody folk ballads to the raging stomp the duo is best known for. Mixed by Chet Lyster of Eels, and produced in conjunction with Kevin Blackwell of Sassparilla, Portland, Ore, represents a sonic high-water mark for the band.

The Onion: “The members of Hillstomp raise as much hell as two men sitting down possibly can. Drenched in sweat and possessed by the spirit of the Mississippi Delta, the Portland duo of Henry Kammerer and John Johnson uses a rickety setup of real and found instruments to whip up a raucuous yet trance-inducing racket.”
Magnet: “Hillstomp actually pulls it off…It’s raw and evocative of the music recorded by the late Burnside and Junior Kimbrough…”

Harp Magazine: “This Portland duo is cut from similar cloth as the North Mississippi Allstars and the Black Keys, but they’re just a good ol’ jug band cranking out lo-fi punk blues on homemade instruments and vintage gear.”
Saturday, June 27, 8:30pm
At the Red Bicycle
17618 Vashon Hwy SW
206-463-5590
www.redbicyclebistro.com