The Happy Hollows
By Christopher Petro
Photo by Sterling Andrews

As abusive and wearisome as L.A. can be for up-and-comers, the three members of The Happy Hollows agree, “L.A. is a great place for a band to get started: there’s lots of places to play, lots of blogs and feedback, industry people, a variety of crowds, and — if nothing else — you can always find other bands,” as stated by Hollows drummer Chris Meanie.

In the two short years since they found each other on Craigslist, The Happy Hollows have been winning over the local music community with their punchy tempos, thrusting guitars, inspired, unclassifiable lyrics and explosive live shows, and have arguably become one of the most respected groups of musicians in L.A. By playing frequent gigs around the city, the band has drummed up an impressive amount of attention amongst critics (LA Times, Indie 103, and every music blog under the hot Los Angeles sun). But the real accomplishment is the esteem they’ve earned from their peers. It seems like every musician in L.A. has rattled off their name in interviews when asked about other great bands coming out of the area. Silversun Pickups even handpicked the Hollows to open at their two homecoming shows (at The Fillmore and The Wiltern) last fall. All this with only one self-released EP under their belt — Bunnies and Bombs, a disc which recalls the caustic beauty of Deerhoof and Kaito and possesses a Patty Smith-like swagger in singer/guitarist/knee sock enthusiast Sarah Negahdari’s breathy sweet vocals.

Members of the Central Second Collective, The Happy Hollows advocate forming alliances, a tactic often used by artists to network, foster creativity, share contacts and book gigs, and are living proof of its efficacy. Together, the Collective includes a half dozen other bands — Death to Anders, The Transmissions, The Henry Clay People, Die Rockers Die and One Trick Pony and The Little Ones — who have joined forces to work together, play together, and navigate the L.A. scene as one. “We sing on each others’ albums and creatively collaborate,” says Negahdari, “For example, other bands in the Collective have a great producer and he found out about our band from them. Now we’re working with the producer and couldn’t be happier,” referring to former Mighty Lemon Drops member turned producer, David Newton.

“It’s amazing,” Negahdari explains, “When you live in a place like L.A., particularly when you aren’t originally from here, you end up seeing two kinds of people: authentic and inauthentic.” A bona fide artist harnesses inspiration from her environment, and that’s how Negahdari approaches songwriting. “L.A. can be tough,” she says, “but I find inspiration in the inauthentic art.”

Bassist Charlie Mahoney adds, “Tapping inspiration around us is one of the reasons why we have songs about so many subjects.” Rampant with topics as diverse as Vietnam, colors and science fiction, the Hollows’ EP found sway in the art community outside the Collective. “When you’re being genuine and authentic with art, people from the surrounding communities want to work with you: writers, artists, filmmakers,” explains Mahoney. The Hollows’ pro bono made music video for “Vietnam” ended up winning over the people at YouTube, and was awarded an editor’s pick.

Lately, the Hollows have been working on their new album in a marathon recording stint. “We did 19 songs in two weeks, but intend to pare it down to 10-12 tracks,” says Mahoney. “We’re still mastering, making little tweaks and edits before we release.”

Asked about performing, Negahdari closes her eyes and says, “I am in love with rock n’ roll. It literally is a religion for me. When you can give yourself the beat, that moment on stage, you lose yourself completely.” She goes on, “It’s how I connect with people. We share this feeling, this emotion. It’s a spiritual thing. Every songwriter will agree they don’t just write a song - it sounds silly - we channel our songs. It’s already there, we’re just the vessel, pulling the song from the air.”
And the others agree, Negahdari is a creative anomaly. Says Mahoney, “She writes so much.” Indeed, five new songs in the past two weeks, Negahdari details. “She also inspires the band to give more during the performance. What can I say? She’s charismatic,” Meanie adds, “And people seem to like our shows.”

www.happyhollows.com