Houndstooth

Houndstooth came together in Portland, Oregon, during 2010 when songwriters Katie Bernstein and John Gnorski began shaping a distinctive, understated strain of country-rock. Bernstein’s mellow lead vocals and Gnorski’s intricate lead guitar work quickly became the group’s signature sound. Though both musicians originally hail from Austin, Texas, they waited until their first joint songs existed as lo-fi demos before recruiting three additional players. Detroit-born Mike Yun took the organ chair while Courtney Sheedy handled bass; Brette Marie Way, formerly of the Parson Red Heads, was tapped to play drums. In mid-2011 Graeme Gibson, an experienced alt-rock engineer, replaced Way on the drum kit ahead of the birth of her first child and remained in the role permanently. Later that year the band issued its first release, the self-released 7-inch “Beachbummer” b/w “Francis.” Summer 2012 brought two digital-only singles—“Hidden Hollers,” which reflected the Clientele’s influence, and an early recording of “Bee Keepers”—before the latter track appeared on the July 2013 debut album Ride Out the Dark. Their second studio effort, No News from Home, arrived in early 2015.