By DAN ARMONAITIS
A little more than seven months ago, Howl in the Valley released its much-anticipated debut EP.
The contemporary folk-rock trio — composed of Spartanburg-based musicians Jonathan Stephens, Janeen Scott and Michael Krell — had only been playing together for less than a year when it made its way to The Radio Room in Greenville for the official EP release party.
“Oh man, it was a blast,” said Scott, who sings and sometimes plays tambourine in the band. “It was, in some ways, surreal just looking out and seeing a packed venue. … I remember thinking back to the months leading up to that and all the work we put in, and just to see the community rally around us and be excited about what we had done was amazing.”
Howl in the Valley will return to The Radio Room on Friday, Nov. 15, to perform as part of a three-band showcase of Spartanburg musical talent that also includes Salti Ray and Groove Matter.
“We love playing the breweries and so forth, but it’s a much different atmosphere anytime we get to do a concert at a place like The Radio Room,” Scott said. “It’s just really special.”
Like Scott, Howl in the Valley lead guitarist Michael Krell also has fond memories of the band’s last appearance at The Radio Room.
“I feel like we’ve been riding the high from that show ever since,” he said.
But, for Stephens, who sings and plays guitar along with a suitcase foot-drum in the band, the experience is remembered a bit less enthusiastically. Of course, that has nothing to do with the impressive fan turnout for the show.
“After all the hype and the promo and and all the time and effort we put into that show, I woke up with no voice,” Stephens said. “It wasn’t a great performance because I couldn’t sing. … I just couldn’t hit notes. Janeen had to carry us pretty good — thank God for her. And, luckily, we had enough fans there to sing the songs with us, so I stayed off the mic as much as I could.
“I was bummed. I mean, you want to give everything you can for any performance, but that was a special one and I wanted to give (the audience) more than I could.”
So, for Stephens, Howl in the Valley’s return to The Radio Room represents a chance for him to enjoy somewhat of a do-over.
“Hopefully, I’ll have my voice when I wake up Friday,” Stephens said with a laugh. “But I’m also excited because this is the kind of show we live for as musicians. In the ‘Burg, we do a lot of three-hour gigs that are half covers (and) half originals just because that’s what you have to do to pay the bills. But this is a show with two other bands where everybody is doing a 45-minute set.
“So, not only does the audience get 45 minutes of original music, we don’t have to pace ourselves over three hours. We can give you everything we’ve got for 45 minutes straight with no holding back.”
While Howl in the Valley played the release show in a full band setup, including a guest bassist and guest drummer, it will play this Friday night in its usual trio format.
“When it’s just the three of us and it’s minimalist, that means it has to be all about the song,” Stephens said. “And considering that two-thirds of our band are songwriters (Stephens and Scott), that’s very important to us.
“When you’re playing with a full band, your song has to be fun and loud and all that. But when it’s stripped down to just two guitars and a suitcase and a tambourine, at that point, the melody, the hook, the lyrical content, it all has to be there. There’s no shortcut.”
Howl in the Valley’s infectious sound draws from such modern Americana-flavored influences as Langhorne Slim, The Lone Bellow, Shovels & Rope and Houndmouth.
“I think musically there’s a cool thing happening where we are sort of like a three-person Venn diagram,” Scott said. “We do have core artists that we all really like and some styles that we’re all really interested in, but then we all kind of branch off into other genres that we really like.
“My solo stuff versus Jonathan’s solo stuff is pretty different, and Michael likes to play a little more funky, groovy guitar on his own time. … We challenge each other and kind of bring different styles out of each other, and I think that makes for a more complex and interesting project that’s super exciting to be a part of.”
Howl in the Valley plans to take a break from playing concerts in January and February next year, instead using that time to focus on collaboratively writing new material. The debut EP basically featured songs that had been previously written by Stephens but were re-arranged to fit the band’s sound.
In the meantime, the trio is hoping its fans will again show up in full force for Friday’s performance at The Radio Room, not only to hear Howl in the Valley but also the other bands on the bill.
“We’re very excited to be back, especially getting to play with some of our friends who have been releasing music as well,” Krell said. “Salti Ray plays like this upbeat, feel-good music but they also have the ability to get more serious and bring things down a bit. For the most part, though, it’s stuff you want to dance to.
“And Groove Matter is just the same way. They’re a little more in your face but definitely funky and groovy. It’s going to be a great show.”