On this episode of The Fred Minnick Show, the alt-blues band Houndmouth joins Fred for some whiskey sipping and lively conversation. Formed in New Albany, Indiana, in 2011, the band consists of Matt Myers, Zak Appleby and Shane Cody. On the show, they talk about touring, 10 years of being headquartered in downtown New Albany, they sip everything from Michter’s 10 to 291 Colorado Whiskey and they perform two songs — one of which is slated to be on their forthcoming new album.

Whiskeys tasted:

• Michter’s 10 Year (14:24)
• 291 Colorado Whiskey (23:40)
• Penelope Four Grain Bourbon (44:12)
• Peerless Rye (47:00)
• Old Fitzgerald 14 Year Bottled in Bond (55:46)

EPISODE SUMMARY

Fred and the members of Houndmouth talk about a wide variety of things, such as:

• Fred gives the band a moment to decide whether to perform before drinking the whiskey or after. It is noted that performing pre-whiskey would be a foreign experience; predictably, they choose post-whiskey.
• There’s a quick discussion of thrift stores and haunted dolls.
• The band is headquartered in an old house in downtown New Albany which sits next to a fire station, making it sometimes difficult to record.
• They tell the story of how the band name came about, and it is directly related to the fact sound bleeds into the old house.
• Fred takes the band through his method of tasting bourbon.
• Fred says mindfulness – paying close attention to what you’re eating or drinking – can work even for something as mundane as a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Talk then turns to chicken sandwiches and later hot chicken. Because it’s so freaking good. Fred then somehow waxes eloquent about Tanzanian cashews.
• The band agrees they’ve never tasted anything quite like the 291 Colorado Whiskey. Aspen staves will do that. (They loved it.)
• Fred talks about some of the many flavors he’s encountered in whiskey: Drywall, plastic and even dead cat.
• The origins of Houndmouth, which first began to take shape in 2011, are explored. Interestingly, each of the original members primarily played guitar, so they were forced to diversify.
• The band performs a song at around the 37:00 mark.
• Fred gets to the Penelope Four Grain and the group already had consumed it. Oops. The Peerless Rye comes out.
• There is a discussion about the benefits of having a great mother-in-law.
• Before covid, Houndmouth toured so relentlessly that in one year they played 280 shows.
• They already drank the Old Fitz as well. As for the overall favorite? Penelope Four Grain was the winner … which is why they essentially finished it before the show was recorded.
• Look for a new album from Houndmouth this spring.
• The band performs a song from the forthcoming album at around the 55:00 mark.

QUOTABLE

“The color of whiskey is almost like a painting. Every one is different.” -Fred