Groovehounds

by Scott Hefflon

Opening this six-song demo is a rich, soulful, funk rock number called “Down Town.” Instantly, you know the boys have talent. A few quick licks and a snappy-yet-not-excessive solo shows guitarist Sam Sadowsky can milk as much soul out of an inanimate object as he can out of his vocal chords. You have to ask yourself, just how many fingers does that bassist have? And how many arms does that funky-ass drummer have anyway? While I’m more a fan of the heavy groove soul-rock than the almost straight funk thang, a good song is a good song. And the Groovehounds have good songs. You can shake your butt to ’em. You can sure as hell go all soul-man and gibber like James Brown. The Groovehound gang aren’t “Say Whoa!” wave-watchers, nor are they popfunk like The Mild Peppers have become over the years (nor are they as buff’n’stuff, but that’s not the issue here), Groovehounds are heavy, groovy, and funky-as-whites-can-be. (The country-fried “Frost” threw a bad curve, but hell, the band’s still young and want to stretch their wings a bit. Or whatever.) While they occasionally have a bit o’ trouble keeping a steady beat, if ya got’s the soul, the rest just comes with practice. Soul is something ya got or ya don’t, and the Groovehounds got it.