Westword (Jef Otte): What's going on with Houses right now?
Andy Hamilton: I wish I knew how to answer that. It's kind of a mystery to me as well. We had planned on taking a little break and writing some new material and changing the name, but as of now, we're just kind of laying low, while a few of us pursue some other projects. I think that most of us are about continuing the band under a different moniker, but I really don't know what kind of changes we're going to make. There might be some lineup changes. But as of now we're planning on moving forward in our own time.
What kind of projects are people working on? Do you know?
Well, Johnny [Lundock] plays in Blue Million Miles and Hearts in Space, so he's got that going on. Matthew [Till] seems to be pretty keen on the domestic life. Mike [Marchant] is still doing his solo project. Shus [Mark Shusterman] is paying in Nyota -- they used to be Constellations, but they had to change their name recently. I guess there's another band called called The Constellations that was getting pretty... fucking band names, man. Such a hassle.
You've had some issues with that yourself.
Yeah, we had a run-in with an electronic duo from Chicago that was also called Houses. I think mostly it's just, booking became a pain in the ass because people weren't sure who they were booking, whether it was us or them. Like, both Housese were at SXSW, and they put us on a stage with a bunch of electronic bands and them on a stage with... anyway, we knew we had if first, but we just decided to take the high road and make the change. Whatever. It's just a name. Sometimes it seems like the least important thing, but at the same time, you've gotta have a good name.
You've got some other projects going on, right now, too.
I've got like five different things that I'm writing for, and I'm trying to narrow it down to just a couple. I'm planning on releasing a bunch of solo material and putting it up on BandCamp for free. I just really want too get it out there. And then I've got this rock and roll band with Chuck and Eric and that I'm really excited about.
Have you guys gotten the ball rolling on that? Have you started rehearsing?
Chuck and I have been playing together and Eric's been on tour -- right now he's in Hawaii on vacation. But I've been writing a lot of material and I've started recording stuff, so we're making headway.
What's the lineup? Like you on guitar, Eric on bass, Chuck on, what, drums?
Chuck's playing guitar as well, and we're still shopping around for the right drummer. I'm trying to find somebody who can play like Mitch Mitchell. Preferably someone with an afro.
Can you tell me a little about what the early material is sounding like?
You know, I come from a strong rock and roll background, and I want to be known for playing rock 'n' roll. So I figure, time to start a rock 'n' roll band. So yeah, it's a little Deep Purple, a little Sabbath, bluesy, dark, a little psychedelic at times. I just started listening to all these underground bands from the early '70s; like, I dug up the first record from Sir Lord Baltimore -- they're pioneers, man. Circa 1970, they put out this record called Kingdom Come, which was viewed as one of the first stoner rock records, and they're so fucking good. I just want to play really great, blues-influenced rock 'n' roll. It's like I was telling my lady friend the other day: I want to create music that you drink whisky and ride motorcycles to, and it makes chicks want to have sex.
Do you guys have a name yet?
For the time being, I'm calling it O, Sorcerer! I'm hoping to be out on the stage with this project early next year. The dark winter month seems like a good time to unleash the magic.
