The Horrible Hound Dogs: The Snake Handler Sessions

CD: The Snake Handler Sessions (2011, Blameless Productions)

by M. Alberto Rivera

The Horrible Hound Dogs can’t make up their minds as to what or who to be. They are torn between being authentic 1st generation white boy imitators of electric Delta and Chicago Blues, or to be neurotic benzadryne poppin’ purveyors of garage rock rave ups.

They do each credibly. The white boy imitator reference isn’t a dig, lest we forget Johnny Winter, Peter Wolf and Eric Clapton were also pasty faced boys who fell in love with Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter. Garage-wise, they step off into the manic waters and nervous edginess well charted by the Stooges, The Trashmen and The Standells.

The Snake Handler Sessions opens with the bluesy Dead Leaves setting the pace for the next 25 minutes. The guitar on Black Hole sounds like a buzz bomb ready to explode at any moment; the band barely able to keep the song contained. Alternating tracks between raw blues numbers and unhinged garage songs THHD unleash their angst and neurosis into their instruments, making a glorious racket.

Overall The Snake Handler Sessions feels like the band mixed good whiskey with cheap speed or vice versa. There’s a jittery and volatile overdrive feeling to all of it which may soon have you attempting to talk your way out of a speeding ticket should you listen to this CD while driving. Undoubtedly your emotions will get the better of you as you play this CD. And like the source of your animated agitation, legal or otherwise, you will find yourself reaching for it all over again.

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